Author: Crossfire

If I were to say Castrovalva had loud, catchy riffs combined with heavy drums then you’d probably think they are a metal outfit. If you thought this you would be wrong, this duo rocks out to the beat of progressive with a little bit of a dance twist thrown in.

Played with only a bass guitar and drums this self-titled album is music stripped down to the bare essentials. Being in the vein of bands such as Death From Above 1979 and Lightning Bolt. A few years ago this record would have been completely original, however due to the emergence of bands like Death From Above the genre is already thriving. Although the music isn’t original its definitely a great representation, encompassing all that’s right with progressive rock.

Every song is insanely catchy and you can’t help but tap your feet along to the rhythms. The bass and drums fuse together to create a deep, droney sound that works extremely well. The distortion on the bass makes the noise fuzzy, which adds to the character of the music. If they threw in an electric guitar over the top the music would probably sound like Metallica in the black album era. So you know you’re dealing with great riffs that have been brought down to the minimal.

All sorts of music fans can appreciate Castrovalva. If you like progressive music then you’ll certainly dig them. You may also like it if you’re a fan of down tuned doom metal, as the music has a dark edge too it. The infectious beat that runs through the songs may even bring in fans of more dance oriented “indie.” The sounds are contagious and could definitely fill a dance floor.

Castrovalva certainly cover a wide spectrum of music, especially when you know that it’s just a bass and a guitar. This 8 track record should definitely be at the forefront of progressive rock and if you give it a chance you won’t be disappointed. Out now on Brew Records.

Jonathan Teggert

As far as vintage riff rock goes, Tee Pee records seem to be putting out the cream of the crop lately. This is no exception with The Atomic Bitchwax‘s new record TAB 4, an appropriately titled 11-song trip back to the 1970’s.

The record opens up with the sweet licks of Revival, a medley of guitar and vocal harmonies sending you into outer space. We’re then thrust into Super Computer, an instrumental that appeared surprisingly early in the album. The Atomic Bitchwax don’t want to ease you in, they set the pace right away and if you don’t like it then don’t listen. You will like it though, and you’ll find yourself jamming the air guitar by the time Don’t Do It kicks in.

The record is extremely retrofied, sounding like vintage Rush, Cream and Deep Purple. They may not strike a chord with the younger generation but the oldies can definitely dig it. Nonetheless I think the music is still quite relevant, bands like Wolfmother and early Kings of Leon gained plenty of success ripping off the aforementioned bands.

The music is played in quite an updated fashion however, throwing in a bit of progressive rock now and again. You’re never short of a face melting solo in the songs; so musicians will appreciate the shit out of it, as TAB seem to be a talented bunch. They tend to keep in with the whimsical themes that the classics used, but if that’s your cup of tea then TAB should be too.

TAB 4 is a very listenable album and if you like your rock and roll vintage then I definitely suggest you check it out. The complex polyrhythms will never leave you bored as there’s always something working your brain. The Atomic Bitchwax are one of those bands you will find yourself tapping your feet along too, and if they were around 40 years ago they’d be up there with the classics. For now they will just have to be part of the revival, but I say the best of luck to them!

Jonathan Teggert

Unless you’re a Gallows novice (and if you are, then believe me, you’ve got plenty of catching up to do), then you’ll most likely be aware of the contrast in circumstances between ‘Grey Britain‘ and the band’s debut ‘Orchestra Of Wolves‘ – the latter a record now loved by many, but (at the time of its 2006 release) anticipated by few. Fast forward to 2009, and it seems as if every man and his hard-rockin’ dog has been waiting for ‘Grey Britain‘ with bated breath.

In short: Frank and the boys have not let us down. Whereas ‘Orchestra Of Wolves‘ came across as a violent, savage reaction against all the various mishaps and problems that plagued the band in their early days, the Gallows of 2009 has bigger fish to fry. Make no mistake, they’re still furious, but not overwhelmed; they’ve seen the sheer magnitude of our society’s ills, and they’ve made a behemoth of a record to reflect the state of this not-so-fair isle. ‘Grey Britain’ certainly isn’t any more commercial than their debut, just bigger in terms of sound and subject matter, and it will deservedly reach a larger audience.

Oh, and did I mention that the songs are great? Recent live favourite ‘London Is The Reason‘ kicks things off with the band’s signature abrasive swagger, and from then on, it’s one hell of a ride. ‘Leeches‘ has an awesome Rage Against The Machine style riff in the middle, ‘The Great Forgiver‘ and ‘Crucifucks‘ take aim at religion in spectacular style, and the anti-knife crime anthem ‘Queensberry Rules‘ is as sonically brutal as its subject matter.

However, the most disquieting track on offer here is arguably ‘The Vulture (Act 1)‘, which sees Frank actually singing. He does a decent job of it, but when contrasted to his usual roar, it’s rather like sitting next to a sleepy tiger; knowing that at any moment it could wake up and rip your throat out. And sure enough, the teeth are bared in fine style on ‘…Act 2’.

Ultimately, ‘Grey Britain’ sees Gallows take a bold step forward, whilst retaining all of the facets that made them so good in the first place. This is as ugly and twisted a record as you could hope for from Watford’s finest: check out the next single ‘London is the Reason’ on the link above, or watch the video to the Vulture below and judge for yourself. On tour now.

Alex Gosman