Category: Buzz Chart

Brew Records have been churning out some pretty good bands recently, their latest is Kong‘s new release, Snake Magnet. 10 songs of some pretty mind-boggling stuff, this record pretty much sums up experimental music.

These 3 blokes from Manchester are certainly full of angst and are finding the cleverest way of venting it. Each track is its very own headfuck that’s going to leave you feeling drained, but in a good way. Kong are an extremely exciting band that are going to leave you guessing what their song’s going to do next. Whatever they do it’s definitely going to blow your brain.

It seems that this band are influenced by absolutely anything and everything, their music is so obtuse yet acute at the same time, you need to really appreciate music to enjoy it. They’ll fool you into thinking they’re going to play some rock and roll, then stop and have some neurotic screaming to throw you off balance.

That is exactly what Kong are about, throwing you off balance, catching you off guard, you never know what’s going to happen next and that’s such a fresh thing to have in a country full of predictability and let down. Kong are on tour this month and I for one am definitely going to try and check them out as I’m sure their live performance is as wild as the music.

Snake Magnet is such an impressive record and the amount of raw talent that Kong radiate is unbelievable. It is music that’s truly innovative and should be appreciated the fuck out of. If you are willing to give Kong a chance then they could just be your new favourite band.

Jonathan Teggert

Wounds are a new band crawling out of the Dublin punk scene with their obnoxious take on Punk. This 2 song EP consists of 2 songs, ugly mouth and trees, both odd names to music that is quite odd itself.

Ugly Mouth is a song based around one riff; a fast but grungy piece of guitar work, and the rest of the song grows from that. The phrase “kill the body and the head will die” haunts the song as it is shouted throughout it.

Trees takes a more groove filled bass line and makes it the foundations of the song. This song could appeal to a wider audience, as it sounds quite similar to some of the electro indie bands that are very popular at the moment. The vocals are very prominent in this song, screaming with desperation and anger.

These 2 songs are extremely ambient and for some reason disturbing. The tones used in the guitars, the clever use of feedback and eerie lyrics provide a great atmosphere. It sounds like the soundtrack to some futuristic post apocalyptic thriller. Combining all sorts of influence from styles such as punk, electro and industrial to achieve their sound.

I can’t imagine myself ever sitting down and listening to these songs though, I think they’d be interesting to see live, and I can imagine them providing a good soundtrack for a club, but I feel no different after listening. Wounds definitely fit in with the music market right now, but we’ll have to wait and see whether they are successful or if they fade away.

Jonathan Teggert

Inja spent his formative years touring with the likes of Taskforce and Foreign Beggars, working with some of the best the UK has to offer. The rapper, who is as comfortable running over booming bass as he is laid back beats, also made his name hosting nights, showcasing his ability to switch between fun banter and straight up lyrical bangers.

Hat Low, released on July 20th, features Fallacy and Skinnyman and is a wall-shudderer [yeah, that’s a word] of a track. Double time rhymes over the fuzzing bassline tells you just what Inja is all about, not letting up throughout his verse. Wear your hat low and your hood high, and if you don’t you’re going down.

Coming with a remix from UK stalwart Mr Thing, a dubstep remix and a DnB remix, there is something here for everyone. It got the crowd at the recent UK DMCs bumping so make sure you don’t miss out on this one.

Abjekt.

Killswitch Engage come roaring back into the metal scene with their new self-titled album. This marks a new step in Killswitch’s career, the first time they’ve wrote a record that they haven’t produced themselves. You may think the quality of the music will suffer because of this, fortunately for fans of the band this is not the case.

It opens up with Never Again, a song that is evidence that Killswitch are heading in a different direction. Experimenting with time structures and different beats but still maintaining their trademark sound, it definitely serves as a good opener. The second song, the album’s first single, Starting Over puts the band back in their comfort zone and sounds like nothing new. Although this could be a wise move, as it won’t alienate people who already love their sound, then they can wean them onto the more experimental stuff.

When we get into the 3rd song The Forgotten we truly see how much Killswitch have matured, the song opens with a riff so southern rock it could have came from the fingers of Dimebag himself. This is the case with other songs such as I Would Do Anything and Save Me, it’s very obvious the band are bringing in a wider range of influence, and it really works well!

