Maypine – In The Back Of My Mind

Providing a rather strong introduction to themselves, British pop-punks Maypine release their debut EP this month. In The Back Of My Mind offers five tracks of infectious melodic punk bursting with potential and an already revealing potent craft in songwriting and enterprise. It is not jaw dropping or particularly unique but certainly commands eager attention with ease, success in anyone’s book.

Formed around the middle of last year and rising from the ever vibrant Brighton music scene, Maypine soon showed their strengths and lures on the local live scene, continuing to draw support and acclaim thereon in leading up to the imminent release of their first EP. Recorded with producer Ian Sadler (ROAM/Homebound), it opens up with recent single A Little Sooner which soon has ears cupped in a weave of melodic guitars speared by striking rhythms. From their midst, a strolling gait loaded with instinctive catchiness breaks, vocalist Jason Payne backed by the equally alluring tones of rhythm guitarist Dan Jarvis, magnetic at the fore. It is hard not to be swept up in the song’s infectious nature and exploits, lead guitarist Becky East weaving a captivating web of melodic and enterprise to seal the deal.

The great start is keenly backed by new video/single North South Divide which too needs little time to have ears lured and bodies bouncing. The swinging beats of drummer James Holdsworth make a great driving impetus to its exploits, the heavier tone of Tommy Roberts’ bass bringing a fine tempering to the fiery flames of guitar which again firmly hold ears and appetite as vocals share the song’s emotive heart. Calmer moments only add to its strength, revealing bolder aspects in the band’s imagination before Inside Out jumps in with its just as keen energy and tenacity. Though it lacks some of the more unpredictable twists of its predecessors, the track is a contagious proposal leaving enjoyment full and giving plenty of clues to the band’s success as a live proposition.

Never Far Apart calms things down with its acoustic croon, guitar and voice sharing real magnetism before things eventually boil up with the rest of the band adding their flames to the increasingly volatile smoulder. A slow burner in some ways compared to other tracks, it rises to be a compelling part of the impressing release.

Closing track Day After Day brings things to a strong conclusion though it too misses out on making the more striking impression of other tracks on the EP. Nevertheless tapping feet and pleasured ears endorses its catchy potency and its part in ensuring In The Back Of My Mind leaves a strong appetite for more of the Maypine sound.

With numerous essences which should appeal to those with a liking for bands such as ROAM, Blink-182, and You Me At Six, the EP suggests Maypine is a rather promising new addition to British pop punk.

In The Back Of My Mind is released August 4^th through Disconnect Records.

MAYPINE August tour:

Friday 04 – Hope & Ruin, Brighton

Saturday 05 – Mulberry Tavern, Sheffield

 Sunday 06 – Creepy Wee Pub, Dunfermline (Acoustic/afternoon set)

Sunday 06 – The Attic/The Garage, Glasgow***

Tuesday 08 – Retro Bar, Manchester***

Thursday 10 – The Shed, Leicester**

Friday 11 – The Thunderbolt, Bristol**

Saturday 12 – The Attic, Torquay**

Sunday 13 – The Joiners, Southampton**

Monday 14 – The Black Heart, Camden**

Tuesday 15 – The Attic, Ashford**

Wednesday 16th – TJ’s, Eastbourne

**w/ Better Than Never | *** w/ Coast To Coast

http://facebook.com/maypineuk   http://twitter.com/maypineuk   http://instagram.com/maypineuk

Pete RingMaster 02/08/2017

Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright

Yorkshire Rats – Self Titled EP

It is fair to say that since returning from an extended hiatus, UK punks Yorkshire Rats have blossomed into one persistently rousing and creatively tenacious proposition. It is not as if their early years were barren from success and plaudits let alone ear exciting sounds but as their new self-titled EP shows, maturity and a new creative drive has seen them become one of the essential melodic punk encounters on the British if not global scene.

Formed in Pontefract by vocalist/guitarist Don Mercy (ex-Abrasive Wheels, ex-Billy No Mates) in 2004, Yorkshire Rats released a well received 7” and EP in their two years capped by supporting Rancid in 2006. Then the band took that hiatus before returning around a decade after first stepping forward and subsequently released their swiftly acclaimed debut album, Sea of Souls in 2015 via Indelirium Records. It was a release embracing the band’s earlier sound whilst welcoming a broader punk canvas and that new energy, all subsequently pushed again by the Trouble City EP last year and now their new four track offering.

Again the new release sees the band drawing on the seeds of punk rock across the decades and from both sides of the North Atlantic, infusing all into their own individual hook strapped, melody shaped songs. The EP opens up with the irresistible Alone Together, a track “all about the strains of relationships whether that be romantic or political.” It opens up with a delicious old school hook, raw bait surely nurtured from a Ramones/Stiff Little Fingers like inspiration. Soon rhythms are jabbing at the persistent lure, in turn the potent vocals of Mercy flirting with ears and matching the infectious strength of the sounds around him. The melodic boisterousness and craft of lead guitarist Matt Lee only adds richer colour to a song already gripping the imagination and body with its chopping riffs and rousing rhythms.

