Neck Deep at the Electric Ballroom, Camden (06/02/2015)

Neck Deep

Support: Trophy Eyes, Seaway, Knuckle Puck
06/02/2015

Themed tours are not something that often work well, but ‘The Intercontinental Championships Tour’ worked perfectly. Four pop-punk bands from four different countries, plus hundreds of foam hands and cheesy intro music lead to a ten-date UK tour filled with happy fans and energetic musicians. 

Opening the tour for the last time were Trophy Eyes (7/10), a five-piece Australian punk band. One of the most notable aspects of their performance was their pure energy and passion: it was easy to see how excited they were to be playing on a sold-out stage at the Electric Ballroom. The venue was packed out to the brim and vocalist John knew exactly how to engage with the crowd. Their catchy riffs and hard-hitting vocals made it almost impossible to stand still during their set and they left the stage with fans eagerly awaiting more.

Canadian pop-punk five-piece Seaway (8/10) proved their brilliance before they even arrived onto stage due to their opening song ‘Blame Canada’ from comedy television show South Park. Lead singer Ryan Locke spoke about how humbled they were to play in the UK for the first time and he genuinely seemed astounded at how many people were singing his lyrics back at him. One of the songs that the crowd seemed to engage with the most was ‘Alberta’, a slow paced pop-punk song which was full of angst and well-written lyrics. they informed the audience that they were filming a music video during their set, which seemed to increase the already-full energy levels of the crowd. 

Chicago-based punk-rock five piece Knuckle Puck (7/10) were next on the bill, walking onto stage to Van Halen’s classic hit ‘Jump’. Vocalist John Siorek was full of energy as constantly jumping around the stage and encouraging fans to move along with him. Playing songs such as ‘Your Back Porch’, ‘Stuck' and ‘No Good’, they were able to keep the crowd momentum high. The mixture of screaming and melodic backing vocals worked as well live as it does on their records, creating beautiful harmonies that worked well alongside their emotion-filled lyrical style.

“We thought we would do a wrestling tour because it would be funny!” Wrexham-based pop-punk heroes Neck Deep (9/10) graced the stage for the final time of this tour, and it is safe to say that they left it with a bang. Opening with ‘Losing Teeth’ they instantly made the crowd putty in their hands: there were mosh pits taking over most of the venue. Ben Barlow’s vocals were on top form and sounded even more powerful live. The happy-go-lucky band impressed crowds with songs such as ‘Damsel In Distress’, ‘Crushing Grief (No Remedy)' and ‘Sweet Nothings’. It is easy to see just how far that Neck Deep have come in just a year: “A year ago we were playing to two hundred people at The Barfly, today we are playing to 1000 people!” Their popularity has not only been increased by social networking websites, but also the hard-work and dedication that they put into each and every live show. One of the most memorable moments of the evening was their acoustic rendition of ballad ‘A Part Of Me’, with Laura Whiteside joining Ben on stage to create a beautiful and harmony-filled performance. Despite the curfew being at 9.45pm, Neck Deep managed to play an impressive seventeen songs and left the crowd feeling satisfied and impressed by such raw and passionate music. They may call themselves generic pop-punk, but their performance was anything but ordinary. 

www.facebook.com/neckdeepuk / www.twitter.com/NeckDeepUK
www.facebook.com/KnucklePuckIL / www.twitter.com/KnucklePuckIL
www.facebook.com/seawayoakville / www.twitter.com/seawayband 

www.facebook.com/trophyeyesmusic / www.twitter.com/trophyeyesmusic 

'Matter As Regent' Wells Valley Album Review

Wells Valley

‘Matter As Regent’
Release Date: 7th February 2015
Label: Bleak Recordings

It is not very often that you hear about Portuguese metal bands on websites, let alone Portuguese post-metal/sludge bands, so it is highly unlikely that you have heard of Wells Valley before. The trio consists of Filipe Correia from Concealment, Pedro Lopes and Pedro Mau from Kneel. They formed in late 2011, however, they have only recently signed to Bleak Recordings. ’Matter As Regent’ is their debut album, which consists of six tracks. 

