One Last Shot – Even Cowboys Have Sundays

Pretty much three years after impressing with their debut EP, French rockers One Last Shot have unleashed their first album to once again have ears and plaudits aroused by their dirt encrusted sound. Even Cowboys Have Sundays is a roar of thrash nurtured ferocity and sonic southern rock liquor but an incitement as punk as it is metal as it is unbridled rock ‘n’ roll.

With their musical instincts and passions raised on nineties thrash metal, the Paris quintet soon stirred local support after emerging with a sound soon drawing comparisons to the likes of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Motörhead, and Guns N’ Roses. It was the First Gear EP in 2014 which sparked broader attention at home and further afield; its bold character and bruising sound as contagious as it was aggressive. Even Cowboys Have Sundays follows in the same vein; bringing a host of flavours, familiar yet forcibly fresh, in a strain of rock ‘n’ roll self-termed as dust metal. Equally though, the album reveals a richer vein of individualism in sound and imaginative songwriting as maturity and adventure collude in a clutch of tracks which feel like old friends in some ways but a voracious new adventure in many more aspects.

Opening with The Gambler, One Last Shot swiftly has appetite and imagination caught, its opening sultry lure of guitar an intoxication soon swallowed by a wall of wiry riffs and robust rhythms. Yet there is a control to the assault which seamlessly embraces more of a prowling than demanding gait as vocals add their own raw but captivating texture to the mix. An unpredictable nature to its overall attack is just as appetising though the song never releases its full aggressive venom, preferring to seduce with melodic and sonic enterprise with its own persuasive toxicity.

One Last Shot – Even Cowboys Have Sundays

A great start is quickly matched and pushed on by One Night Stand, a blaze of classic rock and punk ‘n’ roll with a touch of UK band The Senton Bombs to its irritable contagion. As with its predecessor, and indeed most tracks, involving the listener in body and voice is swift; the encounter another lustfully catchy proposal with a slew of rapacious hooks and swinging energy across its dirty holler before Embrace The Fire draws on old school rock ‘n’ roll for its particular rousing romp. Like a blend of Volbeat and Grumpynators, the song harasses and seduces the instincts to beat one’s rock ‘n’ roll chest; the senses entangled in the melodic rapacity of the guitars as bass and drums drive things with matching zeal. The track is superb, rock from the fifties through to modern day seemingly bullied into one compelling stomp.

The variety of sound and ideation within the album is already apparent by the fourth song and continued as Thou Shall Be Drunk creates a proposition part melodic metal and part grunge punk, all with a nineties toning while Join The Club offers a merger of punk metal and sinuous heavy rock. Both songs are twisted and moulded into seriously enticing temptations with the first especially anthemic and irresistible.

The excellent Hell Mariachi (A Mexican Interlude) takes the imagination into the heart of the desert heat, the two sides of The Bronx mixed with East Coast trash for another mouth-watering and seriously compelling exploit within Even Cowboys Have Sundays; that new maturity and bold imagination within One Last Shot united in an eager charge.

That thrash breeding within the band is in full voracity within Live Fast And Die Young and indeed It’s All About Speed straight after. The first of the two is a chug fest of nagging riffs bound in lustful grooves as vocals, single and mob handed, arouse the spirit even further with an anthemic roar as lustful and unapologetic as the sounds around them. With the guitars weaving a glorious web of melodic dexterity, the song simply rocks before its successor uncages its grubby rock ‘n’ roll to continue the manipulation of the listener’s body and spirit; the track a potent persuasion  even if missing some of the vital and unique sparks of earlier tracks.

Closing up with the fiery fusion of predatory metal and imposing heavy rock of We Don’t Call 911 and lastly the groove entangled bellow of I Feel Alright, the song a tenacious web of resourceful and eventful enterprise, Even Cowboys Have Sundays leaves the spirit alive and just a little over excited. The album is a charge of commanding adventure built with recognisable and original textures and bound in a fresh and striking imagination. Their First Gear EP, stirred up a form appetite for their sound, now the album has unlocked a lust which will surely infest many others and deservedly install One Last Shot as someone to heartily recommend to all.

Even Cowboys Have Sundays is out now via JFF Records and available @ https://onelastshotofficial.bandcamp.com/album/even-cowboys-have-sundays

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Pete RingMaster 20/06/2017

Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright

Contemplating Leaving Eden

It is quite simple. Leaving Eden is a band which demands attention with a sound and creative flair that persistently captures the imagination drawing an ever growing following simultaneously. Their ear catching and thought provoking music has help lead the band to sharing stages with hundreds of the biggest national bands in the world and tours across numerous countries. We managed to grab some time with Eric from the band to learn more about Leaving Eden and what makes them tick…

Hello and thanks for taking time out to talk with us.

