Saturday 19 February 2011

Introducing - Demoraliser






I put a small intro feature up on this band a while back, but after their Drummer - Mat got in touch, i decided to put together a bigger feature on them.

Demoraliser are from Grimsby and formed in mid 2010. Shortly after their formation, they recorded and released their debut EP - Reform.Repent.Revenge, which they made available through Mediafire for people to download.

Demoraliser is made up of James Dexter - Vox, Nathan Smith - Guitar, Sam Jarvis - Guitar, John Stark - Bass and Mat Ombler - Drums.

The guys are in the process of recording a brand new EP, called - Conveyance. The band have made new track - The Anomaly available online for people to listen to at - http://www.facebook.com/l/563e8QsY15of3LXKI9VpvCpdsgg;soundcloud.com/demoraliser/the-anomaly.

You can also check out the video for the son Checkmate, from their debut EP here - http://www.facebook.com/l/563e8pHXkwf_mm8anAsXDdBgnRg;www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOtC-VZJnCo.

So far, Demoraliser have played with Postmortem Promises on their farewell tour and have tours booked alongside Silent Screams and The Final Crisis.


And so to their EP - Reform.Repent.Revenge. Awesome slabs of hardcore infused metal. The songs are heavy affairs, but include some nice melodic guitar lines. The vocals are aggressive and the guitars pump out nice, breakdowns and riffs that keep the brutality raging throughout the tracks. They also through in some nice, discordant riffs to show variety. Breakdowns are used to good effect, especially in the track Checkmate and you can imagine crowds going crazy to this in a live setting. The production of the EP is also really good, allowing each instrument to breathe and cohesive as a whole.

There are 7 tracks on the EP altogether, so there's enough music for you to get a decent taste of Demoraliser. Go to - http://www.mediafire.com/?ew5yiizkmiz.

Demoraliser are another great example of the homegrown talent that is emerging at the moment. Check them out at  http://www.facebook.com/demoraliser and they also have merch available at - http://www.demoraliser.bigcartel.com. So, what are you wating for! Get down!








Friday 18 February 2011

Introducing - Witness the Fall






Witness the Fall are a wicked metal band from Dumfries in Scotland. These guys have been going since late 2007. The band consists of Nels on Vocals, Chris and Tony on Guitar, Jase on Bass and Dikie on Drums. Their first EP came out in 2009 and they are almost ready to release another. You can pick up their first EP on their BigCartel site at - http://witnessthefall.bigcartel.com/.

The band are also due to play with Sinocence in Dumfries on the 24th of February. Check out that event and more on their Facebook page at - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Witness-The-Fall.

Earlier in the month I asked Chris, one of WtF's guitarists about how things were going and what the guys had planned:-

So how's 2011 going? What are your plans for the year?
 
2011 so far is going well,we've got a new drummer and guitarist broken in. we're just getting some shows sorted out and writing some new songs so we can get another EP done.other than that we just want to play as often and get in front of as many people as we can.

What prompted you guys to start Witness the Fall?

 Jason, Andy (ex drummer) and I were playing in another band at the time and we'd played a truly shit show in Edinburgh,so we got home and decided to do something new,that we all believed in.We'd played in a band with Nelson (the singer) so Jason phoned him up and that was it.We had 3 or 4 songs really quickly and it just felt really good,we were all just going in the same direction.

What are your influences?

 Musically Metallica,Exodus, Sepultura,Iron Maiden,Machine Head,Unearth,Darkest Hour,At the Gates,Carcass,not to mention 80's soundtracks!

What are you guys listening to at the moment?

 We all listen to a variety of things which is good it keeps everything quite fresh when we come to our material,Lower Than Atlantis,Between The Buried and Me,Unearth,a bunch of Blues stuff.The Haunted,Johnny Cash,Guns and Roses,The Ghost Inside,Necrophagist,Nile,In Flames,Akercocke,Stan Bush,Vince DiCola

What do you think of the state of metal at the moment?

 I'm quite excited and worried at the same time,it seems like there are so many splinters or factions of metal at the moment and if you listen to certain bands then your not part of "the scene"which we most certainly aren't part of.
Which makes it harder for bands outwith the scene to get shows and in front of people,it just makes us more determined though.

How has it been playing live and what kind of response have you got?

 Playing live is always good,we generally get a pretty positive reaction,there always seems to be more people down the front by the time we're finishing a set so that keeps us strong,or maybe they're just trying to steal beer from me.

Have any random events happened to you while playing live?
 

We were playing at and this guy came onstage and started really kinda spazzing out to us then he tried to perform a back flip which,well, lets just say it didn't end to well for him.

What have been your highlights so far?

 Playing in Glasgow,Edinburgh and at the amazingly named COCKROCK festival 2 years in a row,has been awesome,just getting to meet new bands and wasted in new and exotic locations.how can that be anything less that amazing!

Can you give us any tips on bands to check out from your local area?