Opening song ‘Ghost Of You’ instantly transports the listener into an eerie place filled with twisted guitar riffs and hard-hitting drum beats. It takes around a minute and a half for the vocals to kick in, which makes Wells Valley’s almost progressive. Lead singer Filipe’s voice has a harrowing sound to it; his whispers and shouts make the song sound like it should be a part of a horror film soundtrack. There is something unsettling about the breakdown, which is most likely the fear of the unknown: once you are so engaged in the music it is impossible to tell which way the song will end up next. However, this is not a bad thing, it makes the album not only unique, but extremely exciting to listen to. 

‘Hands Are Void’ incorporates a mixture of screaming and technical guitar riffs, which appeals to both sludge and post-metal fans. Although it is hard to hear the lyrics clearly it almost adds to the haunting nature of the song. It is almost as if the songs were made with the intent for listeners to create their own ideas of what the music is about. 

One of the bands that Wells Valley have recently been compared to is Gojira. Although their songs are composed in a similar way, it is hard to hear any other similarities in their music. The one exception to this is ’Sacred Mountain’, in which the heavier vocals and guitar riffs used could be seen as having a vague similarity to the sort of style that Gojira uses. 

‘Kingdom Of Salvation’ is possibly one of the best songs on the album. With heavy metal guitar riffs and fast-paced drumming, it is almost impossible not to hit the ‘replay’ button on your music player. Filipe uses a wide range of vocal techniques, including hard-hitting and aggressive, slow and melodic and haunting screaming vocals. The pace of the song constantly changes, allowing the listener to stay entertained and impressed, despite the fact that it is the last song one the album. 

There is certainly nothing generic about Wells Valley. The trio are obviously extremely talented musicians, but they also know exactly how to create an album that brings something new to the post-metal/sludge scene. Each songs sounds different, with hints of progressive, technical and death metal incorporated into their music in unique ways. 

7/10

https://www.facebook.com/WellsValley 

Amon Amarth, Huntress and Savage Messiah at The 1865 in Southampton

At many concerts, especially metal concerts, there is a often a lot of negativity towards the opening band: why should people arrive at the venue early to see a band that they probably have not heard of? However, anyone who missed Savage Messiah's set should be kicking themselves. Their humble attitude engaged the crowd well and they sounded anything but generic. Lead singer Dave Silver's voice was on top form and he used his unique vocal style to its full potential. Their songs were full of catchy choruses, allowing them to gain new fans who could sing along as if they had followed the band since their formation in 2007. They managed to get the crowd warmed up perfectly with their technical guitar solos and melodic backing vocals.

Female fronted metal band Huntress were next to grace the Southampton stage, but don't let her femininity fool you: lead vocalist Jill Janus can growl deeper than most men. 'Pack your bong with stars and let's smoke the galaxies together' was her motto for the evening, allowing the rowdy crowd to engage with mystical lyrics about goddesses and spirituality. One of the highlights of their set was 'Flesh', a song from the new album which was dedicated to the females in the audience. With hard-hitting riffs and guitar solos it is sure to be a hit once it has been released later this year. Huntress often received mixed reviews from metal fans across the world, however, it is clear from their stellar live performance that they were back with a vengeance: Jill has previously said that she is set to conquer the world, one metalhead at a time. Every song sounded unique, with elements of doom, trash and black metal all fused together, to create something that is unlike anything that you have ever heard before.

