UK metallers Dendera whipped up plenty of eager attention and acclaim with their debut album The Killing Floor two years ago and now with its successor Pillars Of Creation poised to ignite ears and appetites with its own unique character, it is easy to expect the Portsmouth band doing the same again with greater success. Embracing a fresh roar of modern rock and invention with their heavy/classic metal breeding in their new offering, Dendera has honed a more distinct sound to themselves, not one to reinvent genres but undoubtedly one to really set the band apart from the tide of likeminded bands.
Since releasing their first encounter, the We Must Fight EP in 2011, it is fair to say the band has had the attention of fans and media alike, a ready to praise spotlight elevated by the release of The Killing Floor in 2013. Live too the band has earned a potent reputation and stature, touring and sharing stages with the likes of Saxon, UFO, Fozzy, Skindred, Firewind, Alestorm, Unearth, The Sword, Orange Goblin, Grand Magus, Ill Nino, POD, Soulfly, Kobra and the Lotus and….well the list goes on. Now the quintet of vocalist Ashley Edison, guitarists Stephen Main and Tony Fuller (the latter having left the band after the album’s recording to be replaced by David Stanton), bassist Bradley Edison, and drummer Andy Finch return with a seriously mighty slab of metal and with ease the band’s finest moment yet.
Pillars Of Creation opens with Claim Our Throne and quickly has intrigue and imagination awake with the track’s opening melodic suggestiveness. Its entrance sets the scene, casting a rich and welcoming landscape yet one with an initial melancholic air which as its depths and scenery builds and expands, evolves into a more intimidating presence. Eventually riffs and rhythms build imposing walls whilst hooks and grooves colour the increasingly compelling emergence of the track with inescapable temptation. In full stride the song roars with the impressive vocals of Edison leading the way as guitars and bass lay down magnetic bait through riffs and enterprise. The old school essences of bands like Iron Maiden and Saxon, which heavily coloured the band’s first album, are still clear hues in song and album but more spices now in a bolder and more creatively individual proposal from Dendera. It is not ground-breaking stuff as mentioned but the band has cultured something rich in variety and resourceful in exploration, and as shown by the starter and reinforced by subsequent songs, created a sound which will send fans into bliss whilst offering plenty for those who maybe do not have an appetite for a classic form of metal to have eager interest in.
The impressive start is matched by Bloodlust, the song straight away living up to its name and exploding with a far more raw and predatory presence than that of the previous song. Thrash spiced riffs are rampaging through ears from its first breath, they and rhythms whipped up by the confrontational vocals. It is a tenacious and grouchy encounter which mellows out for its melodically fiery chorus, but is soon back stirring up air and blood with the same insatiable surges of intensity and sound which it first erupted with. Its blend of contrasts is a fluid and alluring invitation, a persuasion emulated again in the stormy nature of In High Tide. A cantankerous tempest of rock ‘n’ roll, the track aligns sonic croons with bestial snarls and rugged hostility, their fluid passage making for a fascinating and increasingly anthemic incitement on ears and emotions.
Already across three songs, Dendera has infused elements from groove and melodic thrash to varied heavy rock, an involvement never diminishing just evolving and changing across every song starting with the stalking of senses that is Disillusioned. Another song reeking attitude and carrying an almost primal swagger, it prowls ears with an intimidating air driven by the ever impressive and masterful rhythmic webs of Finch. Groove wise there is a definite Pantera edge and swing to the track’s core lure, one in many ways copied in the excellent vocal persuasion of Edison and potently backed by the band’s roars and the guitar endeavours of Main and Fuller, especially with a seriously tasty and incendiary solo.
The Daylight Ending is a sweat and spit encounter, rhythms and the delicious bass bait of Bradley Edison a barbarous proposal matched by riffs whilst guitars and vocals carry an aggressive
new line-up
nature to their provocative and inventive craft. The song is a gallop for the main, a relentless foraging of body and imagination leaving an even hungrier appetite which The Chosen One feeds with its dark and heavy trespass of the senses. The song does not quite grip as other tracks, missing an indefinable spark to ignite personal tastes but there is no denying or not enjoying its invention and adventure, especially it’s contagious and at times brutal gait.
The explosive sonic flames and melodic passion fuelling Unholy sparks a lick of lips within a few explosive moments next, riffs and grooves almost swarming over the senses and into the passions as bass and vocals virtually prowl with their own inescapable persuasion. The beats of Finch are a bully but a welcome protagonist as again he sculpts an addictive frame and engine room for a song.
