False Hearts – Remedy EP

Apr4

Already no strangers to attention and acclaim, UK outfit False Hearts can expect to be faced by plenty more through their new release, the Remedy EP. Offering four slices of the fiery melodic rock which has already brought the band potent credit and support, not forgetting chart placing and a movie credit through one of their singles, the Cambridgeshire bred band’s new encounter is a boisterously dramatic and enterprising enticement sure to capture a new wealth of imaginations.

Emerging in 2016 and consisting of vocalist/guitarist Emma Hodgson, lead guitarist Ali Westwood, drummer Adi Bowes, and bassist Phil Benton, False Hearts has grown into a powerful live proposition lighting up numerous festivals and venues whilst also sharing stages with the likes of Those Damn Crows and Mason Hill and appearing on the soundtrack of Strangers 2: Prey at Night. The successor to their extremely well-received EP, Dirty Little Soul, it is quickly clear that Remedy is the band’s most striking and accomplished offering yet and one which ears swiftly devoured.

The likes of Halestorm, Black Stone Cherry, Muse, and Shinedown are offered as suggestions behind the False Hearts sound but in no time the EP’s opener and title track soon shows they are mere hints to something more strongly individual to the foursome. Familiarity and fresh enterprise do entangle within their music but Remedy openly shares a bold character and presence inimitable to the band. The first track immediately entangles ears in its spicy grooves, relaxing its insistence to welcome the captivating voice of Hodgson as beats continue to jab. That in turn sparks greater heat and intensity in the swiftly compelling encounter, its chorus a fire of energy and contagion surrounded by melodic and dextrous enterprise.

Proving an inescapable temptation, the outstanding track makes way for successor Misery Loves Company, a song also instantly winding an enticing groove around ears with rhythms probing the senses alongside riffs. As it slips into a calmer passage there is still a muscular insistence to the infectious lure, melodic strands and subsequent sonic flames surrounding the magnetic tones of Hodgson as the track burns potently within ears. As within the first track, the second explodes in a chorus which just demands involvement, its physical and emotive eruption hard to resist.

Breathe Again is a mellower proposal, one bred in emotion and intensity but also with a tempestuousness which inflames its melodic reflection and drives its tension soaked eruptions. Maybe a slow burner in comparison to the first pair of tracks, it has only grown to persuade greater passion for its fiery and spirited presence.

The EP closes up with Enough Is Enough, a slab of rock ‘n’ roll with a classic rock air. It is fair to say that it did not quite spark the passions as its fertile companions yet only held a firm grip on attention and satisfaction as again False Hearts shared their fertile craft and imagination with ears.

In a time when we are all looking for a cure for the ills devouring the world, False Hearts have a Remedy in the shape of their new EP which certainly provides a fine and rousing distraction.

The Remedy EP is released April 3^rd.

https://www.falsehearts.com/ https://www.facebook.com/falseheartsofficial https://twitter.com/falseheartsband

Pete RingMaster 03/04/2020

Crimson Star – The Olde Dawg

Apr4

It might be fair to say that UK outfit Crimson Star have not yet found the widespread recognition that their previous EP, Bay View, suggested they deserved but certainly acclaim, a greater reputation, and a fresh wave of fans did follow its unveiling two years back. Now the band has its successor ready to tease and tempt and again we can only say that their voracious rock ‘n’ roll carries all the attributes to provoke richer attention.

The time between releases has seen vocalist/guitarist Jay D Shaw and bassist Roj Ash joined by new addition in drummer Chris Hopton; the Birmingham based threesome uniting to create a trio of tracks which almost prey on ears within The Olde Dawg. The new EP bears the same rousing roar of its predecessor but swiftly reveals something hungrier and more dramatic in character and presence.

Recorded with Romesh Dodangoda (Lower Than Atlantis, Bring Me The Horizon, Funeral For A Friend), as its predecessor, the new release opens with Living A Lie. Emerging on a sonic dawn, punchy rhythms are soon rupturing the air to be quickly joined by bass and guitar bringing the ripe grooves and hooks the band has already earned potent praise for. Once into its eager but controlled stride, engaging melodic enterprise wraps the muscular dynamics of the track which are especially fertile around its eruption of a chorus, dynamics emulated in the similarly potent vocals of Shaw. Groove thick, the track is a striking and stirring start to the EP revealing alone the new strength and imagination in the band’s sound.

