Blood Command – Return Of The Arsonist

May9

It is fair to say that we did not know too much about Norway’s Blood Command; certainly their name had cropped up but their death pop had never quite exploded on our radars here. That is until now and the release of new EP Return Of The Arsonist. Uncaging six tracks bred in the band’s voracious fusion of raging hardcore, rapacious metal, irritable punk and virulent pop, the new release simply demanded attention and as we found a lustful one at that.

With plaudit luring shows alongside the likes of Refused, Tragedy, Comeback Kid, and Gallows to name a few under their belt and following a successful tour supporting Rolo Tomassi at the end of 2018, Blood Command are certainly no strangers to real and eager praise and they can expect plenty more through their new offering too.

A conceptual successor to 2011 EP, Hand Us The Alphamale and specifically its opening track, Summon the Arsonists, the quickly inflamed Return Of The Arsonist roars and stomps like an entanglement of Animal Alpha, Deathcrush, and Mannequin Death Squad yet is defiantly unique within its own rapacious skin. The Bergen quartet kick it off with Don’t Strike A Match, Use The Lighter, the song rising up through dark atmospheric mists until settling into its contagious instincts and tenacious incitement. Karina Ljone’s tones quickly challenge and brawl with ears but soon cast their harmonic glamour over the senses too as sounds storm with similar hues. Hungrily brief, too much so in our mind, the track is a seriously rousing punk squall loaded with pop soaked catchiness and simply irresistible.

The EP’s title track follows, seducing with its volatile first breath before chaining attention with appetite feeding hooks and loaded rock ‘n’ roll. The rhythmic trespass of bassist Simon Oliver Økland and drummer Sigurd Haakaas is as infectious as it is punishingly incisive with the guitar of Yngve Andersen equally as animated and mercurial within the caress of keys. A fiery slice of temptation it craftily backs up the potency of its predecessor and the dextrous antics of next up No Thank You, I’m More In To Fake Grindcore. It too aligns instinctive rock boisterousness with its punk instincts, imagination lining every rabid twist and provocative turn.

Live Right Or Go Straight To Hell prowls and stalks the listener across its two minutes of unapologetically catchy punk ‘n’ roll, the track another aggressively manipulative proposal before which resistance is never a thought, while the fifty odd seconds of Ritual Knife is pure agitational contagion and just delicious.

The EP departs on the anthemic exploits of Afraid Of Water, again a proposition which from its throbbing bassline and swinging beats to flavoursome sonic trespass and skilled vocal commotion just hit the spot.

With their rescheduled our alongside Skindred ahead, 2019 is looking a major attention busting year for Blood Command with the rather superb Return Of The Arsonist leading the way.

Skindred/Blood Command European Tour Dates are:

November

29th Amsterdam Melkweg

30th Cologne Kantine

December

1st Karlsrue Substage

2nd Bremen Schlachtof

3rd Frankfurt Batschkapp

5th Berlin Binuu

6th Erfurt HSD

7th Dresden Beatpol

8th Prague Lucerna Music Bar

11th Munich Backstage Halle

12th Milan Legend Club

15th Madrid Mon

17th Toulouse Metronum

18th Paris La Maroquinerie

19th Lille Aeronef

Return Of The Arsonist is out now via Fysisk Format; available @ https://bloodcommand.bandcamp.com/album/return-of-the-arsonist

http://www.fysiskformat.no/wp_ff/roster/blood-command/ https://www.facebook.com/Bloodcommand/

Pete RingMaster 01/05/2019

Seething Akira – Sleepy Skeletor

Jul6

Since emerging back in 2011 within the sea faring surroundings of Portsmouth, British crossover outfit Seething Akira has been teasing away at rich attention with increasing success. We suggest though that it has been a mere nagging compared to the hunger the band can and should expect with the release of debut album Sleepy Skeletor. It is a web of alternative metal and electro rock imagination with plenty more to entice and ensnare. It is a sleepless affair rousing body and spirit which even in its calmer moments has the body bouncing and imagination feasting.