The following Where Do I Sign? brings a more US styled stroll to ears; its lively body and melodic enterprise akin to Green Day though soon developing its own unique character as the firm beats of drummer Chris Furness and the dark swing of Josh Clarke’s bass unite with the fiery veins infused by Lee. Though slightly more restrained in energy compared to its predecessor it is an equal in catchiness and uncaging lusty hooks as too next up No Way Out. There is more of a Social Distortion spicing to the third track, it again a bold and flirtatious proposal with an addictive chorus impossible to resist. With a bassline to drool over and an enslaving sing-a-long vocal temptation further in, the song hits the spot dead centre.

Final track, Better Days Will Come, is an energetic croon with a Joe Jackson like riff and Elvis Costello scented melodic suggestiveness, all wrapped up in Yorkshire Rats creative theatre. It is a fine end to an outstanding release with Mercy a vocal magnet even as hooks and melodies intensify their weight and  temptation.

The EP is the most rounded and relentlessly contagious offering from Yorkshire Rats yet, its songs relishing the inevitable increase in as suggested songwriting maturity and individual let alone united craft. A must have for melodic punk fans? We think so!

The Yorkshire Rats EP is out now on Northern Ruff Records @ http://yorkshirerats.com/store/ and other online stores.

http://yorkshirerats.com/    https://www.facebook.com/yorkshirerats    https://twitter.com/yorkshire_rats

Pete RingMaster 21/06/2017

Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright

Authority Zero – Broadcasting To The Nations

June sees the release of the sixth album from US melodic punks Authority Zero and a riot for the spirit which shows the genre’s young bucks just how it is done. After twenty plus years, you could be forgiven for expecting the band’s obvious maturity in sound and craft to come with an aged controlled fire but Broadcasting To The Nations quickly sets the records straight. There is an excitement and energy to its body and heart which you would more expect from a band just starting out as well as a freshness and urgency bred in a newcomer’s hunger to make their first mark. Add that to the long established invention and infectious prowess of the Mesa in Arizona hailing outfit and you quite simply have one of the most rousing and seriously enjoyable punk offerings of the past few years.

Once again Broadcasting To The Nations is a proposition brought alive with the distinctive Authority Zero mixing of SoCal punk with reggae and ska and as ever delivered with a host of swinging hooks and anthemic dexterity which has lured persistent acclaim the way of their music and releases. Within the new album though, it all seems to have found a new appetite and imagination; like the quartet has reaped the best elements from previous successes and honed them into their keenest most rapaciously rebellious but fun adventure yet.

It launches with First One in the Pit, a baying eager crowd luring out the band and a stomp of brooding bass and swinging rhythms aligned with senses clashing riffs and rich vocal enticement. Within seconds ears are hooked on the vigorous anthem of sound and spirit, its vocal declaration matched in tone by the contagion of aggressive punk ‘n’ roll sound.

The galvanic start is quickly reinforced by the bold holler of Reconciliation where again the beats of drummer Chris Dalley splinter bone as they land and the heavy grumble of Mike Spero’s bass grips an already awoken appetite. Their predacious edge though is skilfully tempered by the melodic roar of frontman Jason DeVore and the spicy hooks and melodies thrown into the commandingly catchy affair by guitarist Dan Aid. As exceptional as it and its predecessor are though, both are still eclipsed by the stirring charge of the Bad Religion scented Destiny and Demise. Within moments it has its spiky attitude and bold tenacity into hooked into limbs and emotion, stoking the instincts with its raucous enterprise and bullish energy. Submission and involvement is quick and lusty, the track simply punk at its best.

The album’s title track is just as mercilessly compelling, its ska infested shuffle an infestation of body and heart leading the listener into a breath stealing bounce of air punching unity. Spero’s bass uncages a groove which devours the passions, Aid offering hooks which are more puppeteer than suggestion, whilst Dalley’s beats just bite; all together the band spawning an infectiousness which borders on rabid as DeVore anthemically roars.

 

Summer Sickness allows things to calm down a touch though its reggae nurtured grooves and hip teasing bait is swiftly in control and directing reactions alongside the magnetic presence of DeVore. Highlights have flowed since the first second of Broadcasting to the Nations, this another stunning pinnacle springing  in Latin brass flames and a punchy catchiness to get lustful over.

The band dives back into their more direct punk dexterity with Bayside next, the song giving an additional contagious coating its heavy bustle. It is the kind of goodness Green Day delivered back in their prime but with the devilment and heart of Authority Zero which has never wavered and now seems hungrier than ever as supported by the Clash meets Random hand like Revolution Riot, an inescapable stonking romping incitement, and Sevens with its melodic blaze of reflection and defiance.

