Never Found « The RingMaster Review

Having laid down ear pleasing foundations with their debut EP, British outfit Never Found build bigger lines of attention with its successor The Human Condition. The release sees the Oxford / Bridgend hailing band take their punk infused, metal seeded sound to new throes of adventure and enterprise. It is not a proposition which exceptionally startles but certainly excites whilst whetting imagination and appetite for the future of Never Found with its rousing songs and raw energy.

With their first EP, Sorrow & Cyanide, coming in 2015 not long after the emergence of the band at the tail of the previous year, Never Found has continued to build a potent and loyal fan base and an increasingly strong reputation for a live presence which has seen them support Aiden on tour and share stages with the likes of Fearless Vampire Killers, William Control, and Annisokay among many to date.

The Human Condition is the next step in the band’s ascent through the UK rock scene, a push which quickly gets down to business as the instrumental of its title track sets an atmospheric and imposing scene. Its dangers and vocal statement pulls the listener into the waiting jaws of new single Come To Me. Comparisons to bands such as A Day To Remember, Funeral For A Friend, and Bullet For My Valentine have been placed upon Never Found but the track openly has a potent Reuben feel to it; an irritability which colludes perfectly with the melodic trails of the guitars and the harmonic lure of Daniel Barnes’ vocals. With the stabbing beats of Kieran Ivey in league with the brooding tones of James Sweeten’s bass, the song is a lure and trespass of the senses in equal measure.

The lead guitar of Samuel Redmayne continues to weave a flavoursome web in next up Favourite Mistake, the riffs of Barnes strolling invasively alongside his own vocals with raw throated and melodically nurtured tones as similarly united as the guitars. The track has the infectious instincts of its predecessor and the aggression but misses out on its richer adventure. Pleasure is still a given though and its cinematic heart provocative before The Monster Remains steps in to part steal the show. The band’s metal inspirations instantly fuel riffs and a predacious air, keen bait which only expands and blossoms as the contagious exploits of the band bound in with punk spirit and imagination. It is a great blend with Barnes heading great vocal variety within the virulent roar.

Anyone But Me brings its own catchy and tenacious strain of metal bred rock ‘n’ roll with tempting hooks amidst emotional and vocal discord. There is something openly familiar to the track but plenty to reinforce the growing individuality of the band’s sound though it is quickly eclipsed by the mighty throes of My Grave. It is the other half of the two prong pinnacle of the EP, an aggravated and mercurial trespass which manages to flirt with the passions whilst chewing on the senses with its punk metal nurtured tempest. For its dark side and temperament, the song is as irresistibly infectious as anything on the release and another easy excuse to keep Never Found under close attention ahead.

The EP closes with the equally boisterous Misanthropy (A General Hate), a track with its own crabby tone though tempered by the song’s melodic dexterity. It is a fine end to an encounter which just blossoms with every listen while suggesting that Never Found is a proposition riddled with more than just potential.

The Human Condition is out now and available @ http://www.neverfound.bigcartel.com/

https://www.facebook.com/weareneverfound https://twitter.com/weareneverfound https://www.instagram.com/weareneverfound/

Pete RingMaster 09/10/2017

Never Found_RingMaster Review

It seems Welsh band Never Found has been thrilling fans for quite a while now, but that potent knock on the broadest attention and success has yet to be made. Until now anyway as the band’s debut EP Sorrow And Cyanide is the kind of persuasion to give the British rock scene a mighty nudge. A gripping fusion of punk, metal, and riotous rock ‘n’ roll, the four-track encounter is a warts and all incitement that easily grips ears. Comparisons to the likes of Bullet for My Valentine and Aiden have been already and frequently sent the way of Never Found, but as proven by the EP, that reference only tells part of a flavoursome tale.

The seeds of Never Found began with vocalist/guitarist Daniel Barnes and bassist James Sweeten, their vision of a band starting its first steps back in 2009, though it was three years later when things began to really escalate in purpose and sound. That was the year drummer Kieran Ivey joined up to give the band its missing heartbeat. Since then Never Found has become an eagerly followed live proposition, playing with bands such as Fearless Vampire Killers, Ashestoangels, and William Control amongst many along the way. With their line-up more recently completed by guitarist Sam Redmayne, they are now ready to make a big statement towards bigger spotlights; Sorrow And Cyanide the first potent line in that creative declaration.

Artwork_RingMaster Review It opens with Just Like Hollywood, a track careering through ears from second one upon a charge of punk riffs and battering rhythms driven by the instantly strong tones of Barnes. As Clash/Sex Pistols like chords and ferociously lined punk roars erupt in sound and voice, the song quickly brews an aggressive virulence with its own line of contagious hook littered enterprise, and an adventure unafraid to embrace hardcore and harsher metallic spicery. Tenaciously and bruising, the track provides a gripping and thrilling start to the EP, but sound wise, it is just one shade to be discovered within Sorrow And Cyanide.

The following Choking Me stalks and rises up against the senses with a much more metal leaning, barbarous rhythms and acidic grooves entwining ears as Barnes vocally and enjoyably carries on employing a punk seeded incitement. With the bass of Sweeten a grouchy and bestial stalking at the heart of the growing infection too, the track springs a confrontation as antagonistically grouchy and spikily catchy blend of As I Lay Dying and Lost Prophets to entice and impress.

King Of Nothing follows a similar if less intensive pattern as its predecessor, and maybe loses some of its predecessor’s spark and potency because of it, but with more great vocal enticing and strong muscular enterprise walling in spicy adventure through the guitars, the track leaves satisfaction only full.

Fair to say it is swiftly outshone by Take Me Away though, the EP closer enticing hues of grunge cored rock ‘n’ roll into its volcanic landscape of metal voracity and punk rock rebelliousness. Almost like Green Day meets Gruntruck and Reuben, with the results stirred up by Skinlab, the track is a powerful and favourite dynamo to end the excellent EP.

Demandingly we are now expecting big things next time around from Never Found just because of the impressive introduction offered by Sorrow And Cyanide, but to be honest more of the same would not be a major disappointment either, as long as some of the promise oozing through this great release is intensified.

The Sorrow And Cyanide EP is out now @ http://www.neverfound.bigcartel.com/category/cds

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

Pete RingMaster 02/11/2015

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