01 « June « 2019 « The RingMaster Review

The Parasitic Rejects EP sees the coming together of two of the UK’s most striking ear shredding prospects in a compelling trespass of a split release. On one side preying on the senses is York hailing crust/hardcore punks The Carnival Rejects and on the other the doom punk ferocity that is Parasitic Twins. Together they create a feral proposition as fierce and intimidating as it is captivatingly thrilling.

Consisting of guitarist/vocalist Jamie Robertson, bassist/vocalist James Briggs, and drummer Fi Rowntree, The Carnival Rejects offer up three punk intrusions for their part in The Parasitic Rejects EP. Disengage is first, its gentle melodic lead deceitfully concealing the antagonistically contagious punk flurry to follow. Happily grabbing a pop punk catchiness to its irritable breast, the song romps and stomps as it shares a skilfully woven holler of melodic and sonic tempestuousness.

Seize Control is their second incitement and immediately worms under the skin with its contagious belligerence and rousing incitement where biting beats unite with grumbling bass as the guitar wraps its caustic yet magnetic wires around the senses, vocals only accentuating the song’s virulence.

The Carnival Rejects finish their contribution with To The Bone, two minutes of feral punk rock with a potent Angelic Upstarts meets Discharge snarl to its causticity. United, all three tracks prove punk rock is as irritable and rousing as ever, a declaration just as ripe across the trio of intrusions alongside them.

Still reaping attention and acclaim through their debut EP of less than a year ago, All That’s Left To Do Now Is Sleep With Each Other, Hull’s Parasitic Twins reinforce their reputation as one fearsome and captivating proposition with their part in the EP. The duo of vocalist/guitarist Max Watt and drummer Dom Smith unleash senses molesting swarms of doom, punk, and grindcore manipulated into singular uncompromising furies. The first on the EP rises up as Autopsy, the track immediately scalding ears before its inherent rock ‘n’ roll instincts infiltrate its equally blossoming sonic toxicity. Vocals similarly share no respect whilst inciting ears and appetite, metal bred throes adding to its salacious predatory prowl.

Feel Nothing similarly devoured and sparked the senses, rhythms pummelling with determined predation as raw grooves entangle song and listener alike. As its predecessor there is something akin to a corroded blend of Napalm Death and Pig Destroyer to the track though this only seems to inspire its own individual dissonance.

The pair completes their contribution with a cover of the Babylon Zoo classic, Spaceman. Released a handful of weeks back as a single with all proceeds donated to The Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), the track finds itself dirt clad and infested with the cacophonous tension and disharmony which marked their well-received EP. Even so it manages to retain its catchiness even as it despoils the senses to bring one very easy to recommend release to a rousing close.

The Parasitic Rejects EP is out in association with Man Demolish Records @ https://mandemolishrecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-parasitic-rejects

https://www.facebook.com/thecarnivalrejects/ https://www.facebook.com/ParasiticTwinsBand/

Pete RingMaster 30/05/2019

Renowned for his exploits with Furyon and Colour Of Noise it is fair to say that firm intrigue and keen anticipation accompanied the news of the debut solo album of British singer/song writer/guitarist Matt Mitchell. Then rich clues to its prowess and enterprise was swiftly offered by the album’s lead singles and now finally here the self-titled affair more than lives up to all hopes and promise.

Matt Mitchell & The Coldhearts create proper rock ‘n’ roll; music fuelled by passion and energy and shaped with fresh invention and rousing dynamics. As lead single Black Diamonds revealed earlier this year, it also is unafraid to embrace a host of styles and flavours to its melodic rock breast and imagination with Mitchell’s familiar potent tones and emotive writing at the helm; a diversity in full flourish within an album nevertheless showing nothing less than distinction to the band’s sound and presence.

With guitarist Mauro Laconi, bassist Dom Ladd, drummer Matt Cherry, and keyboardist Stevie Watts alongside, Mitchell immediately grips attention with his debut album, its collection of tracks inspired by “real human experience” sparked into life by the outstanding Black Diamonds. It is easy to understand why it made a thick impact upon release as the album’s first single a few months back and how it raised greater anticipation of this encounter. The track instantly had ears gripped in its groove lined vice, the lure of the guitar inescapable before being joined by the similarly magnetic boom of the bass and the Hammond bred haze of keys. No surprises as Mitchell’s voice joins the temptation, his tones as potent and compelling as ever in a track built on imagination and classic rock ‘n’ roll.

It is a superb start quickly and fully backed by the calmer but no less captivating infection that is Home. Its controlled but eager swing just infested body and spirit, its summery breath perfect against the emotive heart shared. With heat in its touch the song haunted the passions as too did the boisterous rock ‘n’ roll of On & On, another track needing mere seconds to get under the skin and draw the keenest of participation from voice and body.

Already predictability was noticeable by its absence, the fluid and individual twists and turns of the opening trio echoed across the album and within next up Dare You To Watch. A song with intimacy in its openness, its catchiness belying its fears, it easily captivated before Kings & Queens romanced attention with its fully played out affair. Though the track did not quite catch with the passions as those before, it held court with ease as too did Unavailable with its more forceful touch driven by its manipulatively animated stroll.

Do You Wanna Be My God proved another swift favourite here, the track as poppy as it is rock ‘n’ roll muscular; familiarity and originality colluding for an inescapable snare built on honest appraisal of the music world; heart bred emotions which also soak the balladry of next up Old Enough & Ugly Enough. It is a song which effortlessly held attention with Wave Goodbye and Everything To You both matching its draw with their respective groove rock canter and plaintive melodic journey towards new beginnings. The last of the trio especially enthralled and with greater potency across every play, another rich knack the album holds as a whole.

The final pair of Keep Me Safe and Waiting For The Sun ensures the album leaves on another high. Certainly neither quite hit the heights for personal tastes as numerous companions but there was no turning away from their individual weaves of stirring sound and creativity as well as emotional sincerity.

Engineered by Nick Brine and produced by Mitchell himself, the Matt Mitchell & The Coldhearts album simply hit the spot time after time, a success we can only see being repeated with increasing persistence as it invites greater attention upon its release May 31^st.