There is a whiff of Strummer and co to next up La Diabla too, its festival of melodic sound and creative diversity a smouldering fire with more inventive flickers and magnetic exploits than most ferocious pyres of sound and energy. The track is sheer captivation with, as no doubt now you might expect, the listener’s physical participation at its finger tips.

The brassy stroll of Creepers has claws just as vigorously in feet and imagination straight after; its lyrical and musically feisty rock ‘n’ roll something akin to Russian punks Biting Elbows and an instinctive arousal of attitude and anthemic coupling while When We Rule the World simply hits the spot with its stylishly infectious canter. Certainly, like its successor, it is missing that little imaginative extra which set ears and album ablaze earlier but leaves pleasure rich and a greed for more slavering.

One Way Track Kid mixes all its shades of rock in its cry; hard, melodic, and punk rock as boisterous as the other in its dynamic bellow before No Guts No Glory brings things to a fine close with a punk assault as old school, raw, and incendiary as it is fresh, melodic, and galvanic. With a sniff of Flogging Molly to its glory, the song is a heady conclusion to an anthemically intoxicating release.

There is no escaping that as a band Authority Zero are growing physically old but equally it is more than obvious their music whilst impressively mature is lost in the rapture of youth; all the evidence in one of the essential punk roars of recent times.

Broadcasting To The Nations is released June 2^nd via Bird Attack Records across most online stores and @ https://birdattackrecords.bandcamp.com/album/broadcasting-to-the-nations

http://authorityzero.com/   https://www.facebook.com/AuthorityZero/   https://twitter.com/Authority_Zero

Pete RingMaster 01/06/2017

Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright

Juno – Speed Won’t Cut It

Speed Won’t Cut It is a mighty roar to get you to your feet, incite a closed fisted punch of the air, and arouse the spirit to stand defiant and proud. It is also the new irresistible punk incitement from UK punks Juno, a band just bubbling under finding major attention for a while now but now giving it an almighty nudge with their latest four-track EP.

Formed in 2008, the Leeds band sparked keen interest with their debut release We are Juno. A trio initially, they expanded attention and their line-up by the time of second EP Set Sail in 2009. A short break followed before a new head of stream saw the band return with the acclaimed Counting Backwards Causes Explosions EP. It was six tracks of boisterous rock ‘n’ roll which with its 2012 unleashing, drew a host of new fans and led to the band signing with The Animal Farm and the release of its successor Answers a year later, a proposition which eclipsed its predecessor in sound, persuasion, and success. Aligned to a potent live presence and craft which has seen Juno share stages with the likes of Summerlin, ACiD DROP, The Roughneck Riot, Twenty Twenty, Blitz Kids, Forgotten Roots, Adelaide, The Afterparty, Page 44, Failsafe, The Headstart and many more, the foursome of lead vocalist/guitarist Rob Kirk, lead guitarist/vocalist James Duncan, bassist/vocalist Ben Rowe, and drummer Matt Grum are now ready to pounce on full nationwide recognition without stopping at those boundaries and it all starts with the highly tempting Speed Won’t Cut It.

Merciless hooks and swinging melodies have always been a part of the band’s punk ‘n’ roll offerings but alongside the band’s energy, all have gone up the gears within the new EP. It opens up with new single/video Last Dance, a track which ensures its invitation is quickly taken by feet. It is pure contagious punk rock with a flavoursome touch of AFI to it, though it quickly enforces its own lively character upon ears and imagination. With busy rhythmic bait and fiery guitar enterprise backing up Rob’s anthemically leading vocals, it is gripping stuff and just the start of the voracious revelry to follow.

Will I Be Free steps up next, immediately offering attitude in its riffs and jabbing beats. That continues into the quickly established canvas of jagged guitar tempting and band harmonies, Rob’s voice the ringleader as Ben’s bass prowls deceptive calms before one incendiary chorus. As with the first track, you cannot claim that Juno are re-inventing punk rock but few songs and indeed bands have set ears and emotions alight as effortlessly and rousingly recently as Juno in their first two songs on the EP alone.

Across the tracks the luring of physical participation from voice and body is inevitable and continues with the swinging stroll of Sirens. An arguably less imposing encounter but no weak link in stirring up spirit and thick enjoyment, the song bounds along throwing hooks into a gripping sonic resourcefulness to, like the Pied Piper, tantalise and seduce ears and spirit.

Speed Won’t Cut It ends on its biggest high and the mighty call to arms of Face Our Demons. Like a melodic punk version of Stiff Little Fingers, the track makes thick nudges on thoughts and emotions as its web of guitar tenacity and rhythmic pugnacity aids the song’s inescapable rebel rousing. The track is glorious; an inflammatory slice of intense punk ‘n’ roll which by its unstoppable and virulent finale, is sure to have the listener standing tall and yelling enough is enough to those and things which have taken advantage and more. It certainly did here.