Pillars Of Creation is brought to a close by Edge Of Tomorrow, a fire of aggression and passion within a sonically tempestuous soundscape. It fiercely pleases on first touch but, as the album, just impresses and draws keener lustful reactions with every listen. The release is a must for all classic and heavy metal fans but such the new adventure and variety the band has woven into their songwriting and sound, there is much for all metallers including, us among them, those without an instinctive taste for old school roars. In fact it very likely will, as here, emerge as a favourite of the year for fans and newcomers alike.
Six years on from their well-received and acclaimed debut album, UK’s I.C.O.N make another noticeable and even more potent imprint on the British metal scene with its successor The Blacklist. It is a brute of an encounter yet jammed with stirring melodies and sonic enterprise to temper and complement its muscular aggression. The album is not one to seriously tear up the metal/heavy rock landscape but in giving it an invigorating stirring, The Blacklist does a massive job.
From the release of their first album New Born Lie in 2009, I.C.O.N has continued to reinforce their potent reputation and increase a loyal fan base through a live presence taking in stage sharing with the likes of Breed 77, Blaze Bayley, Warrior Soul, Diamond Head, Furyon, Zico Chain, Witchfynde, and Voodoo Six amongst many others. Numerous festival appearances have only enhanced their growing stature too, with the release of The Blacklist now carrying the broadest potential to awaken major spotlights. Produced by Pete Troughton, the album is a tapestry of hostile exploits and melodic temptation cast in an array of individual proposals. Some tracks outshine others but from its first atmospheric breath to its final roar, the release provides one rugged, raw, and rousing enjoyment.
The album opens with A Room In Hell, a short instrumental gently and evocatively luring the listener into the heart and turbulence of The Blacklist. Guitars cast an enticing web of expression and craft whilst rhythms rumble like an encroaching storm, their shadows colluding with sonic persuasion in a potent intro to the release and the sinew stretched swagger of Feeding The Negative. Instantly riffs from guitar and bass are a gripping coaxing matched by the increasingly aggressive and agitated assault of beats. The growling tone of Reece Bevan’s bass additionally provides a great accompaniment to the equally gravelly vocals of Mark Sagar and a predatory contrast to the acidic and scorching endeavour of Scott Knowles’s guitar. In full stride and attitude, ground-breaking the song is not but like the album, in prime and inventive metal spawned rock ‘n’ roll, the track is a storming incitement and pleasure.
The following Grindin’ Wheel, though appearing less confrontational, is a matching beast of provocation. As the keen swipes of Larry Paterson’s drum sticks hit skin and senses, a spicy groove is cast by Knowles, its revelry sparking a similar swing to riffs and subsequent rhythms whilst band vocal calls add an anthemic tempting to around increasingly imposing and impressing tones of Sagar. The song does its big part in the continuing strong and gripping start to The Blacklist and is instantly backed by the thrash seeded I’m The Venom, a song with a hint of bands like Metallica and Testament but flinging those flavours around like a baker with dough to create its own recipe of melodic/heavy rock infused antagonism. There is that familiarity though but it only makes things spicier around the uniqueness fuelling the incendiary solo which breaks free and the bracing vocal/rhythm collusion shaping all tracks.
Both Welcome To My War, with its deliciously barbarous bass insurgence and uncompromising drums swings, and Speak To Your God keep ears and appetite fully fed. The first of the two is just breath-taking at its start, an inescapable consuming of the senses and imagination which then loses its fullest potency once it settles into a more reserved and restrained prowl. The song still impresses and ignites full satisfaction to be fair but such its glorious opening, it feels a little like a missed opportunity unlike its successor which brawls and rages from its first breath. With a hint of a southern twang to its air, the track reveals its whole weight and weaponry straight away, simply increasing its richness with nagging riffs, riveting grooves, and a fiery solo, not forgetting virulent rhythms.