Can you first introduce the band?

Hi, great chatting with you also.

Eve: Lead Vocals

Ryan: Manning Drums

Johhny V: Bass

I’m Eric Gynan: Guitarist, vocals, Keys.

Have you been involved in other bands before? If so has that had any impact on what you are doing now?

Yes we’ve all been in various bands along the way and learning from the past always gives you a jump on the future.

What inspired the band name?

Leaving Eden came to be simply that this planet is like the Garden of Eden right, with all of its corruption; wouldn’t it be nice to take off and go somewhere else to visit? Lol.

Was there any specific idea behind the forming of the band and also in what you wanted it to offer and does that intent still drive the band or has it evolved over time?

Definitely we have evolved. I think you have to in order to change with the times so long as it’s better. It’s important though to maintain your individuality. For us we set out to be different. Quick story here, we went to this huge studio once where bands like Seven Dust, The Rolling Stones and Boston recorded. The person there brought out a white board in the conference room and drew a box. They said you are here, pointing outside the box and you need to be here, pointing inside the box. I immediately said wait, are you telling us we need to be in that box?  They said well yes I guess I am. I said thank you very much and got up and walked out. I get it, if you wanna ride a wave and be like everyone else on that moment of time, they can easily slip you into a genre. For us though it’s hard to just slip us in to any particular genre. We won the best Hardcore act in New England and I thought that was funny because they couldn’t find the appropriate Genre for us. We stay true no matter what the times may change to our roots, Rock Music.

Since your early days, how would you say your sound has evolved and has that been an organic movement or you guys deliberately heading in certain directions?

I think being a recording artist, endlessly recording and working with some incredible recording engineers like Johnny K (Disturbed, Pop Evil) you learn what it really takes. When they say they will go through your music with a fine tooth comb, they mean that literally that down to the 64th beat your music will be scrutinized for perfection. Ya know good bad or indifferent, when you listen to the radio, you may not like the band you’re listening to but aside from that, you will NEVER hear something that’s not polished. It’s gotta be perfect or you’ll never make it to the radio. With this on mind, you take this knowledge of being tight to the live performance and it makes all the difference in the world. This is why some bands may record a great album but when you see them live, it’s just not the same. We try and stay true to our recordings.  We also evolve in that area after the recording we may change it up live where we may think we’ve built upon that foundation.

Presumably across the band there is a wide range of inspirations; are there any in particular which have impacted not only on the band’s music but your personal approach and ideas to creating and playing music?

I think all of us are inspired by what we like as far as taste in other bands music. For us what greatly inspires us is that organic sound that manifests itself in a way that is kind of like connecting the dots. We feel that Leaving Eden learns from the past, encompasses the present and forges the future. Any band that has been in the gutters not in the limelight, they’re the ones whom always forged the future. This is why we named our last album Pinnacle…Because it’s at that pinnacle where trends will be forged.

Is there a particular process to the band’s songwriting?

Sure. For me I connect with the Universe in a way that opens my mind to listening. I use my fingers as kind of line antennas to pick up the frequencies, as strange as that sounds, if you listen, you can hear the music that lyrics, melodies and harmonies completely produced. Just gotta transfer that info to the recording. Then the rest of the band puts their stamp on it and presto, there’s a new song. I’ve even felt the influence of dead poets coming through. Sometimes I feel like I really can’t even take credit for the songs as they’ve come from somewhere else. It’s a deep meditative state of mind that brings these ideas into fruition.

Where do you, more often than not, draw the inspirations to the lyrical side of your songs?

Great question… Our songs speak from experience, life’s experiences…Sometimes good but mostly bad lol. Bad in the way of getting screwed, for instance our song Tied and Bound comes from the frustration of the music industry; “We’ve been screwed overcharged underpaid and abused, exploited avoided and falsely accused, we’ve been cut down let down fucked around tied and bound, but nothing can take the music away”

Are you a band which goes into the studio with songs pretty much in their final state or prefer to develop them as you record?

Pinnacle released by Rock Avenue Records USA, was completely written before we got to the studio. We like to do pre-production first, be prepared so to speak, so that we aren’t wasting valuable time and money. Pinnacle is really an eclectic array of song themes and music. We tried to keep it again organic so you won’t hear all these extra vocal harmonies for instance that we could never do live. Yes there is harmony, but it can be done live.

Tell us about the live side to the band, presumably the favourite aspect of the band?

That is where one should shine right?  I feel it is our live sound which is one of our trade marks. It’s so hard in the studio to capture that live performance primarily because it’s a one sided energy exchange. When you have a crowd, that’s where the sharing of the energy happens, therefore it really helps to put you on top of your game. You can’t see the band for instance when listening to an album, so that performance is so necessary.  Can the band reproduce that sound live? With Eve in front, she is clearly universal and really takes control of the room or festival, really just connecting with the crowd.