The outstanding Norma is next up and immediately accosts ears with its own gripping grooves and rapacious rhythms. The growl of Ash’s bass instantly had ears and appetite greedy to be swiftly matched in touch and temptation by the swinging grooves of guitar and the firm flying beats of Hopton. Again Shaw’s vocals provide a similarly magnetic proposition, at times almost teasing the listener as the song twisted and turned as it got under the skin; unpredictability lining every move and creative trespass offered.

The EP’s title track closes up the release, The Olde Dawg again an insistent bordering on predacious enticement which devours the air in riffs and rhythms whilst tempting ears with melodic and contagious enterprise. Moments of harmonic imagination only adds to the track’s lure, moment s of siren charm within waves of voracity which sweep the senses.

It is a great end to an EP which left us thick in pleasure and keen to suggest all go sail upon The Olde Dawg with Crimson Star, one of the UK’s brightest rock bands.

The Olde Dawg EP is released April 3^rd.

https://www.facebook.com/crimsonstarrocks https://twitter.com/crimsonstarrock

Pete RingMaster 03/04/2020

Medusa – In Bed with Medusa

Mar31

Having found ourselves taken with sound and invention of UK trio Medusa with their 2011 released second album, Can’t Fucking Win, it quickly became apparent that there was nothing predictable about the band’s music but as confirmed by its successor Headcase’s Handbook three years later it has persistently proved a thickly compelling affair. Both albums were rich in the band’s punk fired rock sound and bold in their intrigue loaded magnetism, traits again just as fertile within the band’s new album, In Bed with Medusa.

The new release though is a whole new beast to be tempted by, one which still bears the inimitable breath and touch of the London based outfit but as its title suggests has an unwrapped intimacy which challenges as much as it fascinates. It is a far darker and rawer involvement with Medusa, one which startled from the off and has persistently caught us off guard with its almost feral emotions and untamed enterprise but fair to say with every listen has left us thickly hooked.

Emerging in 2006, Medusa is the creation of vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Julian Molinero, the band’s line-up on the new release completed by bassist Kotaro Suzuki and Towers of London drummer Snell, the latter recruited barely eight weeks before recording which took place with Steve Albini at his studio, Electrical Audio, in Chicago across the first four days of December 2019. You can only imagine this intense recording time has added to the raw energy and heart of a release though equally such its resourceful drama and touch you can only feel it was always meant and going to be such a soul bearing proposition.

Oblivion opens up the album, a song which instantly unravels an instinctive infectiousness in voice and sound even before hitting its more aggressive and energetic punk ‘n’ roll stride. Molinero’s tones are as bare breathed and provocative as the melodic wiring escaping his guitar between punk bred chords, rhythms a potent anthemic incitement beneath it all.

*love not included seamlessly springs up from the closing straits of its predecessor, the track another with a persistent, indeed voracious catchiness to its punk ‘n’ roll incitement. Hooks and sonic wiring lured and gripped ears as boldly as rhythms and vocals, the track provoking and inviting keen involvement in its naked heart and touch before River Phoenix, inspired by a biography on the actor, lays a calm hand on ears before erupting in a tempestuous rock ‘n’ roll squall again embroiled in emotional turbulence.

There is an open richness to Medusa sound which is entangled in a host of rock flavours, alternative and hard rock textures among them involved within the melodically woven, deviously contagious reflection of The Girlfriend Experience while Lost in Dystopia shares more classic hues in its virulent canter; a grunge lining to both tracks as well as others within the album accentuating the wonderfully unvarnished feel of its presence and heart. Indeed Ride the Styx bears Nirvana-esque shading to its greedy nagging of the senses, the first of our favourite moment considerations within the album swiftly set.

The pair of No Such Thing and Inverse Paradise offer up quick challenges to that choice though, the first with something of an Everclear air around a classic metal wired holler another pinnacle of the release with the second eclipsing both through its almost XTC like setting bound in blues nurtured wiring as Molinero muses proving irresistible. The latter is also one of a pair of acoustic tracks which were recorded in a hotel room overlooking Bran Castle, known as Dracula’s Castle, in Transylvania.

Lenore provides a fiery enticement for ears, maybe one which lacks the sparks of its predecessors for us but still held eager attention before that final slice of acoustic enterprise in the shape of Distress Signal brought In Bed with Medusa to a fine close. Whether bred on intimate experiences of its creator or through observation, it is a potent engagement with ears and thoughts alike; one epitomising the stripped and exposed fertility of the album.

A release which grew in presence and enjoyment by the listen, In Bed with Medusa simply backs up its predecessors in suggesting Medusa is one of Britain’s brightest and unique propositions and with its own openly individual endeavour a band all should at least consider checking out.

