Tag Archives: Vancouver

Needs – Needs

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Needs are a Punk five piece hailing from Vancouver in Canada, and whilst their homeland may well garner a reputation of kindness and chilled out vibes, somebody better tell these guys that! Their erratic delivery of punk on this self-titled release (File Under Music) feels almost neurotic and overall makes for a very strong release. Don’t think anyone is doubting the Canadian level of humour which is on display here in abundance, either as some of the track titles alone should pick up some kind of reward – ‘Clowns To The Left Of Me, Dzhokhars to the Right’ and ‘We Don’t Know Why We Are Protesting is Why We Are Protesting’ are two particular gems in that respect.

A key aspect to this record being altogether very impressive is the fact that whilst aggressive sounding, they’ve injected their music with a whole load of fun as well. You can already envisage people bouncing around at live shows singing along to some of the lyrics. A good example of this is with the track ‘We Forgot the Records to Our Record Release Show’ which displays a high tempo punk sound underneath some genuinely entertaining lyrics, “What am I doing? No seriously, what am I doing. I’m 36 Years Old, 37 in a couple of months” – a sentiment which no doubt a hell of a lot of bands will be able to identify and relate with.

Overall then, this album is indeed a strong dose of Punk which will hopefully not go completely under the radar. Needs are evidence of the fact that if you search hard enough amongst the million bands out there at the moment, you will find a gem, and an entertaining one at that – this is definitely worth checking out.

 

7.0/10

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TOM DONNO


Golers – In ‘n’ Outlaws

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Canadian thrashers Golers are back with their fourth album, In ’n’ Outlaws (Independent/self-released). The Vancouver- based quartet – made up of Walter Mason on vocals and Guitar, Derek Rockall on guitar, Stuart Carruthers on bass and drummer Jason Mosdell – have delivered 14 tracks of quality hardcore-infused thrash with hints of southern sludge.

The opening title tracks is fast as it is brutal; two and half minutes of raw speed and aggression. The rasping screams, pummelling drums, lightning riffs, Golers only play music that’s high octane, heavy, relentless, volatile – imagine Iron Reagan fronted by Phil Anselmo, then make it heavier.

Very few songs longer than two minutes – but that brevity means none of the tracks outstay their welcome. It’s hard to pick out individual songs for special mention. Every track is, however, littered with quality solos; ‘Paradise Entrails,’ ‘Scratch’ and ‘Riff Cult – Relations’ are blessed with some excellent guitar work, and offer a brief reprieve from an otherwise uninterrupted aural attack.

Despite all sounding pretty similar, they’re also very good and there’s very little in the way of filler. But with all 14 tracks following a very similar blueprint it does get a bit fatiguing along the way. However it’s a small grip with an otherwise quality release.

From start to finish, In’n’Outlaws is an unadulterated assault on the senses. It’s a consistently nasty album from a band who know how to shred and thrash. One for people who miss extreme metal and punk from the 80s.

7.5/10

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DAN SWINHOE


Expain – Just the Tip

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Canadian quintet Expain clearly don’t like genre confines. Their debut album, Just the Tip (Self-Released), takes all your thrash expectations and throws them out the window. Consisting of Daniel Brand (vocals), Eric Morrison & Pat Peeve (guitars), Nikko Whitworth (bass) and Ryan Idris (drums), Vancouver’s Expain bill themselves as “the perfect band for those lovers of shredding guitar solos, lightening-speed kick drums, bloodcurdling vocals and pant-pissing comedy.”

 

Clearly not bashful, the description isn’t far off. The band have taken elements of pretty much every extreme metal style going and put them in a blender, and the results are pretty unpredictable. There’s lots of jazzy interludes shoe-horned in, but mostly it’s just intricate high octane riffing and furious drumming. There’s too many jumps in style to really pin down Expain, but from the off it is clear that the band are technically very good.

 

Instrumental opener ‘Bacchus’ feed into the full throttle of ‘Aggression’s Progression’, a headlong charge of melodic shredding with Brand’s rasping screams over the top. ‘Phoenix Writhing’ and ‘Don’t Worry, The Worst Is Yet to Come’ continue the thrash/death/prog chaos with gusto. The melodic interlude of ‘The King’ and jazzier moments that intersperse seemingly at random show the band can change things up, but for the most part Expain are about wedging in as many riffs and solos as possible in as few songs as they can.

 

While the “everything and the kitchen sink” approach entertains to start with, it grows tiresome before long. Relentless riffs and endless song changes often merge into one, and while Brand’s range of growls and screams are impressive, it does all become grating after a while. There’s nothing wrong with the carnage of ‘Allegiance to Pain’ or the slower ‘Manatee,’ but with so many style and speed shifts in every song there’s little to offer after a few songs.

 

The band may not be a joke outfit but they have tried to throw in a bit of humour into what they do. It’s easy to have a childish smirk at the album title and the band don’t mind poking fun at metal tropes with some of the other song titles. ‘Eating a Beating Heart’ and ‘Headbang Your Head Off’ are good examples of this, though if the lyrics are meant to be funny the humour’s lost in translation.

 

With Just the Tip, Expain have shown they’ve got a sense of humour and are a bunch of really technically skilled musicians with a lot of ideas. However they’ve not shown how to write a memorable tune. Still, an impressive debut nonetheless.

6.0/10.0

Expain on Facebook

 

DAN SWINHOE