Created by Charlie Bowes (songwriter/keyboardist/vocalist) and Kit Conrad (lead vocalist), the band has leap from local success to national recognition through their sounds and a dynamic live presence which over the years has seen them shares stages with the likes of Skindred, The Qemists, Hacktivist, Senser, Don Broco, and Pop Will Eat Itself as well as play Bloodstock Festival, Victorious Festival, Breakout Festival, Mammothfest amongst others. This year the band was chosen as one of five upcoming bands, alongside, Saint Apache, Damn Dice, The Rocket Dolls and The Sixpounder, to support Pitchshifter on their first UK tour in ten years. The Incoming Transmission EP of 2012 was when our fascination with Seething Akira began, it becoming so much keener as for so many others through their acclaimed 2015 single Airstrike, a song frequently eclipsed and more than matched by the offerings within Sleepy Skeletor.

Walking a fine balance between alternative metal, industrial rock, and electro punk; never fully committing to any but always entangling the richest traits of all and more, Sleepy Skeletor opens properly with The Monster from Brussels. Instantly the synths of Bowes provide an infectious pulse, the guitar of Harvey Ware swiftly adding its lure before the rest of the band jump in with fevered energy to create a Senser like confrontation. Thick and imposing, it is a captivating wall of temptation creating a grooved stroll alongside a Beastie Boys inspired vocal arousal rather easy to become addicted to, its tenacity interrupted by melodic washes of intimation and seduction.

It is an outstanding start quickly matched by recent single Matching Poles of Magnets. With steelier textures to its electro metal predation, bands like Axis Mundi and Silent Descent coming to mind, the track twists and turns with instinctive and rapacious adventure before Half Empty brings a warm calm to the senses. Immediately vocals echo this mellow breath with their melodic unity but equally a rising discontent in the heart of the song brews as things become more intense and irritable. It never reaches an aggressive state though, revolving through melancholic elegance and emotive exposure as a weave of rich enterprise wraps vocal reflection.

I Am The Devil, another single released earlier this year follows, instantly infests ears with its electro metal rumble and a hook which needs meres seconds to have us lustfully wanting more. Something akin to G.R.I.M meets dirt encrusted Pop Will Eat with the rousing catchiness of Hadouken, the track throbs and snarls as the rhythmic prowess and incitement of bassist Richard Ellis Speaight and drummer Stu Radcliffe manipulate.

Featuring Olly Simmons from Brighton band The Qemists, Backlash is next up and similarly merges heavy almost dissonant attitude and sound with electronic trespass as it prowls the senses. It is a predacious edge which never dissipates across the track’s mercurial but persistently invasive landscape. Another of the songs released prior to the album as a single in 2018 ensuring its anticipation was heightened; the absorbing encounter passes over attention to the outstanding Pack Animals. It too has a whiff of Senser to its emotionally and lyrically charged incitement; synth and guitar weaving an intimation of intrigue and danger around the threat of the rhythms as once again vocals irrepressible entice.

The character of successor Paralysed is similarly natured and conjured but swiftly evolving into a melodic croon and seduction which inspired even greater participation before the cycle repeats with greater volatility but equally greater elegance in its respective moments.

The album ends with firstly Even Angels Break Hearts which sees Dani Uziel guesting and finally Disconnect. The first of the two is a fluid blend of sonic antagonism and melodic beauty with Uziel’s tones simply beguiling, she almost like a siren luring ears into Conrad’s feral attack and the song’s tempestuous depths. The second provides three and a half minutes of electro punk metal thick in attitude and malcontent but equally rich in rousing energy and adventurous imagination.

Major attention upon Seething Akira has been a little overdue to our mind; Sleepy Skeletor should remedy that, arousing a whole new tide of fans to their insatiably and dramatically potent sound.

Sleepy Skeletor is out now; available on all major streaming platforms.