In Bed with Medusa is out now and available @ https://medusaworld.bandcamp.com/

http://www.medusaworld.co.uk/ https://www.facebook.com/medusauk https://twitter.com/medusaworld

Pete RingMaster 26/03/2020

Cabro – Humano Ignorante

Mar31

If six tracks across eight ferocious punk minutes whet your appetite then we can only say strap yourselves in as Humano Ignorante is one ear bullying, senses corroding ride sure to leave you either a broken mess or a lustful perpetrator.

The release is the new cassette EP from Cabro, a band which…well there is little we can tell you. Humano Ignorante could be their debut assault or not and they could be from Spain as all tracks are sung in Spanish yet you like us may feel there is something definitely English punk seeded to its hardcore irritability. The piece accompanying its release says “word has it that James Domestic is involved in some capacity” and as James, the frontman of both The Domestics and PI$$ER among other propositions, kindly sent the EP our way we can only confirm that…but little more we can share apart from six ravening punk bred tracks which violently demand attention.

Released through Kibou Records, Humano Ignorante unleashes itself on the listener with Azul De Muerte and instantly the feedback fuelled breath of the release is scouring the senses, scraping their tolerance to their limits before a scourge of feral punk descends on a scarred surface. It is raw and ravenous incitement, devouring the air and listener with a primitive contagion as virulent as it is fearsome while vocally we can only suggest that it is indeed Mr Domestic leading the assail or someone with a striking impression of him; they all thick reasons to dive into the EP.

Sangre is uncaged next from the sonic lancing which links all tracks, the song’s sanguineous thirst fuelling some infectiously menacing rock ‘n’ roll. With somewhat more restraint than its predecessor, the track courts and nags more than bludgeons the senses yet still left an appetite sparking stain before swiftly departing for Suicida Navidad and its insatiable animosity and urgency. Rhythms make for a relentless harrying as guitars spring a caustic enticement to fear or devour; vocals within accentuating the delicious savagery of it all.

In turn Vacunación and Apuñalado En La Espalda got under the skin, abrasing as they go with their respective callous causticity and predatory stalking, the latter soon becoming a barbarously grooved infection impossible not to greedily feast upon.

With Victima Permanente a final homicidal incursion which proved as violently catchy as it is unapologetically spiteful, Humano Ignorante left us wasted and hungry for more. As we said at the start, Cabro is a mystery in some ways but not in the delicious raw, grooved toxicity that is their hardcore punk enmity.

Humano Ignorante is out now via Kibou Records @ https://kibourecords.bandcamp.com/album/humano-ignorante-e-p-preview-tracks-only

Pete RingMaster 26/03/2020

Servant Leader – Raised by Wolves – Part 1

Mar31

The promo received tagged Raised by Wolves as set in the hard rock genre but it took little time to prove much more diverse and ambitious than that suggests, and also that it is one aggressively enjoyable encounter.

Raised by Wolves is the first of two EPs from Servant Leader, the solo project of Leigh Oates (vocalist of Xilla, Soldierfield, Rise To Addiction and Ninedenine). Offering five ear grabbing tracks, it is boldly fertile with a sound as much grunge and metal as it is rock bred. It makes for a potent and powerful proposition which swiftly had ears gripped through EP opener Daybreak.

Initially the first track rhythmically entices, from a distance shaping intrigue until a few seconds later it stands eye to eye with the senses and uncages its full hungry presence. As those rhythms continue to bite, grooves and melodic enticement is woven around the distinctive and ever magnetic tones of Oates. With keys just as enterprisingly involved and hooks unleashed with almost feral intent, the track proved immediate captivation and only tightened its hold with melodic and harmonic dexterity, a Soundgarden meets Skyscraper scenting around its worldly observation extra irresistibility.

Boundaries quickly follows, a roar erupting from its first breath in voice and sound to instantly engage keen attention. With boisterous energy, eager rhythms set the tone of its contagion, guitars and bass aligning in suggestive enterprise as Oates ignites the air with his resourceful tones. Again there is a certain grunge nurtured graining to its melodic rock bred body, the subsequent melody spun twists virulent captivation in nothing but riveting enticement.

Immediately August Parade stamped its authority on attention, the melodic twang of guitar soon followed by the swing of heavy beats and the richer wiry lures escaping guitars as vocals set their insightful contemplation within an Alice in Chains-esque sunset of sound and vibrancy. As its predecessor, the track sets a striking moment within the EP, success quickly emulated by next up Siamese with its rousing and voracious metal steeled rock ‘n’ roll. At times melodic winds temper the tempest but only to escalate the song’s addictive nature and imagination, the later a perpetually evolving treat in a similarly twisting body.