It is not easy for any new band to make an impact regionally let alone nationally and further afield. How have you found it your neck of the woods?

Correct. We’ve been fortunate, lucky, graced, whatever you’d like to call it. Our motto has always been that we will play anywhere, anytime, any way we can so long as we can. This philosophy has led us to share the stage with some of the biggest bands in the world with;  Lacuna Coil, In This Moment, Black Sabbath (Heaven & Hell), Ronnie James Dio,  Rob Zombie, 5 Finger DeathPunch, Disturbed, Marylyn Manson, Alice Cooper, Lynyrd Skynyrd, ZZTop, Puddle of Mudd, Korn, Killswitch Engage, BuckCherry (Jefferson Starship, Big Brother and The Holding Company, Country Joe, 10 Years After, 40th Anniversary Woodstock) Shinedown, Dropkick Murphy’s,  Alice in Chains, Papa Roach, Bret Micheals, Halestorm, Theory of a Deadman, Avenged Sevenfold, Seether, Hell Yeah, Trapt, Dope, Soil, Fuel,  Queensryche, Saving Abel, Hinder, Damage Plan, 7Dust, Sebastian Bach, SoulFly, Days of the New, NonPoint, DrowningPool, The Misfits, The Butcher Babies, Collective Soul, MushroomHead, Mudvayne, Chevelle, Godsmack, Powerman 5000, 10Years, Taproot, Gin Blossoms, Michael Schenker (UFO, MSG & The Scorpions) Herman Rarebell (The Scorpions), Nicko McBrain (Iron Maiden), Kittie, One eyed doll, Uncle Kracker, Tremonti (Creed/Alterbridge) Lamb of god, Slayer, Stone Sour, Motorhead, Blackstone Cherry, HOOKERS & BLOW Featuring GUNS N’ ROSES, QUIET RIOT, W.A.S.P. Members, Steven Tyler, Ted Nugent, Lita Ford, LA Guns, Trixter, Warrant, Apocalyptic Review (featuring members of Godsmack) and many more..  This has led us to Winning The New England Music Awards & The Pulse Magazine Worcester MA Music Awards and Touring The USA, UK & Canada. If we didn’t get out there we would have never found these opportunities. There’s usually someone there that can help move you forward.

Are there the opportunities to make a mark if the drive is there for new bands?

Absolutely…In fact I believe bands who haven’t “made it” have more of an opportunity. Let’s take a band that has made it whether it was one song or many. As time passes, for whatever reason, they stopped making hits. It’s very rare for them to have another hit song or even get on the radio. It’s very strange but true. As a new artist you have more of a chance because again you’re at the pinnacle forging ahead.

How has the internet and social media impacted on the band to date?

I find this very interesting. In a moment you can be heard all over the world. It’s absolutely amazing. Back in the day I feel bad for the artists before the internet that never had that chance. Shit, back then you couldn’t even stay connected with different states via phone. It was too expensive to make a phone call so you were quite limited as far as how far you could reach. Now, our music is flying through the airways, our unreleased song Out of the ashes says; digging deeper underground faster than the speed of sound

I can see the light of day, darkness fades away”. This just says as a band that’s not superstars, they are basically underground in the gutters spreading like swill in the harbor of slime lol. God some of the venues we’ve played have been the scum of the earth. Shit when we went to UK, there was a dirt floor. But in order to really appreciate where you may end up you’ve got to crawl through the slime in the gutters. If I for instance just started a band, had lots of money, related to someone big in the industry, getting signed immediately and becoming famous overnight, how then could I appreciate where I came from? When you come from the bottom of the barrel and make your way to the top, you never forget where you came from.

Once again a big thanks for sharing time with us; anything you would like to add or reveal for the readers

This was fun. Please excuse my unorthodox replies here and appreciate your time. Leaving Eden will be touring the USA, Canada and Europe. Hopefully South America as well, where our management/touring Co. Alpha Omega/Darkside Entertainment has offices in Europe, USA and South America we feel honored to be part of the family there. We hope to see all of you soon!! For all Leaving Eden Info go to http://www.leavingeden.com

And see us on Facebook Leaving Eden and Peace and Harmony to all!!  I say harmony because this planet, the universe, everything in it works in perfect harmony accept one species, Humans. WTF is that about right? Let’s make it happen.

https://www.facebook.com/bandleavingeden

Pete RingMaster

The Ringmaster Review 01/12/2016

Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright

Tyrannosaurus Nebulous – TLK/Straight Jacket

Tyrannosaurus Nebulous is a British hard rock roar which ahead of a highly anticipated new EP, have just uncaged a highly irresistible stomp in the shape of double A-sided single Straight Jacket/TLK. Two slices of multi-flavoured irresistible rock ‘n’ roll; the release marks all cards on a new spirit raising proposition very easy to find an eager appetite for.