 Yeah local boyo's Turbyne and Decimate our good friends in Glasgow, Grant Me Revenge







I also downloaded Witness the Fall's debut EP, through their Facebook page. It's a really impressive listen, with a good, modern production. It consists of four slabs of good old modern, groove laden hardcore influenced metal. The guitar melodies and riffs are really good and it's all anchored together nicely, by the band's rhythm section. The vocals are also vicious. This is a great record for fans of modern metal and a great starting point for people who are getting into heavier music. I can't wait to hear what their new material sounds like.

You can get physical copies of their EP through their BigCartel store, and it's well worth buying as you'll be getting it straight from the band and you'll be supporting another great homegrown band in the process.



Tuesday 15 February 2011

Blast from the past - Mad at Gravity


Okay, so I've been wondering where this band have gone.

Mad at Gravity appeared on a Rocksound magazine sampler CD way back in 2002. They were alternative rock band, kind of similar to Cold, Unloco and bands like that. They released one album called Resonance, and then appeared to disappear. It's a pity because they were actually a pretty solid band.







The song that appeared on that Rocksound sampler was called Burn, and you can listen to it on their no longer used, but active myspace profile - http://www.myspace.com/madatgravity.

They may not be in the same vein as many bands I've featured on my blog so far, but I don't care, I just wanted to give a shout out to a band that I listened to during my school days and for being one of the bands that got me into metal and bands I hold in such high regard now!

It'd be cool to hear from anyone who liked the band. Also, I'm going to do some more posts about long forgotten bands from those Rocksound samplers or from the deep recesses in my head. Thanks.


Sunday 13 February 2011

Scene Heads - up - Azure World

OK, so while digging around the Yorkshire scene, I came across metallic hardcore band - Azure World from Barnsley. Azure world formed in 2009 and are now starting to build up there live reputation in the local area. With an EP already to their name and a growing presence, these guys will soon be a band you hear about regularly.

I caught up with guitarist Liam Hawksworth to find out more about Azure World and what their all about:-



So, what are Azure World's plans for 2011?

It's not been easy getting off the ground as a band from Barnsley, with there being next to no scene here, and with the only busy gigs being free entry, we've had to play a lot of shows without our costs covered, we've given our Cd's & tee-shirts out for free, and given free downloads.  The fact that none of us drive yet makes it a lot harder for us to get places, but we've had some interesting endeavours getting to other towns to play shows but always seem to manage it. Now we're all learning to drive, that shouldn't be a problem soon!

Our plan as a band is to try & play as many shows as we can manage, we want to get our music out to people, we'd rather someone enjoy our CD for free than never listen to it because they can't buy it, that's why we give free downloads to our music and play shows with no payment if it's necessary. We're also planning and continuing writing material for a new release this summer! We all still have commitments to education with us being 17/18 years old, but we try to play as many gigs as we get offered, and summer holidays is the perfect chance for us to progress as a band. Hopefully we'll be booking a summer tour with a couple of local bands and really trying to get ourselves heard.

You seem to be playing a lot of shows with loads of local bands. What have been your highlights so far?

Our highlights have been meeting the people we have done through our shows. We've found good fans and awesome bands that have helped us out and just generally been a laugh! (Never Cry Wolf, Dead Harts, Malevolence etc)

Other things that stick out to me is just what happens sometimes when we turn up to a town we've never been in before, let alone played in, get on stage and kids go nuts and really appreciate the music & our performance places like Hull, Wakefield, Doncaster and Sheffield where we'd never expect people to be so into us straight away. That's why we wanna keep getting these shows, and build our fan base wherever we can.

How did you guys form Azure World?

Azure World came about after a few of us decided after we left secondary school (2009) to have a go at writing some music, the result was our first EP which was a melodic metal style. However we've changed our approach now and play a more hardcore-orientated, aggressive, heavier style (also had a line-up change of our guitarist about 8 months ago that brought us Simon).

What influences you as a band?

Influences are a difficult thing to define with us, as we don't really base our music around sounding like anything else, we want us to like the sound of it, rather than writing to please the scene or to follow what leading bands do. Influenced somewhat in the Better Days EP was our new found love for straight up aggression in our music, combining good dynamics between our guitars and drums with hate filled lyrics and vocals, we have found you don't always have to play endless beatdowns and open chuggs to achieve a really heavy song. This is the reason our music is sounding more hardcore than metal these days, there is so much to explore within a hardcore alternative sound.

Don't know if this could be classed as influence but often we find it a lot easier and more productive to get high before we write a song together. We don't like to set ourselves boundaries when writing new material, and for some reason just helps us get rid of these mental barriers and personally makes me kick out some sweet ass riffs. As long as we like the sound of it, we're fine, because we feel a lot of bands these days are held back by expectations & boundaries within the scene.

What do you think about the state of the UK metal/hardcore at the moment?

We feel that the hardcore and metal scenes aren't as good as they once were. A lot of kids that used to go to gigs just lost interest and there doesn’t seem to be any major support like there once was when we were like 15 and used to go to gigs every week. We don't this is down to bands but just generally down to trends in teenage years; kids would rather go get drugged up or whatever and go round the town than go to the show and support music they like.