Juno songs have a social and emotionally political aspect to their words which seems to further fire up the sounds around them and in turn the listener. It is a balanced weave though, which makes Juno easily stand out from similarly intense propositions whilst providing a hell of a great time, as proven by the must have Speed Won’t Cut It.

The Speed Won’t Cut It EP is out now across most online stores

http://www.wearejuno.com/   https://www.facebook.com/junoleeds   https://twitter.com/wearejuno

Pete RingMaster 10/03/2016

Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright

For more exploration of the independent and promotional services check out http://www.zykotika.com/

This City Limits – Here’s To Hoping

Much as recent single Too Scared To Swim took its time to seduce and fully tempt, so too does the new EP from UK melodic punks This City Limits. As that first teaser for its release, Here’s To Hoping ultimately succeeds in awakening a very healthy appetite for and strong enjoyment of its vibrant clutch of songs. This City Limits has a sound which maybe is unlikely to blow ears away first time around, but it rouses attention, tempts further investigation, and as found at The RR, becomes a lingering enticement; a success any band would embrace with eagerness.

Formed in 2014, the Leeds band consists of brothers Will (vocals, guitar) and George Turner (guitar), alongside Rob Burns (bass) and Josh Peters (drums). Their debut EP Brittle Brass & Broken Bone raised potent attention which was further inflamed by the singles, Amputate, Colourblind, and most of all, the aforementioned Too Scared To Swim. Each has lured fan and media attention, good radio play too which is sure to continue as Here’s To Hoping works its charms. Produced by James Hill, the EP is an accomplished slice of pop ‘n’ roll with attitude and steely endeavour its fuel.

   It begins with Thief and an immediate tempting of melodic guitar amid an emotive wash of sound. That parts as the enjoyable vocals of Will bring harmonic warm and emotional reflection to the emerging hug of gentle sound, though both aspects soon brew up into a fiery nature and flame brightly against the darker hues of bass. It is a magnetic affair luring ears and imagination with ease, even if maybe not exploding fiercely enough in its angst lined expulsions of passion. Growing with every passing minute in potency and impressiveness, the track seizes an appetite for its enterprise before allowing the infectious rousing of Too Scared To Swim to stir things up even more. With understated but strong hooks lining the melodic and harmonic walls of the certain crowd pleaser, the song canters along with a feel good factor in its heart and feisty nature to its energy, resulting in a stroll of pop punk to get fully involved in.

The calmer emotive croon of Runaway follows; its air intense and melodies inflamed whilst passion runs through it. Without setting a major fire, ears and emotions find themselves coaxed and drawn into the heart of the song, more often than not, vocal chords adding plaintive tones to those of the band as the track makes a smouldering and infectious persuasion. Equally there is no escaping the individual skills of band members; from vocals to guitar, bass to drums, each texture and imaginative twist is built for seduction as shown again by the final pair of tracks.

Neither song ignite personal tastes as fully as those before them yet with its provocative vocal and sonic hues aligned to robust rhythms, Saltwater fascinates and fully pleases whilst the melancholic serenade of So This Is Home, from a string blessed initial sigh, grows into a tenaciously dramatic and dynamic outpouring of craft and sound. It is fair to say that both songs only leave satisfaction full and enjoyment gripped, a success now expected as a minimum from any This City Limits endeavour.

Each listen to Here’s To Hoping leaves it impressing more but still there is feeling that they are in the midst of their journey to uniqueness and the realisation of all their potential. Theirs is a sound looking towards coming of age at some point, a potential and possibility ensuring each upcoming encounter will be keenly anticipated by a great many. Right now though, if bands like Mallory Knox, Lower Than Atlantis, and We Are The Ocean appeal than This City Limits’ EP is very worthy of attention.

The Here’s To Hoping EP is released November 13^th through all stores.

http://www.thiscitylimits.com   https://www.facebook.com/thiscitylimits   https://twitter.com/ThisCityLimits

Pete RingMaster 13/11/2015

Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright

For more exploration of the independent and promotional services check out http://www.zykotika.com/

This City Limits – Too Scared To Swim

It is quite rewarding when a song does not initially make a big impact but leaves something behind, a lingering and persistent nudge saying ‘hold up, you might be missing out on something here’. So it was with Too Scared To Swim, the single from UK melodic punks This City Limits. It was certainly an enjoyable first meeting or two, but something continued to nag from it, elements repeating in the mind when away from its presence to lure attention back. It still does not compete as one of our very favourite songs uncaged this summer, but it ensures, whilst constantly pleasing ears, that the band’s upcoming second EP will be under close scrutiny.