Based in the Black Country, the foursome of Stourbridge hailing guitarists Matt and brother Paul Darby, their Dudley hailing cousin James Miles on drums, and South Wales (Caerphilly) bred Lee Jenkins draw on inspirations from 70’s hard rock and the likes of Budgie, Black Sabbath, Lynyrd Skynyrd, AC\DC, Status Quo, Led Zeppelin, Rush, and Thin Lizzy for their own adventurous proposals. As shown by their 2014 debut EP Never Gonna Be, which featured former vocalist Justin Catton, Tyrannosaurus Nebulous use all flavours in a sound crafted in its own identity. The new single continues that evolution, offering the band’s most unique sound yet without defusing what is an easily accessible and seemingly instinctively recognisable prowess. With a strong reputation building live presence across the Midlands and South Wales which has included shows with the likes of Captain Horizon, Twisted State of Mind, Buzzard, Vicious Nature, Sister Shotgun, Healer of Bastards, No More Numbers, The Delta Rhythm, Sour Mash, Swamp Donkey and numerous more, Tyrannosaurus Nebulous is ready to stoke up national fires with the upcoming Deal With My Evil EP in July and before it the fiery stomp that is TLK/Straight Jacket.

TLK comes first, a song introducing “the band’s very own T. Rex called Terence, sent to us from a faraway galaxy to teach us the ways of pure rock ‘n’ roll, so that we can defeat inferior talent show chart drivel and put hard hitting rock back on top where it belongs !!!” No matter the story, behind it, the track is pure rock ‘n’ roll which hits the ground running as riffs and rhythms entice and enslave with boisterous catchiness and chest thumping energy. It is no slouch in providing melodic temptation and spirit rousing virulence either, it all led by the dusty anthemic tones of Matt backed by the similarly potent tones of the band. As suggested there is something familiar about the song and the band’s sound yet it refuses to be pinned down while offering thickly fresh scented rock ‘n’ roll. Like its companion, the track feels like a returning best friend with a new line in fun and diversely flavoured rock devilry.

Whereas there is a great classic rock spicing to the track, Straight Jacket infuses some southern rock flavouring to its melody thick blaze. Within seconds guitars are spinning a web of juicy grooves and rampant riffs as bass and drums create heavy duty contagion. Again, it is a song which is infested with pedal to the metal energy but equally explores some just as stirring moments of smouldering melodies and sonic suggestiveness.

Both the Gavin Monaghan produced tracks hit the sweet spot with ease and are sure to please any hard rock fan with a taste for rock ‘n’ roll unafraid to show its influences whilst creating a new mighty roar.

TLK/Straight Jacket is out now @ https://tyrannosaurusnebulous.bandcamp.com/

Upcoming Gigs:

Saturday 16th July – E.P. Launch Party – Barge & Barrel, Tipton
Friday 18th November – Supporting ‘Children of the Gravy’ – Black Sabbath tribute – Roadhouse Birmingham

http://www.tnebulous.com/   https://www.facebook.com/TyrannosaurusNebulous   https://twitter.com/T_Nebulous

Pete RingMaster 16/06/2016

Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright

Heartbreak Remedy – Midnight Groove

Embracing a host of flavoursome flavours in their energy loaded sound, UK quartet Heartbreak Remedy create rock ‘n’ roll which just rolls with the instincts to party. The weight of proof comes in their self-released debut album Midnight Groove, a collection of tracks which may have found variable success with personal tastes at times but all left an appetite for more of their feisty enterprise.

Hailing from Cumbria, Heartbreak Remedy emerged in 2013 with the intent of merging LA’s classic rock sound with seventies bred grooves. The band’s founders, vocalist/bassist Matty Penn and drummer Stephen Jackson soon linked up with guitarists Callum Glynn and Luke Blair, that union the springboard for Heartbreak Remedy and a live presence which began with a debut show at Trillians in Newcastle playing alongside Enuff Z’nuff. 2014 saw the band playing across the UK, their own potent gigs beside support spots with the likes of The Quireboys, The Electric Boys, Kory Clarke/Warrior Soul, The Burning Crows, Bad Touch, Falling Red, and Knock Out Kaine. A full UK tour with The Last Vegas only added to their emerging presence and reputation whilst with two well-received EPs also under their belts, the band more recently has shared stages with Hardcore Superstar, Keri Kelli, and Brad Gillis, and played the Hard Rock Hell Road Trip in Ibiza. Now with its national release, it is the turn of Midnight Groove to awaken new ears.