I think you're one of the first bands I've come across from Barnsley. What is the metal/hardcore scene like there?

To be quite blunt, the scene in Barnsley is non-existent. There will a gig every 2 months maybe, but even then the turnout wouldn't be enough to cover the costs and the bands are simply just dreadful Metallica replica bands or copy cat As blood runs black bands.


That's why we gave up trying to gig in our hometown; anyone that cares already has heard us so we may as well focus on spreading in other parts of the country.

Can you give us any tips on bands to check out from Barnsley?

Our bands to check out in Barnsley would be;

Debts (www.myspace.com/debtsmusic)
Redmist Destruction (www.myspace.com/redmistdestruction)

however there has been some internal problems with both those bands recently and so I’m not sure as to how long they'll be around.

However bands I’d recommend near to us are;

Never Cry Wolf
Malevolence
Grazes
Closure


The guys have an EP available for download through Mediafire. Go to - http://www.mediafire.com/?70ymilgpgobgm and check it out. 

The EP is called Better Days, and will be available as a physical release through their BigCartel page soon. Check http://azureworld.bigcartel.com/ for their merch.

The EP consists of four tracks, Which begins with an Intro which is more like a proper song. It's a heavy track which includes raspy, hardcore vocals and good time changes and leads into title track - Better days. It's a fast paced song with relentless, screamed vocals and a great rhythm section. This is mosh at it's best! Third track Desolation is an interlude of sorts which leads into final track Fall, which starts with what could be described as tribal drumming and leads into the main song. This shows the bands originality really well, with a doomy mid-section and chugging, low end guitar. This is great, hardcore influenced heavy metal and shows that Azure World will be a force to be reckoned with on the live scene very soon!




Solar Zalavia - re-visited

A while ago I posted about a band from Mexico called - Solar Zalavia. I couple of days ago, guitarist Selko got in touch with me about the bands new song - Sick Precious Smile, which will be on their new EP - Smile Gerbera Smile.


Selko kindly sent me a link to the new song, so you can listen to it. You'll need to download the track via Mediafire. Just click on this link - http://www.mediafire.com/?m8dl56k9cju60yp.

This song marks a move to a heavier sound for the band, with great musicianship and  more progression. I can't wait to hear the rest of the EP.

Be sure to check it out and show the band your support. Go to - http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Solar-Zalavia/135942870836 and http://www.myspace.com/solarmusic.



Saturday 5 February 2011

Australia attacks pt.4 - Disentomb


Well, this is my forth post about the Australian death metal scene. It's a scene that I didn't know a lot about, apart from bands like Blood duster and Psycroptic. It's another example of the diversity that can exist within the same genre of music. I'm writing this time about a Brisbane based band called Disentomb.

These guys formed in 2009 and in that year they played their first shows, recorded a demo and signed to Japanese death metal label - Amputated Vein. Their current album - Sunken Chambers of Nephilim is available worldwide through Amputated Vein.

Disentomb consist of Jord James (Vocals), Jake Wilkes (Guitar), Thomas Joice (Bass) and Henri Sison(Drums). These guys have made great progress since their formation, even supporting the mighty Napalm Death and Dying Fetus on their recent Australian tour.

Recently, I caught up with Vocalist Jord, to find out a bit more about Disentomb:-

So, what are your plans for 2011?
A lot of touring, playing shows and promoting the new album. We've started throwing around ideas for the next album and we're excited to get back to writing.

What influenced you to start Disentomb?
Henri, Jake and I were in a band called Cadaverine, and we wanted to do something heavier so we left that band and got our mate Tom on bass. We just wanted to and still want to make Brutal as fuck Death Metal.

How did it feel when you guys signed with Amputated Vein?
It felt awesome. We are big fans of previous releases they have put out so it felt right.

What has the reception been like for you guys when you've played live?
Amazing - It seems we're a band that people not only enjoy listening to, but watching as well.

Have you gotten a lot of attention outside of Australia?
Funnily enough, most of our orders are from Europe and the US rather than Australia. The Brutal DM scene in Australia isn't as big so it's expected.

What do you think about the death metal scene in Australia at the moment?
It's going great, there is a lot of fantastic DM in the country, but a lot of people are under the impression that if it's local it's no good, not realising that it's just as good as it's overseas counterparts. The scene here seems to be getting stronger and we've noticed a lot more Brutal DM has been brewing in different parts of Australia over the last few years.

Finally, can you give us your suggestions for bands that we should be paying attention to in your local death metal scene?
Get ahold of a band called Internecine Excoriation "Prognasticate The Decrepitude". These guys only released a demo before they broke up but it still remains one of my favourite releases.

If you're a fan of brutal death metal, Disentomb are another great reason to check out the Australian scene. You can pick up their album at www.disentomb.bigcartel.com and go to http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/DISENTOMB/149133246395?v=wall to keep up with what they're doing.