The slower, more controlled Devil’s Blacklist walks through ears with emotional expression and descriptive sonic hues, and though it maybe lacks the spark of its predecessors, it hangs a creative arm around attention to keep it fully involved before Wrong Way Back turns in a heavy and forceful stomp equipped with raw contagion spun by the skilled exploits of each member of the band. There is no avoiding the technical and accomplished craft from I.C.O.N, and how individually and united its members know how to write and deliver a fully rounded and attention grabbing storm of an encounter, no better proof coming than with Man of the North. From a cold and lonely canvas the instrumental builds an evocative landscape of solitude and beauty, its range of minimalistic textures to full blown tempestuous endeavour and ideation a relentless suggestiveness for the imagination.
The outstanding rampage of Deconverted descends on ears and air next, another thickly persuasive bass lead stirring up body and emotions for the song to bruise and ignite further, though it is another which maybe does not realise the potential hinted at throughout. It is still an excellent encounter though leaving the closing and tenacious sonic might of Drowning In Their Screams to bring this thoroughly enjoyable and invigorating album to a close.
For honest and uncluttered, as well as seriously accomplished heavy metal, it will be hard to find anything much better than The Blacklist this year we suggest. It is not flawless and as mentioned it does not fulfil all the promise hinted at, but you can only feel that there is a major classic lurking inside I.C.O.N as they evolve and grown further whilst this release persistently shows itself to be one powerful and seriously tasty encounter all metallers should take time to devour.
It has been a long timing coming, well it feels that way since the release of their acclaimed and outstanding EP Bury The Ones We Love in 2012, but now UK melodic metallers Soldierfield return with their highly anticipated debut album, Catharsis. It is a release which like so many others we had high expectations of and fierce hunger for, and it is fair to say that the tempestuous rampage suffices all wants and much more. Simultaneously continuing where the previous release left off and forging new expansive landscapes for their songwriting and feverishly flavoured sound, the quintet has created an incendiary device of enterprise and raw force to set the British metal scene ablaze.
Soldierfield was formed in late 2011 when guitarist Andy Trott linked up with bassist Simon Priestland to work on and unleash songs the former had been working on. Deciding to put out some demos the pair pulled in vocalist Leigh Oates (Order Of Voices, Rise To Addiction) who expelled his lyrical and vocal prowess upon the tracks. The first song unveiled instantly sparked a buzz in the underground scene and within the industry which led to the band signing up with Metalbox Recordings. Subsequently the Bury The Ones We Love EP was uncaged with the line-up completed by guitarist Steve Wray (Rise To Addiction, BLAZE), who produced the EP and now the album, and drummer Jeff Singer (Paradise Lost, Kill II This, China Beach, BLAZE). Continuing to reap the richest essences of numerous styles and flavours to infuse into their own invention, Soldierfield, with Wayne Banks (Joe Lynn Turner, Sabbat, BLAZE, Messiah’s Kiss) now on bass, raise their and British metal’s bar again with the impatiently waited for Catharsis.
The album is an aural emprise which immediately ignites a fire in ears and emotions, but proceeds to unveil more depths and potency over time to perpetually seduce the imagination. From their first offering, The Light, band and album enthrals and trespasses through ears into the passions with virulent and creative ferocity. Theirs is a sound which sounds deceptively familiar but equally wholly fresh and distinctive, no more so epitomised than the opening track. Seemingly entering from where final track The Path on the EP left off, The Light is a bridge between and gateway into a new chapter and realm of adventure. Its dawning presence is a restrained and melodic tempest which draws near with every sonic agitation before exploding into a predacious and rhythmically intensive stride. Riffs flame and flirt with their enticing whilst bass and drums provide an enslaving bait, it all capped by the outstanding sandy toned vocals of Oates. As potent and expressive as ever, straight away there seems a thicker impassioned drive to his tones which is matched by the carnivorous riffery and colourful designs cast by the guitars. As rampant as it is resourceful, the track is a stunning start which with moments of Manic Street Preachers like persuasion has the appetite drooling.
The following Beautiful Lie rigorously strides the same plateau, sonic intrigue seeping from every guitar spawned note as intimidation drives every swinging beat. There is an instant drama to the song which is ushered in through the throaty basslines of Banks and stretched by the vocal tenacity of Oates and the acidic invention sculpted superbly by Trott and Wray. As its predecessor, the song offers for no definable reason a familiar face but is soon twisting its character and presence with riveting craft to leave ears and thoughts engrossed before both The Only War and Burn Bright ignite their impressive persuasions. The first of the two opens with melodic elegance and beauty across a peaceful atmosphere, the guitars painting an enthralling picture before the more rugged landscape of the song is revealed and painted by the impassioned vocals of Oates. Flirting with thrash and groove metal, the song is soon aflame with gripping enterprise from the guitars and prowling rhythmic tempting from Banks and Singer, a mix emulated by its successor within a far more savage and inhospitable atmosphere. The track merges extremes of texture and attack with fluidity and thrilling resourcefulness, raging and seducing within a just as agitated and varied sonic climate.