Upcoming shows:

Sleepy Skele-tour:

July 6th – Anvil, Bournemouth (Album release show)

July 7th – The 27 Club, Liverpool

July 8th – Mulberry Tavern, Sheffield

July 9th – Satan’s Hollow, Manchester

July 10th – The Underground, Plymouth

July 11th – Fat Lil’s Bar, Witney

July 12th – The Unicorn, Camden

July 13th – The Junction, Ashford

July 14th – The Sussex Arms, Tunbridge Wells

July 15th – The Joiners, Southampton

———————————————–

August 25th – Electrowerkz London supporting CUBANATE

August 26th – BYLINE FESTIVAL, Pippingford Park, Ashdown Forest with Pussy Riot, Badly Drawn Boy, The Vapors, The Blow Monkeys, John Cleese, Hugh Grant, Alexie Sayle…

November 19th – Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth supporting PITCHSHIFTER

http://www.seethingakira.com/ https://www.facebook.com/seethingakira https://twitter.com/SEETHINGAKIRA

Pete RingMaster 03/07/2018

Popes Of Chillitown – Work Hard, Play Hard, See You In The Graveyard

May20

Releases which have us throwing feet, hips, and bodies around in an uninhibited frenzy are just as boisterously devoured here as those provoking thoughts and imagination into the same eager exploits. Work Hard, Play Hard, See You In The Graveyard, the new album from UK outfit Popes Of Chillitown is one such example, an encounter which stirs up every aspect of the human spirit across thirteen slices of what for the moment we will simply call ska punk but is so much more. The band and release swiftly had the body bouncing, energies uncaged, and mind feeding off its insightful social and personal lyrical intimation. It is one of those unforgettable, deviously manipulative propositions which will surely set Popes Of Chillitown on the way to being a household name far beyond the ska and punk scene.

From London, Popes Of Chillitown has already bred and nurtured a fine reputation across two albums and a live presence which has had venues and bodies bouncing, as the album now, with lustful participation. 2013 saw the release of their pledge-funded debut album A Word To The Wise, a keenly embraced encounter eclipsed by its even more eagerly received successor To The Moon two years later. Since that first offering, the sextet has further lit up the live scene, from the Capital bursting across the UK and into Europe sharing stages with the likes of Reel Big Fish, The Selecter, The Skints, Imperial Leisure, [Spunge], Mouthwash, The Snare and many more along the way.

As Work Hard, Play Hard, See You In The Graveyard swiftly reveals, the band’s sound has an irresistibility which borders on the viral. It is a fusion of upbeat ska, punk, 2-tone, dub, drum & bass, reggae, indie with plenty more flavoursome spices working away in the mix; a rousing incitement which never flirts with the predictable and across the new album, easily the band’s finest moment yet, persistently has body, imagination, and spirit bounding.

Straight away as intrigue coaxes ears there is a sense of drama and mischief at play which swiftly sparks opener Prang into life, the track springing along with wilful exuberance. The guitar of Tom Penn winds around ears from an already persuasive hook spraying stroll while the rhythmic prowess of bassist Arvin Bancil and drummer Jack Ashley gets under the skin in no time. Matt Conner’s rousing vocals are just as effective, listener participation we found inevitable and can keen testify to. The track is superb, its twist into discord and off kilter imagination icing on the stomp.

The flames of trombonist Ieuan Williams and saxophonist Jon Pryce open up the following Get Off/Get On, lighting the way to another persuasive saunter ridden by the increasingly captivating vocals of Conner. There is a touch of [Spunge] meets King Prawn to the track, a tasty flavouring quickly ignited by the band’s own raucously individual enterprise.

Fair to say Work Hard, Play Hard, See You In The Graveyard already had its temptation racing through our veins in two songs but raised the temperature of its persuasion even more with next up Vexed. Cored by a hook which had ears and appetite dangling like a fish on a rod as well as a glorious teasing yet taunting grumble of a bassline, the track instantly took the album’s seductive clamour to another level. Brewing an addictive roar something akin to The Mighty Mighty Bosstones meets Capdown with the rawer edge of The Hostiles, the track simply and quickly had us enslaved and adding our less able attributes.