Formed last year, the Leeds hailing quartet of brothers Will (vocals, guitar) and George Turner (guitar), Rob Burns (bass) and Josh Peters (drums) quickly made a potent statement with their debut EP Brittle Brass & Broken Bone. It easily lured the appetite of a growing number of fans with its potency, backed by the single Amputate which in turn stirred up greater media attention across national press and radio. Now it is the turn of James Hill produced Too Scared To Swim, as mentioned ahead of a new EP later this year, to rouse up national awareness with the support of a summer of shows and festival spots.

Vocals and guitars instantly descend on ears as the song opens up, both cast with emotion and open craft. Bass and drums are quickly there too, stirring up air and appetite with their feistier endeavour and attitudes as the melodic acidity and lure of the song blossoms a provocative and potent proposal. There are few big surprises in the song yet its contentment in switching its intensity and attack around is enjoyable and seamless. It has all the hallmarks of accomplished songwriting and skilled interpretation, two traits increasingly open in This City Limits.

Exploring a creative avenue reminding of bands such as Mallory Knox and We Are The Ocean at times, Too Scared To Swim suggests that This City Limits is still on the journey to find a standout sound distinct to them but they have found a presence and creativity which is not that far away. Maybe the new EP will unleash that next step, but if it is as likeable as Too Scared To Swim there will be few complaints anyway.

Too Scared To Swim is available from July 27^th with accompanying video.

http://www.thiscitylimits.com/     https://www.facebook.com/thiscitylimits

RingMaster 27/07/2015

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

 

Montrose – Monster Under The Bed

Though their debut EP, If Only You Knew, was enjoyable and was run on a fuel of great potential, it did not really remove UK melodic punks Montrose from the heavy crowd of similar sounding bands. It was an aspect which seemingly the band also realised and strived to do something about, resulting in a far more powerful and unique offering in its successor Monster Under The Bed. There is still plenty of familiarity to the new EP, but with a grittier, more robust presence and structure to their pop punk bred enterprise, the Bath quartet are well on the way to becoming a distinct and, on the evidence of their fine release, an even more exciting proposition.

Monster Under The Bed opens with the outstanding Underperformer, a song instantly gripping ears and attention with its initial collusion of spidery grooves, punchy beats, and feisty riffs. It is a thumping coaxing which even when the song relaxes into a more restrained embrace for the entrance of Jason Bishop’s vocals continues to incite and lead a rousing flirtation through a similarly evolving guise. The dramatic swings of drummer Jake Matthews just stirs up air and song as guitarist Sam Chard expels some of the juiciest hooks and grooves you are likely to hear in a punk romp. The track is a blistering start and temptation to the EP, the kind of opening to get the blood rushing through veins and appetite greedily hungry.

The following song offers a more expected proposal of muscular pop punk, The End Game an equally accomplished offering but not quite having the bolder imagination and invention of its predecessor. Nevertheless with impassioned vocals and another brooding bassline from Ben Curd, the song has ears wholly content before Walking Contradiction takes the release back towards its opening plateau. Tenacious rhythms spear a muggier sonic air from the start but with smart moments of clarity to temper the sweltering climate, the track reveals a well thought out tapestry of melodic and sonic imagination aligned to its emotionally and physically tempestuous landscape.

     The final three tracks of Monster Under The Bed steal the show, Montrose opening up Blush next with a tendril of spicy tempting from Chard around again pungent rhythms. It is a fiery coaxing which continues to lure as Bishop opens up his strong tones, a mellow caress of keys and warm ambience eventually sweeping over song and the senses. The rigorous and emotive stroll is soon back though, Montrose subsequently merging both in an intoxicating atmosphere whilst exploring a thrilling new terrain of spiky hooks and unpredictable adventure. The song is glorious, getting bolder and better with every passing minute and more compelling with every listen.

The same applies to Good Old Days, a treat clutching attention right away with a Hagfish like incitement before brewing an evocative wind of thick melodies within a slightly agitated atmosphere. It does not have the same startling ingenuity of the previous song, but stirs the senses and appetite impressively before the closing Fit For A King gets to work on the passions. Matthews casts a web of rhythmic addictiveness right away, his lone bait soon enticing a spiralling lure of guitar and a growling, bordering on grouchy bassline. Keys only add to the theatre and thick enticement smothering ears as they join the vocals in the increasingly broadening presence of the galvanic roar of a song. The track is a climatic end to a thoroughly invigorating release, one as exhilarating as it is exhausting on the senses

Bishop has said of Montrose, “We want to make sure we don’t get lost in the crowd,” and fair to say that Monster Under The Bed is definitely a big move to fulfilling that wish. It may not quite tear them far enough away from others yet but with another similar step on evolution ahead, there should be no mistaking or losing Montrose amongst a host of others in the punk field.