Melodic death metal giants Amon Amarth packed out The 1865 to full capacity for their first ever Southampton show, proving that even after over twenty years together they still know how to impress crowds across the world. The Viking-themed musicians wowed the audience with their heavy riffs mixed with even heavier vocals. Lead singer Johan Hegg had an extremely powerful stage presence and he knew exactly how to work the crowd. Their setlist included songs from over seven of their albums, allowing fans young and old to hear their favourite tracks live. Playing hits such as 'Live For The Kill', 'Twilight Of The Thunder God' and 'Death In Fire', they made fans experience what a true Swedish heavy metal show is all about. Amon Amarth's mystical lyrics and fast-paced music style allowed the crowd to fully engage with the theatrical nature of their performance, creating huge mosh pits that covered the entire venue. One of the most impressive things about the band is their dedication to their music: there is no denying that they continue to keep performing live shows because they want to entertain the crowd, not just for the money or the fame. With Johan promising that this will not be their last visit to Southampton, Viking metal fans in the South will be anxiously awaiting their next tour and album release.

www.facebook.com/OfficialAmonAmarth 
www.facebook.com/HuntressKills 
www.facebook.com/SavageMessiahMetal

INTERVIEW: Jill Janus from Huntress

On the final night of their UK tour I spoke to Jill Janus, lead singer of Huntress, about her classical music training, dogs and the theme of Huntress' new album!

How has the tour been going so far?
It has been fantastic! What a great bill, and we are just so excited to be on the road with Amon Amarth. Savage Messiah kicks ass too!

What is it like being on the road with them?
Well, you know, it feels like family. We have known Amon Amarth since we toured together on Mayhem Festival in the States back in 2013, so everyone just feels like family and we are very supportive.

Awesome! How does it feel to be playing in Southampton tonight?
You know, I hear it is a real rager! I heard you guys know how to party so you had better freaking bring it!

How do crowds in England compare to crowds in America and other countries around the world?

It really depends on what the cities are like, y'know. They vary from city to city, but metalheads, true metalheads, all over the world are very much the same. They all have the same type of passion and you can see throughout the world, as long as they love heavy metal you know they are going to love true heavy metal.

How would you describe your music to someone who has not heard it before?

We are melodic heavy metal. I'm not easy listening heavy metal, you won't see me in a god damn corset or singing faux-opera, y'know. My background and my training is classical, which is the foundation for my screams. We are melodic, through and through. True, old school heavy metal, we have some of that in there. A little element of doom and thrash and even black metal and some death vocals. But y'know it is also tinged with theatre. Y'know I grew up on theatre, so you are going to see elements of theatrical in there and that is kind of a little bit of a hat-tip to Alice Cooper and King Diamond, and even Rob Halford and Judas Priest.

If you were trained in opera then what made you want to be in a metal band?

I have always wanted to be in metal or rock! I mean from the time I was thirteen years old I was obsessed with Suicidal Tendencies and Danzig and The Misfits and King Diamond. So my mother was the one who really encouraged me to stay true to opera and musical theatre because that is what was just occurring then in the small town I lived in. That is what I was doing and I won a scholarship to go to a school to study opera and performing arts. It has just been a really interesting journey for me. I have always wanted to sing, but now that I created this world for myself and following my purpose. I could not be happier!

What do you think that people should expect from a live show from you?

To be entertained! We are entertainment through and through.

What inspires you to continue writing and keep performing?

Music owns me! Ever since I was a very small child. Like I said, there has never been anything else but music. So that is my purpose and there is nothing else. And especially when Huntress started to gain momentum and we started ascending within the ranks of metal it became very clear that other ambitions would have to be abolished, so I am a slave!

Have you had to deal with much sexism in the music industry or do you believe that the metal community is more accepting?

I don't really pay attention! Again, part of living for your purpose is that you don't really participate in outside opinions. I don't read reviews, I don't ever allow myself to go on the internet to see what the trolls are up to. So I am very, very careful about what other people think. So I really do keep a very strict distance from all of that noise, positive or negative so that it won't affect my path.

What are your favourite and least favourite things about touring?