The equally outstanding No Manners In Ireland is next, the song a web of twists and turns littered with creative hooks and melodic lures which seduce like sonic sirens. Guitars and vocals dance on the swagger of the rhythms, their dark lined joy seared with the soulful flames of brass as the song evolves in form and imagination across four minutes plus of pure magnetism. Its glory is matched by that of the far briefer but just as riveting Graveyard. A dub infested mix of Skindred and again King Prawn, the slither of a track just ignited the senses before Upside Down got the body rocking and rolling with its almost salacious bounce and antics.

Across the fiery ska fuelled punk ‘n’ roll of The Last Elephant and the swinging holler of Mr. Piotr, physical reaction is inescapable as thoughts invest in more of the band’s lyrical inference, both tracks cauldrons of drama and physical manipulation so easy to devour while the likes of What A Guy and Inner Peace add yet more variety and adventure to the album’s beauty. The first erupts from a haunting melancholic sigh into another inescapable to resist canter, voice and hips soon embroiled in its creative romp before its companion smoulders seductively on the senses with its less boisterous but just as tenacious reflection. From guitars to rhythms, brass to voice, the song serenades and seduces; volatility in its heart adding greater depth to its inventive cry and increasingly rising temperature and intensity.

Take Control is punk rock blessed with the ear clipping tenacity of ska; a rousing trespass of an incitement under a sweltering climate of suggestion cast by sax and trombone. Unsurprisingly again indulgence in its swing is unavoidable, a lack of discipline thankfully the whole of Work Hard, Play Hard, See You In The Graveyard exploits.

The album closes up with firstly the melodically shimmering Lego Prisoners, a track resembling what you might imagine emerging from the essences of Ruts DC, The Skints, and a calm Random Hand being locked in together, and lastly Culpa and its reggae brewed saunter where grooves and beats overwhelm restraints even before voice and hooks sink their temptation into ears.

It all makes for one deliciously riveting and rousing adventure going by the name of Work Hard, Play Hard, See You In The Graveyard. Popes Of Chillitown has been firing up the ska and punk scene pretty much from their first days but are now ready to be spoken in the same breath as those bands which immediately come to mind as inspirations to the across the array of styles the Londoners skilfully embrace and employ in their own adventure. After Work Hard, Play Hard, See You In The Graveyard they might just be the first name to lips.

Work Hard, Play Hard, See You In The Graveyard is out now on 12inch vinyl, CD and Digital Download @ https://popesofchillitown.bandcamp.com/album/work-hard-play-hard-see-you-in-the-graveyard

Upcoming Popes Of Chillitown tour dates:

MAY 27 – BOURNEMOUTH Cursus Festival

JUN 02 – NOTTINGHAM The Maze

JUN 09 – CHEPSTOW Balter Festival

AUG 04 – BLACKPOOL Rebellion Festival

AUG 09 – NEWCASTLE Trillians*

AUG 10 – GLASGOW Audio*

AUG 11 – LONDON Underworld*

AUG 12 – WINCHESTER Boomtown Fair

*w/ Fishbone

http://www.popesofchillitown.com/ https://www.facebook.com/PopesOfChillitown https://twitter.com/popesofctown

Pete RingMaster 18/05/2018

The Kut – Valley of Thorns

Apr5

The Kut by Canz Rickman

There is no doubt that the recent release of new single Mind Games stirred up a fresh hunger in an already in place appetite for the eagerly anticipated debut album from The Kut, in us and a great many others. Truth is we had already been hooked on the band’s contagious punk grumble ’n’ roll through their previous EPs but the new track’s fresh adventure and imagination brought fresh intrigue and pleasure to devour. It ensured that Valley of Thorns was leapt upon with rude eagerness and the fuse to further pleasure lit.

The album brings live favourites, some of which already known from those previous encounters, and brand new creative provocations; a union providing one rousing and increasingly impressive, dare we say essential slab of rock ‘n’ roll. Within its striking body it roars and seduces, attacks and coaxes, all the time infesting and manipulating ears, body, and imagination in a way which reminds of punk rock in its seventies prime but is all modern fire and attitude.