Heartbreak Remedy seemingly gets referenced to the likes of Mötley Crüe, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Deep Purple most often, something relatively understandable as the opening track of Midnight Groove erupts in ears. There is certainly something familiar to their sound and seemingly no real intent to be dramatically adventurous but for heart bred rock ‘n’ roll there is little to dismiss the album over or first song Convoy. As soon as a single groove entangles ears attention is awake and seriously intrigued, especially once increasingly anthemic rhythms pave the way for a vocal bellow from Penn and the riff driven stroll it sparks. The beats of Jackson become even crispier bait as the bass of Penn offers a great grumbling lure whilst with acidic hooks and sparkling guitar endeavour wrapped in blues rock hues dancing in ears, the track gets more adventurous and compelling with every passing minute.

  The following Already Gone is a slightly mellower proposition energy wise and in tone, and maybe because of this lacks the same spark as its predecessor, though the guitars again potently entice with their melodic narrative before Cocked and Loaded from a great devilish bassline emerges as another fiery slice of blues/hard rock. Vocally Penn is a touch wayward at times but equally more expressive as the track dangles spicy grooves and magnetic bait from the bass in ears.

Things really pick up with Tell Me Why, the track a sonic floozy of southern grooves and seventies seeded funk ‘n’ roll. Rhythms add a dark edge to the encounter, the muscular tones of the bass aligning to jabbing swipes from Jackson as the guitars of Glynn and Blair weave a contagious temptation of sultry grooves and riffs. Quickly establishing itself as a major highlight of the album, it seems to ignite something in the release as the following pair of All You’ll Ever Be, with its tangy lining to a nest of writhing grooves, and the pulsating Girl At The Bar keep the new plateau of good times rolling. Both tracks enjoyably explore contrasts and essences of discord, with the latter also slipping into something more eighties glam rock coloured to pleasing effect. The fact that there is a constant raw almost punkish surface and inner flame to the band’s sound only adds to the potency of indeed all three tracks and those to follow.

The skittish beats and southern seducing of Heartbreaker provides feet and imagination with the base for a good time which the southern/seventies hard rock textures of Southside recruit in its own dusty stroll before Rose clams things down with its soothing melodic croon. Guitars cradle ears with their tantalising melodies and evocative reflection whilst Penn almost mesmerises with his emotive croon. The song reveals more of the depth and diversity in the band’s sound, than arguably all the previous songs added together, simultaneously adding another high point to the release.

Next up Perfect Crime reveals more of the punk essence which lies within the band’s sound, fusing it with a dirtier hard rock proposal before its successor Thrill Me. Kill Me musically snarls around more restrained but nicely diverse vocals and Ice Queen sizzles in a bluesy climate, its guitars a sonically bubbling and hazy protagonist around funky rhythms and plainer vocals. It is a slim yet rich fusion of contrasts which works a treat though is over shadowed by the album’s closing triumph it is fair to say.

Like Rose earlier, Far Away is a captivating ballad with Penn really coming into his own as acoustic guitars embrace every syllable and escape of emotion. An increasingly impressive treat, it is a fine end to a rather enjoyable proposition from Heartbreak Remedy. Midnight Groove suggests at times that maybe the band’s sound is more potential than realisation right now, but to that offers the promise and excitement of bigger and bolder things ahead.

Midnight Groove is released on Friday 11th September through all stores.

Pete Ringmaster 10/09/2015

Potergeist – Crocodile Teeth

The lure of a southern blues swamp is unleashed once again by Greek band Potergeist through new album Crocodile Teeth, and once more ears are treated to a contagion of dirty uncompromising rock ‘n’ roll which is as unique as it is familiar. The band has a sound which even with constant evolution across releases has a recognisable presence but comes as something undeniably individual to the Athens quintet. As the new album shows it is fresh and it is invigorating, and one thoroughly enjoyable stomp.

When forming in 2004, Potergeist had a more straight forward Kylesa /Down like southern metal sound as evidenced on debut album Southwards two years later. By the time of its successor Muddy Mermaids in 2012, the band’s sound had got harder and more aggressive whilst delving into the darkest depths of blues. Tagged as swamp metal by the media, the Potergeist sound was matched in progression by the attention given them and a live presence seeing the band share stages with the likes of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Monster Magnet, Pro Pain, The Haunted, The Shrine, Kylesa, and Paradise Lost. The outstanding Swampires unleashed its swamp toxicity in 2013, Potergeist’s third album darker and more voracious in sound and presence again. Though not outgunned in attack and ferocity, fair to say Crocodile Teeth takes the Potergeist sound to yet another depth of quality and invention.

