Category: Music

Categories
Live Reviews

Weird War

Les Savy Fav
Thunderbirds Are Now!
The Garage, London
30.11.05

Thunderbirds Are Now! are buddies of Les Savy Fav who also happen to have their debut album ‘Justamustache‘ recently released via the Fav’s own label French Kiss. And true friends help each other out right? Les Savy Fav have done the right thing and have brought Thunderbirds over to the UK for the first time and right from the start of their set it’s immediately obvious we’re in the company of greatness. They are rocking and wild, yet slick, tight and melodic and manage to walk the difficult line between quirky post-hardcore and commercial rock without compromising either aspect of their sound. This is a band you’re going to be hearing a lot about next year and the buzz starts right here. Besides, any friend of Les Savy Favs’ is a friend of ours. Such is the greatness of the mighty Les Savy Fav, anything they touch turns to gold so the Thunderbirds future is in good hands and watch them go!

Les Savy Fav have been deconstructing rock for nearly ten years now. Sounding like a spiky collision between the angular dance rock of Gang Of Four and the scratchy white noise anger of Fugazi, they are led by the gloriously unhinged frontman Tim Harrington, who, it wouldn’t be unfair to say, has the wild crazy eyes and unkempt appearance of a hobo and borderline schitsophrenic. We’re sure he’s a lovely well balanced individual offstage, but put him in front of a crowd and he turns into a twitching, mischievous imp dead set on causing confusion and disorder around him as the band provide the brilliant soundtrack to his insanity. At one point he grabs a video camera from someone in the front row and swings it above his head, then he’s got his big belly out, climbing around the stage, sinking his teeth into the P.A. system, itching to cause that little bit more chaos and constantly pushing the boundaries. He also has a great voice, injecting addictive vocal melodies into every riff and rhythm and allowing tracks like ‘We’ll Make A Lover Out Of You‘ and ‘Rome (Upside Down)‘ to creep into your subconscious and stick!

Yet, considering how amazing Les Savy Fav are tonight, you’re still left with the feeling that they were holding something back. Past tours have seen them reach amazing new levels of musical insanity but tonight it was almost as if they didn’t want to embarrass Weird War by blowing them right off the stage, which they could have easily done and quite frankly, did.

Weird War feature Ian Svenonius from classic Dischord Records bands Nation Of Ulysses and The Make Up although Weird War aren’t a patch on his former visionary bands. Weird War play clean and funky rock n’roll that is just way too clean and not rock n’roll enough. While Ian’s past bands have been abrasive and harsh, Weird War’s white man funk just isn’t particularly good. Or funky.

Predictably, the crowd thins considerable during Weird War’s headline set. Maybe next time they won’t be foolish enough to allow Les Savy Fav on before them!

James Sherry

Categories
Live Reviews

Alkaline Trio

Test Icicles
London – Brixton Academy
16/11/05

The sense of occasion is oddly lacking inside the Brixton Academy tonight.

It’s the second date of Alkaline Trio’s first full UK tour since 2003, of which every date has sold out… except for tonight. Granted, punk bands rarely sound great at the Academy, but the Trio’s recent ‘Crimson’ album has arguably won them more fans than ever before. Still, there’s no point in dwelling on the matter, although doing so would probably be more entertaining than the mediocre art-rock of openers Sunshine.

It’s left to Mike Park (the founder of Asian Man Records, who released the Trio’s first two albums) to really get things started, with only the help of his acoustic guitar and a short but intriguing Plea For Peace documentary played on a projector. Although unknown to most of the crowd, his excellent folk-pop songs still incite a mass singalong from the devoted few at the front. He’d probably sound better in a small club or bar, but nevertheless manages to create a certain intimacy in the Academy’s cavernous confines – an achievement in itself.

London-based trio Test Icicles stick out like a sore thumb on this bill, with their hyperactive stage presence and blasts of feedback laden art-punk chaos that just about pass for songs. Occasional applause is largely drowned out by boos and cries of “Get off!“, but to their credit, the band don’t seem bothered, and instead concentrate on sounding increasingly louder and weirder. Good strategy!

The venue is respectably full by the time Alkaline Trio hit the stage, but as Matt Skiba and co. blast into the opening ‘Back To Hell’, our fears are confirmed: the sound is terrible. Worst affected is Dan Andriano’s bass, which is little more than an indistinct rumble for the first few songs, thankfully improving slightly thereafter. The crowd go nuts from the start, but the band themselves seem somewhat lost on the Academy’s spacious stage.

It’s understandable that ‘Crimson‘ material dominates the Trio’s set, but it’s debatable as to whether it measures up to old favourites like ‘Clavicle‘, ‘My Friend Peter’ and – let’s be honest here – the entirety of the brilliant ‘Maybe I’ll Catch Fire‘ album. Suffice to say that most of these don’t get played tonight; a likely bone of contention among the band’s long-term fans.