Raised by Wolves closes out with That Girl, a track which maybe has a touch of Stone Temple Pilots to it but proves as individual and rousing as those before it. By now it was proving no surprise that Oates was embroiling a host of varied flavours in his invention wolfish and sound whilst entangling his esurient tones sounds and no surprise that again ears were feasting on a moment in time which left a lingering and enterprising mark on thoughts and a greedy appetite for more which hopefully will soon come our way courtesy of the now highly anticipated Part 2.

Raised by Wolves – Part 1 is available now.

http://www.servantleaderband.com

Pete RingMaster 26/03/2020

Dirt Box Disco – TV Sex Show

Mar27

As a certain virus continues to overwhelm lives, society and the world, moments of feel good interjection can only be hungrily seized upon or in the case of the new Dirt Box Disco album, greedily devoured. The release gripped from its first breath and swiftly had the body bouncing with rapacious energy, all the while simply confirming DBD as UK’s maybe even the world’s finest rock ‘n’ roll band.

Step into TV Sex Show and unsurprisingly, if already a fan, you find a horde of tracks which arouse and incite with mischievous intent. The album is a raucously anthemic assault on apathy and despondency, a ‘go get ‘em’ insistence fuelled by the band’s inimitable punk rock bred sound which even in this moment of global self-isolation will get you at the very least hollering at the world from within any confines. As proven by previous releases like its predecessor, Immortals, the band’s sound even with its familiar individualism continues to grow and embrace; TV Sex Show uncaging Dirt Box Disco’s fullest, broadest and richest skilled cacophony of devilment and flavouring yet.

It is also the first encounter with the band since the departure of singer WEAB.I.AM, a change which raised intrigue but not panic as guitarist/songwriter Spunk Volcano has embraced the frontman role now something he has already proven magnetically accomplished in with his own solo project, Spunk Volcano and The Eruptions. With drummer Maff Fazzo, lead guitarist Danny Fingers, and bassist Deadbeatz Chris again unleashing their own esurient craft and revelry too, all three as motivating in their backing vocal roars, Dirt Box Disco grabbed ears and rock ‘n’ roll instincts from the first surge of TV Sex Show and not for the first time left us breathless and ridiculously grinning by the album’s final breath.

The release opens up with Unstoppable, Dirt Box Disco announcing and declaring their intent and defiance with the band’s combined vocal lure an immediate spark for personal vocal chords to unite in, the first round of solidarity quickly followed by a contagion of riffs and hooks aligned to just as virulent rhythms. With the same creative and catchy swing in Spunk’s vocals, the song had the body and spirit flinging energetic shapes and emotions like a master puppeteer.

Further ignited by Danny’s melodic wiring, the track is an exceptional start to the album which the following Insomniac ensures never drops with its heavier, more predacious punk ‘n’ roll. Relentless in its rhythmic harrying, incessant in cantankerous riffery and primal grooving, the song had us shouting with knowing unity while Barebones from its initial sonic nagging and rhythmic jabbing soon insisted and received similar participation in its punk nurtured call out.

A moment of intimate reflection or personal observation, I want out in many ways echoes the situations we find ourselves in right now as well as experiences all have felt at some point in time. Its calmer gait and energy still has a tempestuousness which equips the infectious chorus which DBD for years have proven so crafty at igniting listeners with.

Dickhead and the hype is next up, its punk rock meets hard rock swell pure anthemic encouragement refusing defiance, though great and addictive as it swiftly proves is still outshone by The Count of Monte Cristo lives in San Francisco. It’s initially reserved but still highly catchy saunter through ears is almost a tease of things to come, a hint to the voracious virulence which soaks another chorus only the deaf may be able to resist. That opening stroll returns and continues to light up attention between the surges, its melodic luring sparking the imagination before those eruptions grip throat and body.

The old school seeding of Reminisce got under the skin within seconds, the track brewing another potent fixation with something of a Vibrators meets UK Subs meets Mud lining to its still DBD individuality, the same agility easily said of 3 bottles down which again from a calm reflective opening brews an incitement which nags as much as it inspires full and eager involvement.

As often with relish, DBD turn the spotlight on a certain type of character we have all come across through Bitch full of stitches, a track which had us rocking with the kind of zeal its protagonist frequently shares in their own way with Vdtv for a minute and a half bitch slapping the senses while equally inflaming them with primal punk rock predation. It is a relentless assault built on the individual prowess of the band and their united contagion, a unity just as impressive and manipulative within successor Simple but effective. A middle finger parading response to ‘the haters’, again body and vocal chords as well as spirit were keenly slung into the song’s vociferous yell and once more TV Sex Show proved itself irresistible.