The Kut is the alter-ego of multi-instrumentalist Princess Maha and live a sonically ferocious trio completed by the moodily infectious basslines of Stella Vie and the swinging beats of Diana Bartmann. With their reputation growing by the year since emerging in 2010, The Kut has exploded upon venues across the UK and Europe and earned rich praise playing festivals such as Download, Camden Rocks, Nice N Sleazy, Rebellion, Hard Rock Hell, Glastonbudget, and Strummercamp. Support and acclaim has been rife across the media, radio and written press alike, and last year saw the band become a finalist in the Rock category of the UK Songwriting Contest 2017 as well as being a current Semi-Finalist of the International Songwriting Competition. It has been a busy and successful time which the release of Valley of Thorns can not only escalate but nurture The Kut as a household name.

Produced by James LeRock Loughrey (Skindred, White Zombie, My Vitriol, Bjork, Def Leppard), Valley of Thorns kicks off with its lead single, Mind Games teasing the senses with its sonic mist before boldly strolling through ears with a Deftones meets Spinnerette like captivation. There is a haunting air and emotive depth to the song yet it has a virulent swing to its gait and rhythmic persuasion which has the body swaying and appetite greedy in no time. A track epitomising the seductive persuasion and nagging irritability in The Kut’s sound, it is pure mesmerism which has become stronger and more striking across multiple plays.

The album’s stirring start continues with the rebellious rock ‘n’ roll of Hollywood Rock N Roll, a virulent slice of anthemic temptation which had us bouncing and roaring in no time with its Babes In Toyland/ Spinnerette-esque stomp. The latter of the two is a band which often frequents thoughts across the album, its snarls and instinctive catchiness reminding of the band even in a sound which is pretty much distinct to The Kut.

The following No Trace swings in like a predatory temptress, grooves writhing around ears with an almost salacious touch as dark hues of bass growl and beats firmly strike. It is a scuzzy affair, the songs body a muggy grunge trespass contrasted by Princess Maha’s harmonic vocal caresses which offer their one lining of danger. It too has a haunted sigh to its croon which just enslaved attention before I Want You Maniac grips ears with initially a gorgeous low slung hook and subsequently its infection loaded swing. A tinge of L7 lines its tenacious enterprise, a whiff of Hole its encroaching shadows; the song a volatile sonically visceral encroachment just impossible to have too much of.

The blossoming diversity within The Kut’s sound is superbly shown in next up Love In The Rush Hour, the song a collusion of harmonic kisses and predacious intent. It strolls with the inherent swing which effortlessly springs from the band’s invention but aligned to a caustic glaze of guitar amid fuzz twisted riffs; an entangling of contrasts which is as compelling as Princess Maha’s vocal temptation who at times can be described as being like the UK Brody Dalle.

I Am Vain is dirty rock ‘n’ roll with attitude flowing from every pore but as naturally infectious as anything within the album; its punchy nature spawning its own unique hooks and skilled enterprise while the mellower climate of Alekhine’s Gun breeds a prowling volatility which erupts in sonic flames and vocal abrasions; its irritations and discontent erupting and spewing rancor before simmering down back into the song’s relative calm. Though neither track quite match the heights of those before them each leaves ears and appetite greedy for more whilst revealing new shades in The Kut’s adventure.

A calmer air is brought by X-Ray Eyes too though unsurprisingly it has an inbred growl which fuels bold rhythms and its suggestive character plus an increasingly addictive catchiness which has song and the body bouncing as the first contemplates and the second submits to its moody enslavement. Its success though is soon eclipsed by that of Bad Man. A multi-flavoured rock ‘n’ roll virulence, the track is like a boiling cauldron spiced by the punk juices of Bikini Kill, the dark rock ‘n’ roll of Jess and the Ancients Ones, and the infectious agility of Sleater-Kinney; it all brewing up into another individual Kut intoxication.

The album is completed by Mario, a raw pop ‘n’ rock encounter as beguiling as it is aggressive. Throughout the album another band which at times comes to mind is seventies outfit The Photos through the pop hues open within The Kut’s sound. Here alone there are coincidental echoes in its infectious traits which only add to the fun.