Feeling as intense and intimidating at times as the last release the Peter Rutcho (Falling in Reverse, Revocation, Bury Your Dead, Havok, Seemless, The Ghost Inside) produced and mixed Crocodile Teeth reveals the band’s fullest and rounded sound yet, settings its stall out in the brief intro Swamp Muse Summoning before going for the throat straight after with its title track. Riffs and rhythms are an immediate barrage and temptation backed by a quickly emerging tangy groove. It is the first bait to the sturdy stride of the song quickly accompanied by the grizzled tones of vocalist Alex S Wamp. He is soon showing the great prowess of his grouchy and clean tones as guitars and bass cast their own intimidating and dynamic enterprise. There are no major surprises in song, or indeed album, yet as suggested earlier there is freshness and distinctive essence which ensures this is no run of the mill metal or Potergeist offering.

   The following Visit From A Swampire canters in on an infectious swing, riffs as rampant as the energetically skilled swings of drummer Tolis Toleas whilst grooves are as fiery as the melodies and solos which breed throughout. The track easily has body and emotions involved in its anthem as does What Then which comes next. The song is a touch more restrained in aggression and energy initially, but soon a bracing canter of raw riffs and rapier like rhythms entwined in the spicy grooves and bluesy melodic hooks of guitarists Nick XP and Stratal. Complete with an irresistible swagger, the song keeps things boiling over before in turn making way for the southern metal drawl and heavy rock brew of Truth. The track begins with the same groove the previous song left on but is soon sculpting its own tenacious and aggression roar. There is a touch of Crowbar in some ways to the song as the bass of Kostis Vihos brings a predatory proposal against the as dramatic but more welcoming vocals and sonic adventure cast elsewhere.

Atonement takes over next and is soon spreading a weave of southern rock inspired melodic spicing around the ever formidable and engaging rhythmic strength of the Potergeist sound. Featuring guest backing vocals from Anna Stephanou, the song is a warm slice of blues rock ‘n’ roll equipped with a dark edged groove and a blaze of imagination around the constant lure of Wamp’s vocals.

Roaming ears with a thick stance of sinew swung beats and bestial riffs The Preacher And The Witch stalks the appetite next with its magnetic web of sound. Both Fotis Benardo and Penelope Anastasopoulou add additional vocals to the tapestry of sonic and melodic craft. It is a fine song if without the spark of certainly the early songs, though much is down to a big personal appetite for when Potergeist go hell for leather in their rock ‘n’ roll, and quickly over shadowed by the excellent Eve. It too is more reserved in its gait and coveting a more classic metal whisper to its body but moulds everything and more of the band’s potent enterprise into a pungent slab of anthemic persuasion.

The album closes with Last Punk Standing, a compelling bellow of a song aligning mellower melodic tempting with a rigorous snarl resulting in a dramatic and impressive end to another mighty offering from Potergeist. We will admit that the previous Swampires still has the steal on the passions but there is no denying that Crocodile Tears is the band’s most accomplished proposition yet and one of the most enjoyable and satisfying slabs of metal driven rock ‘n’ roll you will hear this year.

Crocodile Tears is available digitally now and on CD and Vinyl via G.O.D. Records

https://www.facebook.com/potergeist

RingMaster 08/06/2015

Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright

Listen to the best independent music and artists on The RingMaster Review Radio Show and The Bone Orchard on Reputation Radio @ http://www.reputationradio.net

 

One Last Shot – First Gear

You just have to love a bruising stomp of rock ‘n’ roll where you feel dirty, battered, and exhaustingly contented at its conclusion, and few come more satisfying than the First Gear EP from French rockers One Last Shot. Without worrying about setting new templates for others to follow, it inspires by simply unleashing heavy passion drenched sounds in a blistering antagonistic and aggressive, not forgetting exhilarating form. The five track release is rowdy and refreshing rock ‘n’ roll at its prime, a riot of metal and rock everyone can lose their inhibitions to.

Consisting of ex-members of The Outburst and Crack Ov Dawn as well as the bassist of Sin And Death, One Last Shot creates a roar which takes essences from the likes of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Motorhead, and Guns N Roses but equally involves groove and stoner metal tenacity with punk belligerence in tempests which easily spark attention and hungry appetites for more. Described by some as dust metal, the quintet’s sound is a take no prisoners brawl with the devilry of the sleaziest salacious and thrilling romps. It is an unbridled and seriously accomplished sonic provocation bound in inescapable fun.

Brawler is the first track to accost ears, casting a melodic enticing instantly through one then the two guitars sculpting the emerging song. It is a restrained but spicy opening awash with southern winery which opens up into a raw and raucous incitement through the gravelly tones of vocalist Sky and the anthemic riffs of guitarists Shelby and Scarsid. With rhythms as imposing as the hooks and grooves are magnetic, the track virulently strolls with punk hostility and heavy rock intensity. A great solo only adds to the rich lure and enterprise of the track before it all makes way for the even more impressive Skateboard Song. An enslaving hook is the first thing to escape the lips of the song, swiftly followed by the crisp beats of drummer Kmy and a throaty bassline from Void. This is in tandem with great caustic vocals and a contagious blend of ravaging riffs and seductive grooving. The encounter is glorious, again part punk, rock, metal and quite irresistible.