The truly magnetic Ain’t life grand completes the line-up of pleasure, its intimacy as open as its gentle but persistent infectiousness. Grab the CD version of the album though and find the added pleasure of two bonus tracks in Tizwatitiz and Wake up. The first of the pair is another pure punk rock nurtured surge of temptation wired by many other flavours, its voracious instigation of eager complicity prime DBD while the second is a slab of rock ‘n’ roll contagion owing as much to the likes of Showaddywaddy as the seventies punk instigators it also hints at in its feral punk ‘n’ roll clamour.

So that is TV Sex Show, another glorious riot with Dirt Box Disco which leaves spirit and body ready to take on any challenge and pleasure boiling over. I am sure we have said this before with a DBD album and probably a few times but this might just be their finest moment yet.

TV Sex Show is released April 18^th via Avenue Recordz; available digitally, on CD and on Ltd Edition “Mystery” coloured Vinyl.

https://dirtboxdisco.com/ https://www.facebook.com/dirtboxdisco/ https://twitter.com/dirtboxdisco

Pete RingMaster 26/03/2020

Syteria – Reflection

Mar27

With a touch of annoyance that we missed their debut album three years back we can only urge you to check out Syteria through its successor, Reflection. That irritation stems from the fact that the band’s new full-length is rock ‘n’ roll at its virulent best; a spirit rousing, feel good release fertile in energy, fun, and creative agility.

Formed in 2015, Syteria is the brainchild of Girlschool lead guitarist Jackie ‘Jax’ Chambers. With Argentina born vocalist Julia Vocal and bassist Keira Kenworthy alongside, the band released the Wake Up EP in 2016 its permanent line-up completed later that year with drummer Pablo Calvo, the younger brother of Julia. A successful Pledge campaign in 2017 saw their broadly acclaimed debut album Rantobot born, its success leading to numerous festival and show opportunities. Last year saw Steph Dawson (Scream Of Sirens) replace the departing Keira on bass and the Yorkshire based band work on Reflections whose release now leaves an indelible mark on 2020.

Album opener, Make Some Noise, pretty much sums up the character of Reflection in its title though the album’s moniker echoes the lyrical prowess emulating in its look at the world and more intimate explorations. The song initially entices with a potent strand from Jackie’s guitar before rhythms and melodic hooks entangle ears in their own bait. Julia’s instantly captivating tones come potently backed by the 4 part harmonies which make up the first of the album’s irresistible choruses. A mix of pop rock, metal and punk, the track swiftly and instantly got under the skin to swiftly be joined by so many of its following companions.

Goodbye World follows and quickly shares eighties new wave like infectiousness, an insistent catchiness which never dilutes its temptation even as hard rock instincts bring the track further alive before another viral chorus is uncaged while the album’s title track bounds in with an insatiable rock ‘n’ roll appetite and rhythmic swing which alone had spirit and body bouncing. Again melodies and hooks almost deviously tempt and arouse, the band’s harmonies just as manipulative and galvanic as Julia’s words share knowing support.

The spidery touch of the melodic wires escaping Jackie’s guitar ensures next up Asylum has a grip on ears and appetite within its first breath, Pablo’s firm beats cementing that capture though it is the vocal dexterity across song and band which creates one of the album’s major pinnacles before latest single, Gossips, shares its pop infused rock on already eager ears. As within those around it, instinctive catchiness lines every note and syllable, aligning with the band’s creative imagination to again get under the skin.

Both Sorry with its gentle yet zestful and seriously stirring dynamics and the punk lined hard rock of As If left no room for attention to wander while the classic rock spiced Back Off and in turn Moving Forward (Angels & Demons) only accentuated the album’s grip and Syteria’s magnetic enterprise, the last of the four staking a claim on best track with its animated moves and rhythms beneath another vocal tempting from Julia and band impossible not to eagerly add to.

The dexterity of the bands flavour rich sound around fertile craft and imagination only continued to impress and animate the passions through the outstanding I Want It All and the equally inspiring Plastic Fantastic with the tenacious rock ‘n’ roll of Guilty backing up every anthemic aspect and electrifying quality with matching appetite as it brought the album to a rousing close.

Reflection is quite simply pure unapologetic rock ‘n’ roll with an adventure which alone will turn heads and Syteria a band surely heading to the loftier heights of the global rock scene.

Reflection is out now.