The pair of Monochrome, an exceptional track which exploits a horde of fierce and inflammatory styles to create another major pinnacle on the album, and the bewitching Ghosts sublimely spark hungry waves of pleasure and satisfaction through ears and emotions. The first truly encapsulates the band’s invention, a tempestuous fusion of varied sounds and flavours which is as adept and majestic brawling with or seducing the listener, whilst the second is an unpredictably transfixing offering which needs more time than others to reveal all its qualities but emerges just as handsomely accepted and devoured. This can also be applied to the dramatic presence and evolving creative narrative of NewReligion and the enchanting gentle croon of the album’s title track where Oates again reinforces his vocal prowess.
The next up Nothing Left springs with the same melody fuelled lure as the last song but is soon shrugging of restraints to emerge as a voracious and turbulently volatile storm which only feeds the greed surrounding the release, especially when it still shares its fury with moments of unbridled beauty. The ferocious treat is replaced by the album’s closing track, the mesmeric Cut the Ties, a song blending wiry and seductive melodies with sinister basslines and breath-taking vocals; the track a stunning finale to a superb album.
Catharsis confirms all the early thoughts and assumptions about the potential of Soldierfield and much more, with only the fact that some songs do not linger in memory and thoughts as potently as they should and deserve a slight puzzle. Nevertheless the album is still one of the year’s major highlights and company very hard to tear oneself away from.
This year of all the British rock and metal bands to emerge one has come forth to thrust UK rock music into an exciting and invigorating rapture more than most. From the release of a single demo track, Soldierfield lifted not only the acclaim and temperatures of fans to heady heights but inspired labels and media to sought them out. The buzz generated around the band also led to a heated anticipation for their debut EP Bury The Ones We Love, a release which veined with towering enterprise, rampaging riffs alongside fiery energies, and compulsive melodic imagination, left people breathless and us to declare it as a true classic debut. We took the chance to find out more about the release, the background to the band, and what follows for Soldierfield when having the pleasure of talking with vocalist Leigh Oates and guitarist Andy Trott.
Hi Guys and welcome to The Ringmaster Review
Would you start by telling us about Soldierfield, how the band began, and the initial intent behind the drive of the band?
Andy – It started out with Simon and I really. I’d knocked together about a dozen tracks with the intention of putting a band around me, getting some really quality material and seeing where it went. I brought Simon on board early doors and we tried out various people to complete the line-up but to no avail so I sounded Steve out about producing some pro-quality demos that we could use to showcase what I’d written and he put Leigh in touch with us. We gave him a track called ‘Massive Dynamic’ and he came back with ‘Feel Alive’ and there it was a beautiful thing was born! That was quickly followed up by ‘Skyflower’ and ‘Better Angels’ which became ‘The Path’. ‘Leave You In Dirt’ was next, think that was called ‘Get Your Frankenstein On’, and then ‘Bury The Ones We Love’ was a real last minute bombshell, I wrote the music in a night, Leigh came back with it a few days later and we had our EP. So what started out as a 3-track instrumental demo almost overnight turned into a full-blown EP.
Leigh – The first I knew about Soldierfield was through Steve who mentioned to me that Andy an old friend of his had tapped him up to produce some tracks from his new project; he also mentioned the project didn’t at that time have vocals. I happened to hear the demos from Steve and really liked the vibe of the tracks and thought I could definitely contribute positively so I mentioned to Steve that if Andy wanted some vocals I’d be happy to work with him. We just made it all about the songs and they came together really easily. I thought the potential in the demos was massive. I never get involved with projects unless I can see that potential and really like the music so for me the drive was to record some absolutely belting songs and if we did that other things would fall into place.
Have those original intentions for the band and sound changed or evolved in any way across the past year?
Leigh – For me the original intention remains – it’s all about the songs! Luckily reaction to the EP has been great and it’s meant that we have been able to look at doing more with the band, we always had a plan with the EP – to lay the ground work for an album in 2013 and at the moment the EP is doing a great job for us.
