ALBUM REVIEW: See You Next Tuesday – Relapses


In recent years, it seems there has been a heightened embrace of electronic music within Metal that is becoming increasingly at the forefront. From the likes of Perturbator and HEALTH sitting on Metal and Rock lineups so fluidly with the likes of LLNN capturing dystopian and pounding soundscapes in their John Cxnner project, it is seemingly becoming a more prominent and welcome aspect within the more extreme fringes of Metal. Continue reading


Michael Lessard (The Contortionist) Debuts “Use The Rest” Single and Video, Debut Solo Album Incoming


Michael Lessard (The Contortionist, Last Chance To Reason) has released a new single and music video today titled ‘Use The Rest,’ his first solo debut single via Good Fight Music. The music video, directed by Lessard himself, is impactful upon a first viewing. “I’m beyond excited to announce the release of my debut song to the world!” says Lessard. “I’ve worked very hard to make a song and video that I thought would be the best representation of what is to come.” Continue reading


Through The Eyes Of The Dead Debut New Song – “Hate The Living”


Through The Eyes Of The Dead is officially back! Continue reading


The Contortionist Premiere “Reimagined” Video


The Contortionist‘s sound can best be described as continuously evolving. Their first three records showcased their growth from deathcore to progressive magicians, and the fourth studio album is said to be their finest work yet. Today the band has revealed that Clairvoyant is coming on September 15th via Good Fight, and you can watch the video for their melodic new ‘Reimagined’ single right now! Continue reading


On The Road… with The Story So Far, Four Year Strong, Terror and Souvenirs


TSSF-W-DATES

 

 

The Story So Far is on the road supporting their brand new album The Story So Far (Pure Noise). Playing with a stacked line-up, the tour has been playing to packed houses every night. Four Year Strong, practically a local band on this bill from nearby Woostah Mass (Worcester if you are sans accent), also is about to drop a new self-titled album from Pure Noise records. This makes for a very good time for pop-punk fan and the impressive indie label. Next on the bill is Terror, who might seem out of place, fit right in. Few do it better than these SoCal vets who are still supporting 2013’s Live By The Code (Victory). When the band gets off the road, they will continue working on the follow-up due later this year. Souvenirs set the table in style to kick the entire show off. Shot here by Meg Loyal Photography at the House of Blues Boston, The Story So Far are just opening the book on this new chapter of the band.

The Story So Far, by Meg Loyal

The Story So Far, by Meg Loyal Photography

The Story So Far, by Meg Loyal Photography

The Story So Far, by Meg Loyal Photography

The Story So Far, by Meg Loyal Photography

The Story So Far, by Meg Loyal Photography

Four Year Strong, by Meg Loyal Photography

Four Year Strong, by Meg Loyal Photography

Four Year Strong, by Meg Loyal Photography

Four Year Strong, by Meg Loyal Photography

Terror, by Meg Loyal Photography

Terror, by Meg Loyal Photography

Terror, by Meg Loyal Photography

Terror, by Meg Loyal Photography

Souvenirs, by Meg Loyal Photography

Souvenirs, by Meg Loyal Photography

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The Banner – Greying


The-Banner-Greying-cover

The Banner are one of those bands who, if you reach in to the deepest recesses of your memory, showed real signs of promise in the early 2000’s. It is almost crazy to think that the band are already on their fifth studio album with Greying (Good Fight) because they have always been so under the radar, but you’ll be two tracks into this record and immediately you’ll feel that THIS is what they are capable of. Now, before all you diehard fans of the band start throwing us evil glares and shaking your finger in disregard, we know this has been a long six year wait, but with these being the results after such a length of time, The Banner could well see themselves becoming a blip on the radar after all.

Previous records from this band have all been relatively varied. The 2006 release Frailty (Ferret) is the album which many point to as their best due to its aggression and calculated fury, but with Greying the band have been able to blend this with a heightened emphasis on a far darker and brooding tone. The first four tracks on here contain elements which wouldn’t be misplaced on a Doom record, before it suddenly explodes into more of a Hardcore sound on ‘Unbaptized’. The darker edge throughout the record, really allows it to set itself apart from other Hardcore Punk bands – in fact to a degree where you should probably take the ‘Hardcore Punk’ label with a pinch of salt on this record.

Overall then, Greying is almost certainly The Banner’s finest album to date, with a maturity in the sound unrivalled compared to their other records. This is the sound of a band who have been able to truly collate together all of their strengths from previous releases and mashed them together into one big snarling beast of a record. One thing is for sure, Greying will surely get more people talking about The Banner a lot more, a fact which many of its closest fans feel should have happened many years ago.

8.0/10

The Banner on Facebook

TOM DONNO


Old Wounds – Death Projection


OW DP cover

 

The meeting of Crust punk, hardcore and metal is by no means an original concept, just look at the plethora of bands in recent years that the likes of Black Breath and Trap Them have opened the doors to, and it is certainly a formula that New Jersey upstarts Old Wounds are not adding any real creativity to on their debut EP Death Projection (Good Fight), but it does prove that they pack a punch.

With only 4 tracks and an overall playing time of approximately 10 minutes, Death Projection is a short, sharp kick to the gonads of raw, sweaty metallic tinged punk. All the traits you can expect are present, from the rabid bark at the front to the blistering energy backing it. At 3 minutes long the curiously titled ‘Epilogue of a Possession’ is the most interesting prospect on the EP, with a more black metal style riffing at first before drifting into a cleaner, eerie tone.

There may not be a huge amount of uniqueness about these guys but there are hints of out of the box thinking. Where they really prove themselves is in their visceral vigor which holds them as ones to watch for.

7.0/10

Old Wounds on Facebook

CHRIS TIPPELL