Still, an encore of ‘Time To Waste‘ and the classic ‘Radio‘ ensures that most of us leave Brixton happy. It certainly wasn’t a vintage Alkaline Trio gig, but the faults lie more with the venue than the band. Maybe two nights at the Astoria next time, eh guys?

Alex Gosman

Categories
Interviews

All That Remains

All That Remains are a band considered by some to be metal’s ugly duckling. The band that got left behind whilst many of their peers shot to rapid success, leaving the Massachusetts quintet to go it alone with their slowly-but-surely route to the big time.

Having just completed a summer-long stint on the new and crushing Sounds of the Underground tour alongside the likes of Lamb of God, Clutch and GWAR – things are at last looking up. Former Shadows Fall vocalist and current ATR front man Phil Labonte took some time out from the band’s recent UK stint as main support to new kids on the block Trivium, to tell our own metal maestro Ryan Bird how things stand for both himself and the band in 2005…

Hey, what’s up?

What’s shaking, man! I’m fine!

How does it feel to be back in the UK?

It’s still almost unbelievable. We’re one of the luckiest bands around to have been on the tours that we have in recent times. When we came through with Killswitch is was cool, but this tour is definitely shaping up to be just as good. The Killswitch tour wasn’t as long as this one is, but every show was sold out. Now it seems Trivium have just blown up the same way that Killswitch have, so we feel spoiled to be back on such a run. It’s amazing to see that there’s kids who actually know our stuff as well! Yesterday there was like a couple of dozen kids hanging out outside our bus, and that just never happens in the States.

Last time you were over here you were with Killswitch Engage playing middle sized venues. How do you feel about playing some smaller club shows such as this this time around?

I guess it’s pretty cool to actually be able to see the fans for a change! Sounds of the Underground was averaging about 4000 or so every day so it’s almost like a breath of fresh air. I don’t want anyone to think we’re too big for our boots or anything like that, though. It may be the heavy metal dream to play some big ass shows but we like to keep it intimate as well.

Does playing different sized venues every night make things difficult? Presumably you’ve got to change it up quite a lot.

Sure, it can be tough, but it’s something you just have to deal with. I guess the way to describe it is that it’s real work, it’s not just all partying. There’s a lot of stuff you’ve got to figure out. You need to know how you’re gonna do this, how you’re gonna do that, if you can’t do this then what are you gonna do instead etc. It’s not all just sitting around playing video games!

Of course, you guys are no longer strangers to the bigger sized venues as you just spent the summer on Sounds of the Underground. How did it go?

Simply amazing. Practically every show people knew who we were, and I’m not talking just a handful – I’m talking hundreds. It was the chance of a lifetime.

How does it feel for you guys to see that so many people want to come out and see an underground metal show in this day and age?

It was weird, because it’s a scene I’ve been a part of for a long time and seen go almost unnoticed for so many years. It’s surreal for me because I was someone who helped kick start this whole movement a long time ago, and all the guys I was playing with back then are now in these bands that are getting gigantic. To be in a band that is now considered to be on the rise is awesome.

In the past couple of years, it seems that type of music went from being a dirty word to being more than acceptable. What do you think triggered that?

I dunno! I have absolutely no idea! Why should I?! There’s no real reason I can pinpoint. I’m just thankful I’m going to be able to experience just a little bit of which the bands I admired as kid experienced. Bands like Metallica in ’91 and At The Gates – stuff like that. Thank god I can actually do this for a living, and hopefully continue to do it for another 10 to 15 years.

Obviously you were once a member of Shadows Fall. Is it tough to see them succeeding and doing so well?

Not at all. Those guys have got BIG coat tails! If it wasn’t for bands like them and Killswitch Engage, there’s no way I’d be able to do this. Everybody in Shadows Fall has always been cool to me, they’ve always been my friends, and there’s no ill feeling at all. I’m the biggest cheerleader in the world, and I want nothing but the best for the guys in Shadows Fall and any other bands out there that I consider friends.

Do you think that eventually the scene will totally collapse on itself and disappear into the undergrounds again?

I don’t think it COULD happen, I know it’s GONNA happen! That’s just the way music goes. I’m not foolish enough to think that I’m going to be doing this forever. I know that one day I’m not gonna be in a band anymore. How many bands do you know that stay relevant and stand out for years after they’re gone? To think it’s going to carry on forever is not realistic.

It’s been a good 18 months or so since you released This Darkened Heart. Any plans to start work on a new one?

Yup, we’re already talking about that one. Adam D from Killswitch is going to be producing again, because if something isn’t broken then don’t fix it! We’ll start writing around December and then head into the studio in March, so hopefully we can get the record out before the summer is over next year.

What kind of ideas are being tossed around for that right now? Anything that may surprise people?