Andy – Yeah, gotta agree with Urco here, we picked the 5 best songs from a pool of about 8 or 9, booked a studio with Steve and went for it. People really seem to like what we’re doing so that’s just spurring us on to make the album sound even better. I think at this stage we’re just looking to write the best songs that we possibly can.
With the experience in bands for some of Soldierfield has this meant there have not been any hidden surprises and shocks in regard to the band and its passage to date?
Leigh – There’s lots of experience within the band but it’s still a great buzz to record and release new music and get a great reaction from fans & press…its always nerve wracking to release a new band and see what the fans/press will make of it, we were really happy with the EP though and as fans of music if we like it surely others will!
Andy – For me, the whole thing has been a surprise already, I’m still getting used to some of the great reviews that we’ve had, including right here! Some of the other guys have a lot more experience in the public eye than me so it’s been good to get their take on things as they’ve progressed throughout the year. It’s been strange, January and February was quite frantic with Leigh and I getting the songs ready and demo’d up, then the Metalbox thing appeared from nowhere and suddenly we were in the studio in May. It’s been a long wait to finally release the EP in October and now everything is going fairly mad again.
Your sound is impressively diverse with a seamless fluidity to its muscular and melodic craft, who are the major influences which have predominately lit your creative fires?
Andy – I just threw everything I knew into the pot! I grew up on everything from Bay Area thrash to LA hair metal, grunge, nu-metal, you name it, there’s something to be taken, or more importantly learnt, from all the different strains of rock and metal that are out there and I’m still finding great new bands all the time. For Soldierfield I always wanted to splice that massive chunky bottom end with huge vocal hooks and bringing Leigh and Jeff into the mix allowed me to do that from both ends. When it came to writing the guitar parts I just pulled on every influence I’ve ever had.
Leigh – I love music and certainly have too many influences to mention as a singer but I’ve always had a real fascination with melody and heavy music, I don’t think enough heavy bands have enough melody for me and enough melodic bands have enough heavy bits! I guess you always run the risk of not doing what everyone else is but I’m comfortable with that.
As mentioned you have just released the outstanding Bury The Ones We Love EP, which for us are five tracks of stirring and blazing power and imagination. Has its acclaimed reception surprised you considering it is your debut?
Leigh – It’s been a great reaction so far to the EP and we’ve all been Ko’d by it. That said, we worked very hard on the songs and knew within the group we had something special, we were confident with it but you still never know what the general reaction will be like!
Andy – It’s frankly amazed me! When I think back to writing the music to ‘Skyflower’ on Christmas Night on a nearly-as-trashed-as-me acoustic guitar… yeah, it’s kind of weird to now hear people telling me how much they love that track. Same with ‘Feel Alive’, I thought it was a great riff but listening to it getting played in a rock club and watching people going batshit crazy to it is a pretty amazing feeling. The reviews have just blown me away, I got called a one man riff machine a while back, I felt like getting that tattooed on my face I was so proud!
You released the EP through Metalbox Recordings who am I right in believing came to you after hearing a demo track you released early this year?
Leigh – Yeah the timing couldn’t have been better for us, Metalbox heard the demo of ‘Feel Alive’ and we went from there, Anna and Larry have been really helpful and I’ve nothing but good things to say about them.
Andy – Can’t really add anything to that, they’ve been fantastic for us!
What was it about the label in a time where more and more bands are going DIY style which appealed to you and led to you signing with them?
Leigh – For me it was their passion for music and their close relationship with the bands on their roster, I’ve been through quite a few deals where you never really have any clue what the label is planning for the band, with this deal its very transparent and that appeals to me. As a band we’re pretty proactive and a lazy label just wouldn’t cut it for us. As well as the ethos they had good physical and digital distribution and a passion for PR, again essential for a new band.
Andy – They were just really excited about it, loved the track, I think we sent them ‘Bury…’ as well so they knew it wasn’t just one huge song that we had up our sleeves. We had already heard good things about them as a label so it was an easy choice to make.
That first song we mentioned helped create a real buzz around the band with many declaring Soldierfield as the band to watch and most likely to produce something special within UK rock. Did that add any pressure around the making of Bury The Ones We Love?
Leigh – Not for me, I just knew I had to get the takes down; no one puts more pressure on me than myself!