Monster Under The Bed is available now digitally at http://montroseofficial.bandcamp.com and physically @ http://montroseofficial.bigcartel.com/product/montrose-monster-under-the-bed-ep

https://www.facebook.com/MontroseOfficial http://twitter.com/MontroseBand

RingMaster 18/06/2015

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

 

Atlas Losing Grip – Currents

Ten years in and unleashing their third album this very week, Swedish melodic punks Atlas Losing Grip just get better and musically broader. Currents is a treat of a confrontation and muscular seduction, a release bulging with explosive songs bred in imaginative songwriting and bound in just as magnetically resourceful sounds. As striking and highly persuasive as it is from the first listen, it grows into an even more rigorously compelling adventure over time, revealing new nuances and depths from play to play. Atlas Losing Grip has had no lacking of acclaim coming their way with their reputation growing show by show, release by release, but Currents is a new plateau of enterprise and maturity from the band, a certain game changer in attention and stature.

Hailing from Lund, Atlas Losing Grip upon forming swiftly stirred up appetites in the city’s renowned punk scene which had also spawned the likes of Satanic Surfers and Astream. Debut album Shut The World Out was unveiled to strong responses in 2008, its success followed by the recruitment of Satanic Surfers vocalist Rodrigo Alfaro into the line-up. The next year was marked by the release of Watching The Horizon on mini-cd and 10” vinyl record, an immediate indication of a potent growth in the band’s craft and metal infused punk sound and now with a striking voice to match. With shows with bands such as Bad Religion and the undertaking of many tours under their belts, Atlas Losing Grip uncaged their second album State Of Unrest in 2011. It revealed yet another open evolution and growth, a striking leap forward which has been repeated again between Currents and its predecessor. Driven by an even deeper and creative blend of heavy metal and the band’s distinct style of melodic punk, the fourteen track new proposition is a tapestry of spellbinding and explosive sonic colours around just as gripping and dramatic structures.

Lapping waves bring opener Sinking Ship into view and an instantly inviting weave of melodic endeavour from guitarists Gustav Burn and Max Huddén. Their evocative enticement is a thoughtful and melancholic coaxing behind which a brewing tempest builds before opening its thick arms to welcome pungent beats from drummer Julian Guedj and thick bass sounds from Stefan Bratt. Sonically too the song has grown more tempestuous by this point, but still with some restraint as the walls of the song loom higher and more provocatively over the senses. It is soon a feistily striding march of metal bred tenacity and punk energy though, subsequently coloured by the outstanding tones of Alfaro. A cauldron of passion and craft with an intensity and melodic enterprise to match, the song stirs up ears and appetite with consummate ease whilst proving just an appetiser for bigger things to come.

The following charm and fire of The Curse keeps the vivacious start of the album constant, the at times Greg Graffin like tones of Alfaro roaring over a canvas of sound just as hungrily simmering and at times boiling. Though the song arguably lacks the final spark to match the first, it ignites the imagination with anthemic ease before Cynosure flexes sinews and sculpts an aggressive melodic theatre. The song is somewhere between a romance and a brawl on the senses and virulently captivating. It also shows the ability to seamless slip between unbridled charges driven expertly by Guedj and an increasingly impressive bass sound and enterprise from Bratt, and mellow reflective calm superbly caressed by Alfaro.

Through the similarly melodically and vocally voracious Shallow and the creatively snarling Nemesis, Atlas Losing Grip kicks up another stunning gear, the first of the pair an uncompromising and thoughtful blast of contagious heavy weight pop punk. Its successor equally twists and erupts with an infectiousness to bait body and passions but with a raw and more imposing texture to its inventiveness and blistering sounds. Both though fall into the shadow of the brilliant Closure, an acoustically sculpted ballad showing, as if we needed any more proof, the strength and quality of Alfaro’s voice. Backed as impressively by the band his delivery is embraced in just as evocative melodic scenery woven by the guitars. Adding emotive strokes of strings to seduce ears further, the track fascinates with its mesmeric impassioned presence.

Both the rock pop catchiness of Kings and Fools, which has a slight feel of Living End to it, and the punk storm of Cast Anchor rouse ears and emotions in their individual and similarly tenacious ways whilst Unknown Waters follows with a contemplation of vocal and melodic design which provokes feet and thoughts equally to greedily embrace its fiery elegance and rhythmic incitement. Anthemic vocals and another irresistible predacious bassline stands out before the song stands aside for the drama of The End where bass and drums again steal early attention before sharing attention it with, as expected, the voice of Alfaro and the dynamic energy of the guitars.

One pinnacle of Currents makes way for another in Downwind, as potent a punk and heavy metal anthem as you are likely to hear this year, which applies to the album as a whole too to be fair. The song stomps with heavy booted beats and wiry grooves whilst vigorously rippling with addictive emotion and infectiousness. It is an epidemic of a persuasion and alongside Closure firmly taking top honours. Its might shadows the next up Through the Distance a touch though it cannot diminish the thrilling maze of thrilling imagination and electro whispers nor the turbulent lure of industrious and feverish rock ‘n’ roll shaping the track.