My least favourite is leaving my dogs at home! If we are touring in America then I can bring them with me, I can bring my little Annie with my Anubis. She is a rescue, well all of my animals are rescues and I am very involved in animal welfare and adoption and I just love critters! And then the best thing is just feeling like you really are achieving your goals in life. It is very rewarding to be here and sometimes you can get wrapped up in this strange loneliness. Every day kind of blends together and you just have to kind of step back and see the big picture and realise that we are really fortunate to be on the road with all the bands that choose us. So it is quite a blessing!

What advice would you give to anyone aspiring to become a musician?

Lessons! Train yourself! Just don't go in blind, especially with vocals if you want to be a metal vocalist. I am asked over and over again how do I do it every night, night after night without losing my voice with the rapid screaming, back into a clean voice, back and forth. It really begins with training so get yourself in some serious vocal lessons and even if you want to be a musician, get guitar lessons! It is just about discipline. You have to be disciplined. You are not going to achieve anything if you are not really focussed. I mean, that is really the main rule for Huntress, it is vital to our existence, is discipline.

What else do you have planned for 2015?

Releasing that next album! Our new record will be out this summer and we are touring, touring, touring! We are writing and we are just having fun. Staying sane! It is really important that I don't go crazy!

Have you finished writing the album?

Yeah, we are recording it. Actually, we are heading back after Amon Amarth just to finish up a few things on it and then it will be handed over to Napalm Records and to the masses.

Does it have a specific theme?

Well, the first three albums for Huntress, if anyone is a Huntress fan, they would know that I talk about this a lot. It is dedicated to the triple goddess. So the first three albums are a bit of a spiritual journey for myself and a trilogy I would say. The first album 'Spell Eater' is in the Maiden phase and the second album 'Starbound Beast' is the Mother phase. So we are moving into the Crone phase and I always say that she is evil and old and horny. So you are going to get that viciousness on this third album with elements of doom and it is the death phase. It is the dying phase, so you will feel that. It is going to be heavy!

Listen to the interview here: https://soundcloud.com/juliaconopo/interview-with-jill-janus-from-huntress

www.facebook.com/HuntressKills
www.twitter.com/HuntressKills

INTERVIEW: Johan Söderberg from Amon Amarth

On the final night of Amon Amarth's UK tour, I spoke to guitarist Johan Söderberg about what it is like to tour in England, covers and the possibility of a new album.

How has the tour been going so far?
Good! It has been sold out almost every show.

How does it feel to be playing in Southampton tonight?
I'm sure it is going to be good! But it's cold in here, I hope it warms up when the people come.

How would you say that crowds in England compare to other countries that you have played in?
I would say that it's not a huge difference. Everywhere that we play is all the same, except for maybe South America. People are a little more crazy over there!

How would you describe your music to someone who has not heard it before?
It is kind of like traditional heavy metal, but it's more dorky-sounding and a little more aggressive.

What should people expect from a live show from Amon Amarth?
It's just a well-played, tight band with lots of power.

What inspires you to continue to write music and keep performing?
I'd say it's my biggest interest. From the beginning it was like a hobby and now it has turned into work but it's still one of my biggest, like, what I do in my spare time as well.

Have you hear the cover that Sabaton did of 'Twilight of the Thunder God' and what are your thoughts on it? Would you ever think of covering one of their songs in return?
I thought they did a good cover of it, but we are not going to do any covers. I also heard they play it live when we had them as an opening band in the US.

What made you want to become a musician?
I guess it was when I was a kid and I saw Iron Maiden and bands like that play. It felt like something that I wanted to do.

What are your favourite and least favourite things about touring?
I mean, the least favourite thing is that you can never really be by yourself. You are always surrounded by people. The good thing is that you get to see lots of places in the world that you would never see otherwise.

What advice would you give to aspiring musicians?
Just play the kind of music that you like to listen to yourself and keep on doing what you like to do. I guess that is the best recipe for success.

Do you have much planned for the rest of this year?

This is the last tour for this album, so after this we are going to go back home and start working on new material.

Have you already got the new material planned out or are you waiting until you have finished the tour?
Not really! Just some small, small ideas.

