We're starting 2018 as we mean to go on by making our first New Band of the Week of the year the brilliantly bleak, relentlessly heavy Leeds-based doom sludgers Hundred Year Old Man. The six-piece of Tom Wright (guitar), Steve Conway (drums), Aaron Bateman (bass), Paul Broughton (vocals), Dan Rochester-Argyle (keys and vocals) and Owen Pegg (guitar and vocals) - plus... Continue Reading →
Introducing: Black Ink
Christmas Eve it may be but Nottingham metalcore outfit Black Ink are not feeling the festive spirit with the release of their 'Christmas single' Lights Out, which was released on Friday (22 December). What it lacks in hollies and berries, tinsel and sparkle this track more than makes up for in booming metal guitars and... Continue Reading →
Introducing: Core Of iO
One of the genres I've really enjoyed exploring over the last year or so is technical metal aka Tech-Metal, and south coast rockers Core Of iO are an intriguing example of this emerging genre. The quartet met at a music college a few years ago and formed out of a desire to create interesting and... Continue Reading →
Weesp serve up a festive treat with Christmas Eve single launch
What do you have planned for Christmas Eve? If, like me, you're planning a quiet, relaxing day then our favourite Belorussian rockers Weesp have a little festive treat in store for you. The band will release their first music since 2015 with their first single from a long-awaited new album Black Sails. Illumination is the... Continue Reading →
Introducing: Hey Gigantic
South London rockers Hey Gigantic are a great example of making music for the fun of jamming with your mates. Their catchy alternative rock sound harnesses their love for contrasting quiet with loud, with moments of calm blasted away by big hard-hitting rockiness. The quartet of Jonathan Bateman (lead vocals and bass), Matt Nicholson (backing... Continue Reading →
Introducing: Charly&Faust
From Paris to Los Angeles might sound like a really naff follow up to Infernal's cult 2004 dance track, but thankfully it is in fact the intriguing musical journey followed by six-piece Charly&Faust. The band crosses a fine line between psychedelia and rock, with influences of blues, indie and old school punk for good measure,... Continue Reading →
New Band of the Week: Operation Kino
The intrigue of Brighton-based newcomers Operation Kino (OP:K) isn't just sharing a band name with a plot to kill Adolf Hitler and other high-ranking Nazis, on which the Tarantino film Inglorious Basterds was based. Drummer Max Griffin describes their music as: "Like a lion with snakes as legs; sounds terrifying on paper but in reality it’s hilarious,"... Continue Reading →
Single Review: From Idols To Ashes – Justified
Bristol rockers From Idols To Ashes' exciting hard-hitting post-hardcore sound is back with the release of new single Justified. The track, which in typical FITA style is built around big guitar riffs from Aaron Daniel, builds on the success of this year's EP Scare Tactics, which we featured when they were our New Band of... Continue Reading →
New Band of the Week: Miscreant
The pure dark metal heaviness that's launched upon us in the form of Grantham, Lincolnshire's Miscreant is truly terrifying, yet utterly brilliant. The quartet of Harvey Jaffrey (vocals), Craig Massie (guitar), Jake Bilton (bass) and George Topham (drums) have fused an intense sound of huge screamed vocals built around booming guitar riffs and basslines and... Continue Reading →
New Band of the Week: Ursus
Regardless of how into the heaviness of metalcore or deathcore you may be, Swindon's Ursus are about to blow your mind with their interpretation of what 'heavy' is. The band has been around in various guises for a while but freely admit their first incarnation of the band was an educational experience that helped them... Continue Reading →