Variety is not absent for long at any point on Currents, the sheer atmospheric and melodic drama of Cold Dirt sending ears and release down new avenues with its harmonic poetry and epic orchestral bred heart. Another big highlight it leaves Ithaka to bring the album to a close with its tribal seeded percussion and sultry melodic climate. Eleven minutes in length, the song never outstays the attention span, only revealing further depths and originality to band and release.

Currents is a gem, one shining brighter with every listen. There is a surprise that not as many songs return in thoughts to nag attention whilst away from the album but this has no impact, not even a whisper, on the weight and glory of the album. As suggested at the start Atlas Losing Grip just get better and better, and even the news that Alfaro has left the band just before the album’s release cannot deflate the band’s certain ascent into the strongest spotlights, especially with a song featuring his placement Niklas Olsson sounding like the vocal department is in safe and accomplished hands.

Currents is available worldwide from 16^th January

http://www.atlaslosinggrip.com/

RingMaster 16/01/2015

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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The Amsterdam Red Light District – Gone For A While

With a mouthful of a name and a flavoursome depth to their captivating sound, French rockers The Amsterdam Red Light District unleash their new and highly anticipated album Gone For A While. It is a striking encounter which intrigues and pleases at every turn, the band’s mix of alternative rock in a fusion of melodic punk and hardcore, ensuring a persistent drama and vivacity to each and every track. That it does not ignite the passions as rigorously as it maybe should have is a mystery and probably a personal thing, but certainly the eleven track proposition provides a tasty stomp for ears and imagination to invest a real appetite in.

Seemingly with members based in Lyon and California, The Amsterdam Red Light District since forming in 2005 has earned a potent reputation and recognition for their sound and live presence. Employing inspirations from the likes of Refused, The Bronx, The Ghost of a Thousand, and The Bled into their own distinct ideas and invention, the band has made striking marks through debut album Dear Diary in 2010 and the I’m Not Insane EP two years later, their success backed by a live presence which has seen The Amsterdam Red Light District play all over Europe with great regularity, feature at festivals such as Groezrock, Mair1, Resurrection, Sylak and Rockstorm, as well as play with bands such as Refused, Anti-Flag, Thrice, 36 Crazyfists, Comeback Kid, and Slayer. In July this year the band set about recording second full-length Gone for a While, its release like the first with Red Light Records, now upon us and likely to only intensify the spotlight on the band.

Opener Time Flies swiftly has ears and feet involved in its feisty stomp, riffs and rhythms an immediate frenzy bound in enticing grooves. Vocalist Elio Sxone is a commanding presence within the raucous persuasion from his first syllable, whilst guitarist Maxime Comby is soon complimenting his caustic riffs with sonic enterprise. Arguably there are no real surprises within the song but equally it is a refreshing and magnetic offering with real power to its energy and persuasion capped by the great Red Tape like vocal roars alongside the velvety shadowed tones of bass provided by Gregory Clert.

The attention grabbing start is surpassed by the fascinating Just Have A Good Time, its initial Southern rock/Cajun twang the lead into a ferociously fiery and impressive incitement. Swiftly revealing more of the depths and diversity to the band’s sound, the heavy rock fuelled track stomps with contagious and aggressive intent driven forcibly by the imposing skills of drummer Julien Chanel. The song though is still as welcoming and catchy as its predecessor, whilst the blend of raw and melodic vocals work a treat across song and subsequently the album, their union as bracing as the contrasting sounds igniting the beast of a song.

   Million Miles Away is no slouch in getting the blood running hungrily through band and listener either, its on-going charge littered with spicy hooks aligned to harsh and melodic elements of punk. Fuelled with a torrent of barbed and addiction forging twists, with further outbreaks of chunky riffing and virulent grooving piling on the temptation, the song keeps the album flying high before handing over ears and emotions to the similarly compelling and voraciously sculpted A Chance To Change. Its energy is as full and insatiable as in its predecessor, and with a thick melodic tempting to its rigorous tenacity, provides another weighty slab of punk hunger and irrepressible contagion.

The brief evocative presence of Final Boarding Call is underwhelming, the track seemingly an intro into the album’s following title track but lacks anything to halt the urge to simply move straight to Gone For A While, itself a song lacking something compared to the first quartet of encounters but reinforcing the craft and imagination surging through the album with ease, if not the earlier adventure shown. Its gentler caresses definitely make for a satisfying companionship before Behind Your Sunglasses unveils its fiercer presence and emotion. Still missing that spark of bold inventiveness, the track impresses as it bawls and croons simultaneously, the vocals especially gripping within the tasty web of chords and hooks.

