Interview: 36 Crazyfists

Did you realise 36 Crazyfists have been tearing the metalcore scene a new arsehole since way back in 1994? In that time they’ve uprooted from Alaska to Oregon following the untimely death of their original bassist, lost faith with the mighty Roadrunner record label, and now made new friends at Ferret Music on which new […]

Single Review: Bullet For My Valentine

[Single: Waking The Demon]
[Label: Sony BMG]

The third single from Bullet For My Valentine’s new album “Scream, Aim, Fire”, Waking the Demon, is a mixture of speed metal and straightforward metalcore. The song is mainly comprised of a single guitar riff over a constantly shifting drumbeat and is unequivocally boring. The dynamic is supplied entirely by […]

Gig Review: 36 Crazyfists + Exit Ten

[Venue: The Junction, Cambridge]
[Date: 17 June 2008]

There are high expectations tonight with only two bands on the bill, but the Crazyfist boys don’t disappoint with their choice of support act. Exit Ten have toured alongside a roster of bands that reads like a who’s who of top-notch metal - Sikth, Every Time I Die, Protest […]

Single Review: Story Of The Year

[Single: Wake Up]
[Label: Epitaph]

‘Wake Up’ is Story Of The Year’s first single from new album ‘The Black Swan’. The song pivots around a five-chord guitar progression, while Dan Marsala’s lyrics showcase the psychosocial edge of the new album, questioning “Are we missing what it is to be alive?”
It’s one of the safer choices on […]

Gig Review: Story Of The Year + The Blackout + Anemic

[Venue: Astoria 2, London]
[Date: 20 May 2008]

Opening the billing, Anemic greet a packed-out Astoria 2 with energy but don’t do a great job of filling it. Vocalist Kevin Peters’ atonal screeching does a poor job of complementing a selection of riffs that vary from generic to moderately epic, and the band never really comes together […]

Single Review: Johnny Panic

[Single: The Rebel]
[Label: Repeat Records]

Johnny Panic’s history reads like a Hollywood screenplay, plagued by hospitalisations, breakdowns and cage fighting (no, seriously), and yet here they are at last with new single ‘The Rebel’ from last October’s release ‘The Good Fight’.
There’s a definite sunshine feel about the crunchy guitars, as they dive into the bouncy […]

Single Review: Elena

[Single: Androgony Profound]
[Label: Delicious Records]

Elena’s biography gives little away, as it is, a collection of glowing endorsements from the four corners of the music press globe. Reading through, however, there are two constants throughout – nobody mentions the music, and everybody raves about the voice. Can it really be that good?
Musically the song is […]

Album Review: The Hottness

Album: Stay Classy
Label: Ferret Music

With a name like The Hottness and a picture of an overfilled shot glass on the cover, you could be forgiven for immediately cracking out your striped spandex and mullet wigs for their debut ‘Stay Classy’, and you probably wouldn’t be far disappointed. Wielding a sack of rock n’ roll clichés […]

Album Review: Story Of The Year

Album: The Black Swan
Label: Epitaph

“We’re dying, but we don’t know what for / welcome to our New War”. So closes a record packed with political overtones, dystopian visions of the future, and enough vitriol to burn through the hull of a tank. This is Story of The Year’s new release, ‘The Black Swan’, and it […]

Single Review: Ida Maria

Album: Queen of the World
Label: Waterfall Records

There’s no shortage of quirky female singer-songwriters in pop music. You can’t walk to work nowadays without bumping into Robyn or Amy Winehouse along the way, and if ‘Queen Of The World’ is anything to go by, Norwegian up-and-comer Ida Maria will be taking the seat next to you […]