Being already hooked by their earlier releases, we were always likely to head into Valley of Thorns with a favourable disposition but swiftly it outshone anticipation heights, the new songs alone suggesting The Kut is ready to grab attention from the biggest names in attitude soaked rock ‘n roll.

Valley of Thorns is released via Cargo Records / Criminal Records on 13th April in the UK and Europe and May 18th in the US.

Forthcoming Tour Dates

TBA April Album Launch Party, London

26.05 Strummercamp Festival, Oldham

27.05 Nice n Sleazy Festival, Morcambe

02.06 Camden Rocks Festival, London – 2pm The Monarch

30.06 Rat InFESTation 2, Facebar, Reading

06.07 Amplified Festival, Gloucestershire

07.07 The Cotswold Inn, Cheltenham

14.07 Wemstock Festival, Wem

22.07 Tramlines Fringe, The Royal Standard, Sheffield

2/3/4/5 August: Rebellion Festival, Blackpool

http://thekut.co.uk http://facebook.com/thekut http://twitter.com/thekutgirlsrock http://instagram.com/thekutofficial

Pete RingMaster 04/04/2018

Skies In Motion – Life Lessons

Sep14

It is probably fair to say that there are a couple of metal bred flavours we are finding ourselves uninspired by at The RR right now, metalcore being one. There are plenty of good and enjoyable bands emerging within the genre but few which truly break from the familiar and creatively routine. UK outfit Skies In Motion is one which defies that thought especially with their new debut album Life Lessons now leading their persuasion. It is a ferocious magnetic collection of songs as irritable and aggressive as they are creatively and melodically captivating. Certainly plenty of its appeal is down to striking potential but equally there is an imagination and enterprise at play which only excites.

Hailing from Derby, Skies In Motion stepped forward in 2012 and has increased their reputation year on year with their live presence alone which has seen them share stages with the likes of Killswitch Engage, Devil Wears Prada, August Burns Red, While She Sleeps, Unearth, Slaves , Skindred, Don Broco, Our Hollow Our Home, Gnarwolves and many more. Their initial sound was more hardcore driven though still embracing melodic strains. Life Lessons merges those flavours with its metalcore instincts, resulting in an assault which at times maybe embraces familiar essences but is a relentlessly fresh and intriguing proposition.

The press release for the album suggests bands such as While She Sleeps and Architects are good comparisons and it is not too hard going along with that as opener Architect bites. It initial melodic invitation is a deceit giving no suggestion of the creative carnage to follow though it is not long before an invasion of riffs and rhythms accompany enticing throat raw vocals. Intrigue is quickly gripped and fed as the track evolves into successor Cascades where djent spice predation is followed by hardcore causticity and metal antagonism, vocalist Adam Connor tenaciously riding the tempest. It is a stirring mix which welcomingly infests ears and appetite, the rhythms of bassist Dan Wheeler and drummer Sam Gaines continuing the predatory invasion as guitarists Dave Stewart and Andy Shaw weave a carnal tempest of craft and temptation. Connor is as striking as the sounds around him, the diversity of his attack thoroughly enjoyable and as potently backed by those around him. There is also infectiousness to the track which borders on poppy, a catchiness which never undermines the ferocity.

The following Realizationship is similarly woven if even more irritable and too a web of seduction and sonic violence which never stops twisting and turning within its storm. The song lacks the final striking essences of its predecessor yet with teasing grooves and fury loaded flames of melody it masterfully hits the spot and an imagination already submissive to the inventively evolving landscapes the band shares within songs.

Another plateau is breached by next up Happy Families, its stabbing riffs and wiry tendrils an instant trap to fall into which only tightens as steely grooves and rabid riffs join rapacious rhythms and a virulence of contagious antics. Connor impressively leads into and drives the chorus of vocal spirit, sound relaxing a touch to embrace the infectious roar though that moment of unity is surrounded by a compelling net of discord and unpredictability. The track is superb and another reason to suggest Skies in Motion is a real force in the making.