Both These Kids That Your Parents Warned You About and Come Closer leave ears and appetite full of lingering pleasure, the first with gnarly bass tones and bordering on hostile rhythms, a grouchy and thrilling protagonist. Its growl is wholly infectious, as is the return of that bolder inventiveness which marked the start of the album as the track shows itself to be another lofty peak in the landscape of the release. Its successor is built from the same template, a hearty snarl coating every predatory note and heavily swung beat, not forgetting the raw vocal side of the band, whilst grooves and hooks find their own unique venom to infest the imagination.

The two songs has body and thoughts back hungrily engaged before making way for the addiction causing Set The World On Fire, the track one of those anthemic stomps which only a loss of hearing can deter. Its muscular brawl of a seduction is followed by closing track Waiting For So Long, an encounter featuring Justin Schlosberg from Hell Is For Heroes. A final blaze of rugged and melodic punk vitality which maybe misses truly lighting the passions, it nevertheless gives the album a furnace of a send-off whilst egging on the urge to dive right back into the heart of Gone For A While.

At the start we said that the album did not inflame the strength of ardour that it probably should have. It is hard to define why, certainly there is not an abundance of surprises but there is plenty to enthral and spark a greed for more. It is easy to expect Gone For A While to be a major trigger for the passions in a great many though, and for the rest of us it has to be said The Amsterdam Red Light District has placed a strong enough grip with the album that anticipation for their next endeavour is unavoidable.

Gone For A While is available now via Red Light Records, digitally @ https://itunes.apple.com/fr/album/gone-for-a-while/id918599363 and on CD @ http://tarld.bigcartel.com/

http://www.tarldtheband.com/

RingMaster 26/11/2014

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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Misgivings – Delete History

A raw and antagonistic slab of melodic punk rock, the Delete History EP from UK band Misgivings is an introduction which maybe does not ignite the passions ready to fight all and sundry but it certainly reveals a potential which makes the band an exciting prospect. Loaded with six abrasing and accomplished brawls of attitude and enterprise, the release is an honest and magnetic entrance from the Southsea quartet ensuring they leave an enjoyable and promise fuelled impact in their wake.

Apparently formed ‘after a drunken chat at a squat show In Hamburg’ in 2013, Misgivings has earned a strong reputation for their live performances and sound, the band taking in a clutch of short tours in the UK and Europe since forming. Now the quartet of vocalist/guitarist William Pearce, guitarist/vocalist Ollie Richardson, bassist Joe Anderson, and drummer Andrew Summerly (though on the EP original drummer Peter Hardy plays) are primed to reap the attention their first release is geared up to garner.

The songs upon Delete History are sparked by issues such as “today’s mundane society, being forced into adulthood, complex relationships and struggling with day to day social situations”; each as the EP with its first touch through opener Century, pulling no punches. Jabbing beats alongside a raw scrub of riffs and equally abrasing vocals lures in ears towards the first song, their union prowled by bass shadows. Combined, they craft a catchy and rugged bounce which easily recruits the imagination and appetite. Mini crescendos of hooks and beats add to the anthemic potency of the song throughout whilst melodies and dual vocals provide a refreshing colour to the confrontation. It is not boundary stretching stuff but imposingly engaging and intriguing in its caustic seduction.

The following It’s A Bone, You Lucky Dog makes a gentle entrance, blues toned melodies a relaxed coaxing before the track twists into an aggressive and antagonistic stroll. Whereas the first song was more Alkaline Trio in style, its successor has a harsher temperament and breath which draws on the hardcore prowess of a Jawbreaker or NOFX. There is still a virulent swagger to it though, a tempting wound in acidic melodic enterprise for another impressive and enjoyable provocation.

Both The Natives and Black Books keep things simmering rigorously, the first as its predecessor binding ears in a mix of hardcore and infectious melodies for an enthralling and energetic incitement. It is heavier on its feet and in its emotions than the first two tracks but pleasingly still infuses an energetic inventive touch which gives it the spark to stand out. The second of the two is the same, a track not worrying new pastures for punk rock but veining and flirting with addictive textures and tenacious ideation, creating a provocateur which lingers after its departure whilst adding another distinctive mark in favour of Misgivings.

Niagara Falls, Frankie Angel also makes its way into view with restraint and evocative melodies before stomping with animosity and resourceful voracity. Vocals are their rawest yet and melodies at their most spicy, contrasts conflicting and fusing for a belligerent and anthemic challenge before closing track Stay Dull picks on ears and thoughts with its flavoursome and richly satisfying old school seeded punk adventure.

No song, or the EP itself, leaps from the speakers yet all provide a potent lure and enjoyment which establishes Misgivings forcibly on the punk map with the frontline in their sights ahead. Delete History is a great base to start from and to grab people’s attention with, whilst the potential inside suggests bigger things are in the pipeline.

The self-released Delete History is available now @ https://misgivingspunx.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/misgivingsmelodicpunk

RingMaster 04/11/2014

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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