Andy – Not at all, we put that one out as it pretty much defined the Soldierfield sound, big and heavy with a great melody, but we knew the rest of the tracks were just as strong so we were all confident that we would come out of the studio with big, memorable songs and a great production on it as well.
Tell us about the recording of Bury The Ones We Love, how long did it take to record and were the final versions of songs as you envisaged going into the studio?
Andy – We did the whole thing in 2 weeks flat, it shat it down the first week and then we had glorious sunshine for the final week. It was still bloody freezing in that studio though! We made a few minor changes as we went along, Steve came up with some really cool ideas to trim some of the fat off and make the structures a lot punchier but other than that we were pretty much prepared beforehand.
Leigh – I did all my vocals in 2 days for the EP; I was really well prepared but kept it simple and made sure the vibe was there, Steve did a great job producing me. The songs came out pretty much as I expected they would, the guitar sounds were massive 🙂
How does the writing process work within the band?
Leigh – On the whole the songs come from riffs mainly from Andy and Steve, I then get the rough songs and add in vocal melodies and lyrics – technology is a massive help to share files and ideas. I really go with my gut feeling on the writing side, keeping it all very natural and don’t over think anything, I’m a prolific writer when I get going and the Soldierfield songs come very easy so I don’t question it! Once we have something that is pretty much a full demo of a song we get in the jam room and turn up 🙂
Andy – This time around I already had a lot of material demo’d up so when Leigh arrived on the scene it was simple a case of chucking it all at him and picking the best from there. Things will be a lot more collaborative going forward so we’re bouncing ideas back and forth, honing everything down into some killer songs.
Is there a more regular spark or more constant seed to how your songs evolve from, such as a riff or melody?
Andy – Most things start with me in my little office/studio with a little 6 track Boss recorder, a drum machine and an amp modeller. It’s all about the riff for me so I’ll just play and mess about and if I end up bouncing up and down in my chair going ‘Oo oo oo oo’ like a rabid monkey then I know it’s a keeper. ‘Skyflower’ was a little different, I had the acoustic track all written but it was only when I started adding in the lead lines that run throughout the song that it turned into something proper. I went back to it the following night, played it in the dark and threw in the harmony guitar lines and nearly reduced myself to tears. That’s when you know you’re onto something.
Leigh is Mr. Melody Man so I’ll demo up a track, send it over to him and once we’ve got a ‘keeper’ then we’ll start looking at the arrangements and adding in a few extra bits of fairy dust here and there.
For the album, I’ll probably kick off most of the ideas again but this time around I’m really looking forward to bouncing off of Jeff and Steve and throwing their ideas and styles into the pool.
You recorded the EP with Steve Wray, he is someone Soldierfield knows well and from before the band I believe?
Andy – Steve and I played together in a band called Swampdiva many lifetimes ago and I was always hugely impressed with the quality of the demos that Steve put together during that time. Same story again when he did the second RTA album, so when I was ready to start turning the demos into something a bit more full-on, he was first choice all the way. Knowing each other made the whole process a lot easier and a whole lot of fun to do despite his many, many terrible impressions!
Leigh – I love working with Steve we have such a great time recording and playing live so I really liked the idea of him producing the EP – good choice Andy! I’ve played for 7 years with Steve in Rise To Addiction and had the pleasure of sharing some choice moments. I knew the EP would sound great and be in safe hands. The fact he contributed to the music and added leads simply meant he was hooked and is now a fully paid up member of the band!
Do you have set directions and purpose for your songs when recording them which you do not like to veer from or are you open to suggestions and ideas from say a producer?
Leigh – We usually have a pretty good idea about what we want having demoed the tracks before recording with a producer; that said you have to be open to ideas especially from an experienced set of ears! Sometimes as a band you can be too close to the song and need that person to be a more objective view.
Andy – As I mentioned before, Steve chopped up some of the arrangements which really helped shape some of the intros and outros. We were pretty much set with everything else, we spent a lot of time on the sounds and the shape of ‘Skyflower’, I wanted to go with something much cleaner and brighter on the verses but Steve kept it simple and it’s definitely better for it. The chorus was originally quite a bit more laid back as well but we ended up just pounding it with the Mesa Boogie sounds which has given it such a massive uplift.
How are you finding the metal and rock scene in the UK being on the inside, is it as vibrant as it seems to us with the emergence of many great new bands over the past year?