The following G.A.S. is in no mood to let levels drop either, its busier opening a furious mix of snarling riffs and sinew swung rhythms ridden by the abrasing vocals of Sky which are backed by the anthemic calls of the band. Once again infectiousness soaks the guitars as tangy grooves grip ears and passions with consummate ease whilst as in its predecessors, imagination and unpredictability add their own distinctly flavoursome and tenacious bait. By this point in the release, if not earlier, it is hard to imagine anyone not being lost to the impressive craft and addictive hell-raising of First Gear but to make sure another pinnacle consumes the senses through the next up Headbangers. A roll of drums triggers a waspish lure of riffs, each wave coming with a web of toxic grooves and barb loaded hooks. It is a sensational start soon joining a tide of eager intensity and melodic spicing. As elsewhere, there is a gang feel to the presentation and energy of the song, a united front taking on all-comers whilst like an arrogant peacock it simultaneously expels sonic and melodic colours to seduce all before.

Closing with the maybe less dramatic and gripping but no less enjoyable Prophesick, the EP comes to a great imposing end. The last track puts on its heaviest rhythmic boots and harries and batters ears with belligerent enterprise and heart and without lighting the same fires as earlier songs, it still unreservedly pleases as it completes what is an excellent and refreshing proposition.

It is hard to do anything but heartily recommend First Gear; yes maybe originality is not high on the agenda but it twists established weaponry into a ferocious and riveting storm which quite honestly leaves most other similarly bred offerings in the shade.

The First Gear EP is available via Just For Fun Records now and digitally @ http://onelastshotofficial.bandcamp.com/releases

https://www.facebook.com/onelastshotofficial

RingMaster 07/01/2015

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Boiling energies and contagious storms: an interview with Rikki from Sister

Swedish metallers Sister has built and earned a strong reputation for their raw and voraciously energetic sounds as well as live performances which leave a swarm of other bands in the shade. Creating a mix of punk and sleaze rock with horror punk and metal bred tendencies, it is a contagious and at times anthemic brew which is increasing in potency all the time, as proven by the band’s brand new album Disguised Vultures. The release is an encounter which increases infectiously and addictively the more time you allow its persuasion,  proving the Stockholm quartet a band very hard to ignore or not find a sweet spot for. To learn more about the band we had the pleasure of talking with bassist Rikki, at the same time finding out about the new album, the band and horror punk, touring and much more…

Hi Rikki, welcome to the site and thanks for agreeing to talk with us.

What was the spark which brought Sister to life and did you have an immediate direction you wanted to explore?

Sister came to life in early 2006 and I joined one year later. There were a few years with all intentions of being a band reaching high but at the same time making all the mistakes and being all about having a good time all the time. Maybe one year before the debut album Hated, that was released 2011, we felt that we were something to be reckoned with without putting much effort into it and started thinking of what we could do if we make something real out of it. I think it pretty much was at that time all the things fell into the right places.

We called your sound and album in our review of your brand new release Disguised Vultures, ‘Raw and contagious, seducing like Frankenstein Drag Queens from Planet 13 meets Crashdiet in a glam cast pit of degenerate rioting’. How would you describe the Sister incitement to newcomers?

You got the raw and contagious there and I like that he he. I would add a high energetic live act. We are a band that love being on stage and that’s our place in this world.

What are your most potent inspirations as a band and as an individual?

We are all about all kinds of music. From bands like Misfits and Guns n Roses to bands like Lynyrd Skynyrd and Roky Erickson. We get inspirations from everything around us. I find inspiration in everything I like and respect.

We mentioned new album Disguised Vultures earlier, your recently released second album; how were the feelings on the eve of its release and since?

Last album was a big chaotic process since we signed with Metal Blade and had to write songs, record and release an album in a pretty short time period. This time we had a lot of time getting everything done and deciding how to go through with it. Like the first time, we finished in the last second this time as well though. It has to be done that way I have learned by now. The songs were written one year ago so it feels great to finally get them out.

There seemed to be a rather strong anticipation and now a hungry appetite for the album, was this something even with your confidence in its potency you expected?

It’s the way it should be. Would be pretty boring the other way wouldn’t it. We just go for all the stuff we want to achieve with an album or whatever we are doing at the moment. I knew this album would be the perfect follow up to Hated and the new album really feels like a step in the right direction.

How do you see you music and style has evolved between Disguised Vultures and its predecessor?