Listen to the interview here: https://soundcloud.com/juliaconopo/interview-johan-soderberg-from-amon-amarth

www.facebook.com/OfficialAmonAmarth www.twitter.com/AmonAmarthBand

'Chapter 1: A Long Time Coming' Profane And The Sacred Album Review

Record Label: Cargo Records
Release Date: 23 February 2015

It is not often that the opening track from a stoner metal band leaves you hooked, but Profane And The Sacred have managed to hit the nail on the head with 'Bench'. The acoustic introduction is unlike anything that you have heard before: the beautiful yet ominous melody contrasts perfectly with the following coarse and hard-hitting riffs. Although it takes over three minutes before the singing begins, the London-based metalheads are able to keep your attention with their impressive musical skills.

'Bleed That Stone' is undeniably a fast-paced metal anthem. Lead singer Luke Alleeson's vocals are powerful and full of emotion, allowing the listener to become fully-immersed in the band's musical talents. One of the reasons that Profane And The Sacred sound so appealing is that they have managed to incorporate all of the passion that is featured in old-school metal songs, along with their own unique and fresh ideas.

One of the most impressive songs on the album is 'From The Top'. The band have been able to combine features from genres all across the metal genre and fuse them together in a new and exciting way. It is easy to forget that this is a debut album as all aspects of the songs are polished to perfection.

'All For None' is a gritty and doom-riff laden track that will keep making you want to come back for more. The guitar solos are not only technical, but they will also allow those who have given up hope for the metal music industry to take back their words.

If you want fast-paced and nostalgic-sounding riffs, then you need to listen to penultimate track 'Words'. The seven minute song is constantly changing pace, allowing you to stay fully focussed and excited about what could happen next.

It is often thought of that stoner metal has a niche market, however, 'Chapter 1: A Long Time Coming' has definitely challenged this view. Profane And The Sacred are one of the few bands around that are able to bring something new and fresh to the metal music scene. They are undeniably extremely talented musicians with the potential to become your new favourite band.

Rating: 9/10

https://www.facebook.com/profaneandthesacreduk
https://twitter.com/profaneband

'Soft' Rathborne Album Review

Release Date: 16^th February 2015

Record Label: True Believer

Rathborne are an indie pop/garage rock band from New York, fronted by Luke Rathborne. After releasing 'After Dark' and 'I Can Be One E.P./Dog Years E.P. ' on his own, he decided to try his hand at creating music alongside three of his friends, resulting in their new album 'Soft'.

Opening track 'Last Forgiven' gives you an instant insight into the theme of the album: fast-paced, catchy indie music. Luke Rathborne's vocals are similar to those of Luke Pritchard's from The Kooks, with a garage-sounding twist.

One of the most memorable songs on the album is 'Deal'. Although the lyrical content leaves something to be desired, the ambient chords and harsh vocals prove that Rathborne are halfway towards becoming a memorable indie pop band.

The electrifying guitar riffs in title track 'Soft' allow the listener to almost be transported to a dingy venue in the middle of nowhere: the effortless and atmospheric music includes everything that a strong indie track needs. Luke Rathborne is able to use his voice as more than just a way to make money, he uses his unique and emotion-filled vocals to their full potential. If you only get a chance to listen to one song by Rathborne, then this should be it.

Electronic song 'Eno' is one of the least impressive songs on the album. Despite only lasting for just under two minutes, the constant wailing and overlapping vocals are enough to give the biggest indie pop fan a headache. It's hard to understand why this song was included on the album, especially as out of context it sounds like a children's television show theme song.

It's hard to judge Rathborne's debut album as either good or bad: there are certainly some memorable indie songs, however, mixed amongst them are some mediocre and even quite boring songs. One thing that is definitely certain is that there is something missing from every song on the album. Whether it's passion, unique riffs or lyrical content, it's hard to imagine this album bringing any new fans to the indie pop genre.

Rating: 5/10

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