Learn The Hard Way is next, its grooved body a fiery cauldron of sound and emotion with some of the most delicious melodic and harmonic lures heard in a fair time while the following Ugly lives up to its name in tone though it too has a swing and exhaustive rigour which simultaneously incites and devours the body. Both songs reveal more of the bands craft in writing and performance, the latter simply a beast of cyclonic contagion to become increasingly greedy for even before Finding Myself Lost has the chance to stamp its intense authority over the senses. It is fair to say that some tracks, like this one, needs time to truly appreciate; to explore and discover its deep qualities beneath a surface which pleasures if not overwhelms though truthfully every song has a wealth of adventure ready to share with increasing listens.

Both the carnivorous Sword Swallower and the emotively conjured Gonvena provide a mercurial adventure of sound and imagination, the first a savage turbulence which flows into an emotionally acute oasis of calm while the second goes from poetic beauty and melodic reflection to blistering intensity. The second is especially bewitching, Connor further impressing with his melodic prowess and the band with its fluidity through extremely contrasting climates.

When Home Feels Distant (And Distance Feels Like Home) lacks some of the captivation and adventure of the previous two but still has ears gripped and pleasure lit with its Avenged Sevenfold spiced tapestry, next up Five Years finding the same success with its own heart bred tempest of sound and raw aggression. It too misses some of the keen ingredients of earlier encounters but leaves satisfaction full and a want for more, hungrier.

Concluding with Hopebringer, another track which needs time to blossom into a fascinating and invasive fury of sound and potential, Life Lessons needs no help in luring ears and attention back again and indeed again. It is a debut which more than suggests, actually declares Skies In Motion as a band able to bring a fresh breath to the hardcore/metalcore scene. Whether they can live up to its potential time will tell but we would not bet against it.

Life Lessons is out now @ http://skiesinmotionuk.bigcartel.com/product/pre-order-life-lessons-albumu

http://www.skiesinmotion.com/ https://www.facebook.com/skiesinmotion https://twitter.com/skiesinmotion

Pete RingMaster 14/09/2017

Puppet Kings – Very Cool & Groovy

Sep5

With its title pretty much summing up its contents, the Very Cool & Groovy EP is the new offering from UK rockers Puppet Kings. Enticing ears with four tracks of beefy riff loaded rock ‘n’ roll, the release easily has attention in its hands rewarding it with a thoroughly enjoyable time.

Formed around 2011/12, Puppet Kings emerged from the ever potent Brighton music scene though the trio is now based in the Surrey/West Sussex/South London area. A self-titled debut EP was well-received in 2012; a strong introduction subsequently followed with increasing success by the single The Gift That Keeps Giving of the following year and the Timebomb EP in 2015. Those encounters coincided with a growing reputation gaining live presence which has seen Puppet Kings share stages with the likes of Skindred, Therapy?, Kobra & The Lotus, Sons Of Icarus and We Are The Ocean, Black Peaks, and Heck a ross the UK over the years. Fusing hard and classic rock with metal bred strains for their eventful sound, the threesome of guitarist/vocalist Tom Cochrane, bassist/vocalist Neil Sawyer, and drummer/vocalist Harry Lehane are now hungry to provoke bigger attention with Very Cool & Groovy.

It opens up with the swiftly captivating Wanderlust, riffs and melodic enticement soon colluding in their persuasion of the listener. Probing rhythms court the sultry grooves emerging within the heated and quickly infectious proposal; strong and similarly alluring vocals completing the tempting scene. There is a swing to the song’s gait and magnetic enterprise in its melodic and sonic interplay while the chorus is one where it would simply be rude not to join in with.

The excellent start is followed by the similarly spicy and tenacious Taurus. It too has a tempting range of jagged hooks and nagging riffs to get caught up on whilst the band’s potent vocals spark as magnetically as the inventive web cast by Cochrane’s guitar. As with the first track, there is something familiar to the song though nothing easy to pin down, just an overall feel to its otherwise individual hard rock nurtured rock ‘n’ roll.