Leigh – It seems to be in a good state, there’s lots of good bands about that’s for sure! I don’t see many breaking out of the club scene though which would be nice as it would help the overall scene grow and pave the way for more successful bands.
Andy – There are so many really good new bands knocking on the door at the minute, I really hope that the door opens up for a few of them as well as us. There’s only really Bullet For My Valentine that have made the truly massive leap in recent times, would be nice to think that there are more to follow.
Do you feel bands now have to look at themselves as a business as well as a strong creative force to survive and succeed or can achieve the same levels if their sound is good enough having a split life, i.e. band and personal working life?
Leigh – It’s very hard to balance as there’s not a great deal of money in being in bands until you hit a certain level of sales and attendance at shows…most bands you think are full time probably fund their effort with other work when not on tour!
What is next for Soldierfield, an album in the works?
Leigh – Definitely! We’re well on with the writing and we’re very happy with the direction the songs are taking J we’re also looking at live shows and the possibility of some bonus acoustic tracks in the near future.
Can you give some details about the album and does Bury The Ones We Love give a strong representation of what the release will be like?
Leigh – I think from the 5 songs we’ve got written that we’ll be building on the EP sound so there’ll be all the elements we had before but we’re trying to go a bit further and give the listener an even better fuller journey!
Andy – The album is definitely starting to take shape now, there’s some monster guitar parts on there and now that we’ve pretty much defined the sound that we were looking for with ‘Bury…’ we can look to build on that. ‘Your Bones’ is probably my favourite of the new tracks but that changes every day.
The EP ends with the massive and magnificent track, The Path. It feels like a beginning in many ways, maybe the key to the album ahead? Please tell us more about the song.
Leigh – I think you’re right, we wanted this track to leave the listener wanting to know what happens next…it does set our next release up J The song asks the question ‘Is this the path to see the light?’ the main protagonist of the EP will find out soon I guess as will you!
Andy – Musically ‘The Path’ was one of the first things I wrote for Soldierfield but it wasn’t really until Leigh added his parts to it that it turned into the beast that it is today. We replaced the whole middle section a few weeks before going into the studio which made a massive difference and I was still fiddling with the lyrics to it while Leigh was finishing recording the other tracks. The outro was basically 3 notes on a music box while we had an hour left on the studio clock so Steve and I quickly added in a range of acoustic lines that gives it that rather magical ending.
It sets up the album perfectly, we have a ‘sequel’ if you can call it that, called ‘The Light’ which will probably be the opening track.
Do you have anything planned for the end of this year as a band?
Leigh – You can assume we’ll spend time drinking together, talking rubbish, eating curry and generally looking back on the year as a success overall!
Andy – Did someone say curry???
Thank you so much for sharing your time with us, much appreciated.
Would you like to leave with any last words of thoughts?
Leigh – Thanks for all the support we’re really grateful!! We’re a new band so help us spread the word, pick up the EP and come out and see us live; I don’t think you’ll be too disappointed :). Here are some links:
There has been quite a buzz about UK metallers Soldierfield these past months, so much so that the release of their debut EP was sure to be met with eager anticipation. The Bury The Ones We Love EP had a bit of a tall order to live up to if the raging whispers about the band were correct, but not only has the release met expectations it has shafted them with a magnificence and towering enterprise which quite simply leaves them bow legged. The EP is outstanding, a true classic debut which not only confirms all early acclaim but shows the band as having all the weaponry and ability to become one of the future UK greats.
From an opening track which made one only unleash an impressed response the release grows into one of the essential releases of the year, a five song rampage of compulsive imagination, highly skilled craft in songwriting and musicianship, and simply one of the most invigorating and exciting introductions in a long time, certainly in the UK. Soldierfield take the essences and textures of multiple sub genres of metal and rock to conjure tracks which play as long time best friends but in a guise which is new, fresh, and unpredictable.
Consisting of vocalist Leigh Oates (Order Of Voices, Rise To Addiction), guitarists Andy Trott and Steve Wray (Rise To Addiction, BLAZE), bassist Simon Priestland, and drummer Jeff Singer (Paradise Lost, Kill II This, China Beach, BLAZE), the band formed in late 2011. The beginning of this year saw a released demo track trigger strong and keen reactions in fans and the music industry alike. Entering the studio across May and June, the band recorded, with Steve Wray producing, Bury The Ones We Love which is released via Metalbox Recordings. What has emerged is an aural fire of melodic vision, barbed irresistible hooks, towering energy, and quite hypnotic imagination. As said it plays like a familiar heartfelt companion but is brought through expertly envisioned and inventively realised enterprise.