If you are already one of the many Killswitch fans out there don’t be startled that they’re broadening their horizons, it is still an unmistakably Killswitch record. Howard Jones’ voice is unique and even if he’s trying new things it’s still him, they still combine melody with metal, just try new ways of doing it.

It may be a brave album for the band to make; however they have pulled it off. The sound is more mature and shows a new direction to head in. They already have a very broad range of fans, touring with bands like Slayer and then My Chemical Romance, they might just bring in a few more off the back of this record. Even if they don’t I’m sure it’ll strengthen their fan base.

There may be just a few too many ear pounding riffs for my head to cope with, and I must admit I had to take a break half way through to compose myself. I’m sure Killswitch lovers won’t mind this; they wouldn’t like the band if they didn’t enjoy getting their ears barraged with metal.

Jonathan Teggert

In a failing hardcore scene The Horror are the type of band that we need to see more of. Unapologetically fast, full of energy, and not giving a shit who likes it. Spoils Of War is their new 15-song attack on a scene full of posers dancing around to below average bands who only care about “beatdowns.”

Both socially and politically aware the album is not only great music, but it also has a sophisticated message, the likes of which hasn’t been seen in hardcore for a long time. You could argue that The Horror are more crust than hardcore, but in an almost non existent crust scene they have to play their share of hardcore shows.

The songs are short, fast and loud, and rarely does it vary, but they aren’t attempting to experiment, so why does it need to have variety? There is a beauty in simplicity that The Horror encompasses, you don’t need to use complex scales and have complicated structures to write a good hardcore song. Even when they stray away from simplicity with solos they still pull it off.

They obviously take influence from bands such as Infest, Drop dead and Man is the Bastard, and this record is a top-notch homage to aforementioned bands. Through combining influence they are moulding their own sound, songs like Flirting With The Right could well be from a crossover thrash band and closing title track The Spoils Of War has doom influence in there.

Unfortunately I’m afraid “kids” who will favour bands that are essentially rubbish, but wear tight jeans and care more about moshing will sideline The Horror, because of this the band may never get the recognition they deserve. I hope that the few hardcore fans that genuinely care about music will take notice of The Horror and give them the appreciation they deserve. Spoils of War is a great record and is much better than most of the tripe coming from the UK at the moment.

Jonathan Teggert

It has been five years since the dynamic duo of rapper Eyedea and turntablist Abilities last released a record. Back then, E&A, their second album, showcased their individual abilities [no pun intended] as well as delivering ridiculous examples of how both men could work around each other, knocking your ear drums out like a young Mike Tyson with his foes.

Since then, Eyedea has been experimenting with different styles in his work with Carbon Carousel and Face Candy, but he has come back to what made him a name in the underground scene and this track, taken from their upcoming album By The Throat, shows they’ve not lost their mojo one little bit.

Immediately as This Story starts [click above to listen], the listener is bludgeoned by Abilities’ wah-wah pedal infused scratching which follows up with the unrelenting beat that Eyedea jumps on with his trademark fast paced flow. But it is when the guitar hook comes in, wailing over the drums, that the track really comes alive. If this track is anything to go by, By The Throat is going to be one hell of an album.

Abjekt.

Swedish hip hop has always been a stronghold in Scandinavia and their love of the art of hip hop has never faltered, from graffiti to rap. Now, putting themselves alongside the likes of Looptroop and Organism 12, Trainspotters have released a free mixtape called The Grip Tape, to showcase their talent and love of skating.

The beats on this mixtape, from the likes of Academics, Phunk 2 and Flinta, bump like the party is never going to stop, allowing rappers Kap and Rewind to throw their energetic flows to come to the fore. And don’t worry, for all you people scared of listening to foreign hip hop, the MCs rap in English and boy do they do it well.

The track you can hear by clicking above is That’s How and gives a perfect example of why these kids needs to be listened to. An album may well be coming this year, so get hyped with this mixtape, which you can download from their MySpace.

Abjekt.

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