I loved the fact that we recorded the drums, bass and rhythm guitar live this time. It was a thought that appeared very early, maybe shortly after the last album was released. That next time we’ll do it live in the studio. I think we achieved a more organic sound and it’s a much rawer and heavier sound than the last time. I think also it’s a more diverse album as well. On the debut it was all about fast punk songs. We are exploring more grounds this time.

Did you approach the new album differently to Hated, were there lessons learned first time around you could utilise and build on?

Yeah make sure you have time haha. Actually it could be a good thing to do an album without having the time to think about everything. It becomes very honest. But if problems turn up you are pretty fucked. We’ve learned a few things about being a band and to record the last couple of years as well. Not much but a few hehe.

You may disagreed but it seems like earlier releases, Hated and before that the Deadboys Making Noise EP, certainly lyrically and in sound may be too, embraced expectations with a typical horror punk provocation. Disguised Vultures feels like in both aspects Sister has moved on to try to evolve and sculpt its own identity. Has this been something you have given a focused attention to look at or it has been just an organic progression in your writing?

I actually have no idea when the horror label people put on us even took place. We have never written songs about horror movies or stuff like that. We write music about real life not after life haha. I guess when you look in a certain way people try to put you in the genre that they think is the closest one. We have always considered ourselves being a band that like a lot of different music genres and we have since the EP just decided not to think about genres and just play what we want. It is always different depending who you talk to. Some say we are sleaze, some say horror, some say just pure punk music. I consider us being a bit more confusing genre wise than just being just one of those.

Tell us about the recording of the new album. Did you have a deliberate intent with it and its sound?

Our friend Martin Sweet produced it and Linus Nirbrant did the mix together with him. The mix process took the longest to get right since we really knew from the start what we wanted. We were very much, like always, involved in all parts of the process. We knew what we wanted to do and how to do it and since we have worked with Martin earlier we know each other very well. He got us from the start.

Do you write songs and have them worked out fully before the recording process or a band which likes to create predominantly in the studio environment?

Everything was written half a year before we entered the studio. You always make a few changes in the studio but the main stuff was already written this time. On the first album we changed more while recording than this time.

How does the writing process within Sister play out generally?

Someone has a song which is taken to the rehearsal. Usually there is a melody or a half-finished song and then we pretty much finish the song in there. It can be very different from song to song but usually it’s like that.

Are you more often than not a put the lyrics to music band or vice versa?

It can be either way.

There is a definite anthemic and stand up against the wrongs of society etc. provocation to your songs lyrically which transfers to the music on the album, but how much do personal issues, reflections, or experiences also inspire your songs?

Cari and Jamie have written the lyrics on this album. Some songs are pure angst about things and some more complex. The song Disguised Vultures for example is about the clash between the world on tour and the world back home. On tour playing in front of big crowds and then being back home without any money and all that. It can be two very different worlds.

Disguised Vultures like its predecessor has been unleashed on Metal Blade Records; they seem like a rewarding home for Sister?

Yeah it’s been good. Their reputation and arms reach out over most parts of the world and that can be very good for us of course.

The band has toured and played around Europe extensively over the years, as well as playing at some prestigious festivals; the biggest highlights for you so far?

Playing the big stage right before Mastodon on Sonisphere Madrid 2012 was a highlight of course. I can get used to doing that stuff haha. The tours with Hardcore Superstar, Crashdiet and Wednesday 13 have been really good as well. We have played in northern Europe a lot since the EP (Germany has been like a second home country hehe) so it has been great playing in Italy, Spain and France the last couple of years. Our first two tours in the UK were done last year and were awesome as well. Hope to be back there real soon!

Is there any particular country or nationality of fans which unite and ignite to Sister over all others?

It’s been real good all over Europe the last few years. Northern Italy has always been crazy. Manchester and London on the UK tours have been awesome. Paris was really great, Berlin as well. Hard to pick a favourite.

What does Sister have in store for 2014 now the album is out?

We are in the middle of discussions about some real cool stuff tour wise. We’ll see if it can be done. It would be big! The booked official stuff is a release party here in Stockholm in the middle of February and some shows in Sweden and Finland. We just want to hit the roads soon!

Big thanks for chatting with us; any parting thoughts you would like to leave the readers contemplating?

Likewise! If you haven’t been to a Sister show, make sure that you do when we’re around! And check out our album Disguised Vultures!

Read the Disguised Vultures review @ https://ringmasterreviewintroduces.wordpress.com/2014/01/21/sister-disguised-vultures/

www.sisterofficial.com

Pete RingMaster

The Ringmaster Review 14/02/2014

 Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright

Listen to the best independent music and artists on The RingMaster Review Radio Show and The Bone Orchard from

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