The EP opens with the title track, a song which in hindsight is almost ordinary compared to what follows, well ordinary in the respect it is a straightforward muscular delight which gets from A to B with a relatively undemanding intent and an uncomplicated direction. The fare for the journey is only one of enjoyment and enthusiasm which is given eagerly and unreservedly to the raging power and skilled craft on show. From the opening emotion building piano and militant rhythms the track expands into a pulsating and rippling bruise of a song which only leaves strong satisfaction and a sense of much more to be unveiled ahead.
Soldierfield do not disappoint as the following Feel Alive stomps into view, its opening twists of riffs and aggressive breath following on from the opener but already offering a senses squeezing groove to be wholly infected by. A track which ripples with essences of Five Finger Death Punch, Drowning Pool, and a whisper of Static X and Soundgarden, it is a passionate explosion of buffeting intensity and heart fuelled melodic elegance. Two extremes brought into a fluid and irresistible union which sparks every ounce of appreciation and adoration into life. Its anthemic call is as impossible to refuse as the towering sounds ensuring the exchange between listener and record is a long lasting and enthusiastically driven engagement.
Things only get more heated and impressive as third track Leave You In Dirt enters, its thundering and rampant assault on the senses barbaric and deliciously mesmeric, especially when the track shifts into a totally unexpected weave of orchestral beauty and classical piano caresses. It is an ‘interlude’ which as easily as it appeared is departed from, the motion a seamless and skilful build evolving back into the at times almost banshee like vehemence and bone rupturing power. With an undisguised Metallica lilt breaking out, though that band can only wish they could write a song like this right now, it is a stunning piece of rock, a declaration which can equally be applied to the emotive and in comparison mellow beauty of Sky Flower. From vocals to the acoustic guitar kisses and the ever burning intensity which accompanies the sultry grandeur, the track is glorious and further evidence of how expansive the vision and craft of Soldierfield is.
The album closes on a final slab of magnificence in The Path, a track which treats melodic thrash to a new leash of inventive life whilst gnawing at the senses with swirling blistering sonics, bone splitting rhythms, and incessantly gnawing riffs. It like the whole EP, is just exceptional, one of a very few releases to truly ignite a swell of passion which leaves one sweating and glowing in adoration. Yes Bury The Ones We Love is that good, with the recommendation that right now you go and find out for yourselves the final word.
Pillars Of Creation opens with Claim Our Throne and quickly has intrigue and imagination awake with the track’s opening melodic suggestiveness. Its entrance sets the scene, casting a rich and welcoming landscape yet one with an initial melancholic air which as its depths and scenery builds and expands, evolves into a more intimidating presence. Eventually riffs and rhythms build imposing walls whilst hooks and grooves colour the increasingly compelling emergence of the track with inescapable temptation. In full stride the song roars with the impressive vocals of Edison leading the way as guitars and bass lay down magnetic bait through riffs and enterprise. The old school essences of bands like Iron Maiden and Saxon, which heavily coloured the band’s first album, are still clear hues in song and album but more spices now in a bolder and more creatively individual proposal from Dendera. It is not ground-breaking stuff as mentioned but the band has cultured something rich in variety and resourceful in exploration, and as shown by the starter and reinforced by subsequent songs, created a sound which will send fans into bliss whilst offering plenty for those who maybe do not have an appetite for a classic form of metal to have eager interest in.
The following Grindin’ Wheel, though appearing less confrontational, is a matching beast of provocation. As the keen swipes of Larry Paterson’s drum sticks hit skin and senses, a spicy groove is cast by Knowles, its revelry sparking a similar swing to riffs and subsequent rhythms whilst band vocal calls add an anthemic tempting to around increasingly imposing and impressing tones of Sagar. The song does its big part in the continuing strong and gripping start to The Blacklist and is instantly backed by the thrash seeded I’m The Venom, a song with a hint of bands like Metallica and Testament but flinging those flavours around like a baker with dough to create its own recipe of melodic/heavy rock infused antagonism. There is that familiarity though but it only makes things spicier around the uniqueness fuelling the incendiary solo which breaks free and the bracing vocal/rhythm collusion shaping all tracks.