Latest single Rich N White comes next with blues lined grooves teasing and taunting the senses as bass and drums stroll. Though maybe not the song we might have chosen for its lead single, there is no escaping its instinctive catchiness and the accomplished craft shaping its increasing persuasion, the song simply growing in pleasure listen by listen. Equally it shows the lyrical presence of the band is no lightweight proposal either as the song looks at the current state of the world before Other Side brings the release to a close. Straight away it is swinging with juicy grooves as riffs press and rhythms jab, the bass carrying an inviting swagger alongside more of the band’s enticing vocals. The chorus does not quite live up to the build-up, its moment a touch predictable compared to the inventive enterprise and imagination leading up to it but again listener involvement is easy as Very Cool & Groovy proves its name is as apt here as anywhere within its appealing body.

Whether Very Cool & Groovy is the break through moment for Puppet Kings time will tell but if not its potential suggests that the moment is on the cards while giving ears a rather pleasing time.

Very Cool & Groovy is out now @ https://puppetkings.bandcamp.com/

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

Pete RingMaster 04/09/2017

Death Blooms – Self Titled EP

May26

Recent single I’m Dead was the hint of a new emerging force in British metal, the self-titled debut EP from Death Blooms is the confirmation. It may be their first full introduction to and nudge on the nation and beyond but the four track roar of ferocious multi-flavoured alternative metal is a wake-up call demanding attention.

We had marked down the fresh breath and sound of Anti-Clone as the future of UK metal but now alongside them we have to suggest will be Death Blooms. It is not that the Manchester/Liverpool bred outfit’s sound is strikingly unique at this moment in time but everything about it blossoming from their equally potent songwriting is, as the EP, feral excitement and compelling dynamism soaked in the potential of truly great things ahead.

With shows alongside the likes of Dope, Skindred, Raging Speedhorn, and Anti-Clone under their belts, Death Blooms are on a charge which the new EP can only add extra fuel and gears to. The release simply grips ears with its opener Hate:Die.; challenging and thrilling them from its first rabid breath as vocalist Paul Barrow roars over an intrusive trespass of sound. Riffs nag as hooks collect around the primal stabs of bass and Mel Stewart’s swinging beats. Quickly hitting its predacious stroll, the track devours the senses but equally seduces them with melodic flames and unpredictable moments of relative restraint. Barrow continues to snarl from within the web of sonic enterprise cast by guitarist Ad Lucas, the bass of Ben Grimsley as dark and threatening as the backing vocals almost crawling across the psyche.

It is a stunning start to the EP, essences of early Mudvayne, Spineshank, and indeed Anti-Clone coming to mind as it ignites body and spirit before passing its willing victim over to the waiting infectious animus of Last Ones. With a seriously catchy chorus breaking up yet managing to inflame or at least accentuate its ferocious confrontation, the song similarly impresses while recruiting eager involvement in its contagious tempest.

Two songs in and Death Blooms confirm their instinctive ability to align virulent infection loaded temptation with primal animosity, latest single I’m Dead further evidence with its rabid energy and rapacious urgency. Vocals bark and riffs hit the body with spiky endeavour, the bass a primordial flirtation alongside the biting jabs of Stewart and all colluding in a hungry storm of antagonism and flirtatious craft given greater strength by the hardcore hollers of the band. As the opener, the track is superb and easy to understand its success in stirring up real anticipation for the EP and the spotlights already pressing upon the band.

Closing things up in fine style is Sick, another scourge of resourceful metal harrying and arousing the senses and spirit. Its plaintive cries lay earnestly upon the maelstrom of grooves and riffs, every hook linked to a voracious rhythm, each imposing beat bound in sonic coquetry.

It is fair to say that Death Blooms find adventure in every idea and note thrust upon a quickly willing victim to their might and imagination. With a deluge of submissions to be considered by The RR it is hard to find the time to return to many encounters for just pleasure, but Death Blooms and their galvanic treat of an EP has joined that short but potent list; they should be on yours too.

The Death Blooms EP is out now through iTunes.