Vocally it’ll probably see a bit more melody with the vocals, but at the same time there’ll be some more death metal growling going on. Our drummer is a massive death metal buff so whenever I’m around him I usually end up listening to stuff like Cannibal Corpse! Musically, I can’t really say just yet. As far as writing the riffs and such that’s still primarily done by myself and Oli (lead guitars), but this time I think it may be more of a band effort. I think we’re at the stage now where we know where this band is going, and we know that the sound this band has is pretty much where we’re going to stay. It’ll be different, but you’ll still be able to tell it’s an All That Remains record.

And after the album is done?

We’ll come back here, and hopefully we’ll be in a position by then that we can come through and do a headline tour of our own. The way this tour is going, it’s pretty much a given that we’ll at least pull a few people in. Whether the album is out or not by the time we come back doesn’t really matter so much, because I’m sure the second it’s done it’ll be all over the internet anyway. GO CYBERSPACE!

‘This Darkened Heart‘ is available now through Prosthetic Records.
See www.prostheticrecords.com for more information.

Categories
DVD Reviews

Rock and Metal DVD’s

What DVD’s will you be rocking out to this Xmas?

That’s right kiddies, it’s that time of the year again. A time when a fat fucker in a red suit comes down your chimney, steals all your presents and drinks your milk before pissing off through the front door. What’s that you say? That’s not how it goes? Then just who the hell was the guy I stumbled upon last year?!

It’s been quite the slow season for top quality hard rock and heavy metal releases as of late, so I thought we’d switch things up a bit this month with all the latest Music DVD’s worthy of a place in that ample stocking of yours – you tubby bitch.

Kicking things off with a hefty wallop this month was Bay Area bruisers Machine Head with their new feature length ‘Elegies‘. Undoubtedly one of the genre’s finest and most fearsome live acts on their day, it’s a suitably riff-tastic and mosh-worthy affair that will leave even your granny wanting more (like she doesn’t crave it enough already, baby).

Label mates and fellow modern day titans Killswitch Engage also throw their rather camp hats into the ring with their debut release ‘Set This World Ablaze‘. Undoubtedly the single biggest success story of the “New Wave” thrash movement thus far, it contains not only a blistering set featuring all of the band’s classic cuts, but also an in depth look back over their career thus far – covering everything from the early days spent toiling in the Massachusetts underground, right up until their stint as second stage headliners on this year’s Ozzfest.

Those of you who are familiar with us here at Crossfire know by now that there’s a little saying around these parts, and that’s that nobody does it quite like the oldies where good old fashioned rocking goes. As if our word wasn’t enough, there’s a host of mullet-sporting treasures straight from the 80’s thrash metal scene just waiting to be lapped up. While Brazilian revolutionaries Sepultura present their double-disc treat ‘Live In Sao Paulo‘, the legendary Testament make a more than welcome return with the punishing experience that is ‘Live In London‘. If you were fortunate enough to catch Skolnick and co on their brief yet memorably reunion tour all those months ago, then you’ll know how electric North London was that evening. If not, then you do indeed suck a huge amount of ass; but buy this stripped down yet satisfying slab of thrash metal madness and you may just redeem yourself.

Also coming out of the woodwork was underground heroes S.O.D. with their DIY presentation ‘20 Years of Dysfunction‘. Consisting of live performance footage and on the road hysterics shot almost entirely by loyal followers, it’s a shining example of how things should be done – by the fans; FOR the fans.

Of course, we don’t always want a taxing full-length to feast our demanding eyes and ears on. Sometimes it’s nice to stick on a good old compilation to cater for all your hard rocking needs, and what better releases to slam down to than Century Media’s ‘Visual Rebellion 3‘ and the official live experience of the hugely successful Taste of Chaos Tour.As the former thoroughly assaults the senses with a barrage of the biggest and best videos from the biggest and best bands the label has to offer (Shadows Fall, God Forbid, and The Haunted to name but a few), the latter offers viewers a chance to feast their eyes upon some of the most devastating and electrifying performances from the US leg of the tour in 2005, featuring select cuts from both established headliners and upcoming opening acts alike.

There you have it boys and girls, another essential shopping list for you to pass on to mummy in time for the Christmas rush. If you think you can handle this much manly metal mayhem, that is. Yeah, I know, sounds kind of sexist if I put it like that, but do I give a fuck? Well, I won’t answer that, but let’s just say the answer is similar to that of ‘am I able to solve a rubex cube with my feet?‘.

Merry Xmas, i hope this will help you find rock in your TV this Xmas…

Ryan Bird

Categories
The Pit

The Pit – 05.12.05

Ho ho ho,

That’s right kiddies, it’s that time of the year again. A time when a fat fucker in a red suit comes down your chimney, steals all your presents and drinks your milk before pissing off through the front door. What’s that you say? That’s not how it goes? Then just who the hell was the guy I stumbled upon last year?!

It’s been quite the slow season for top quality hard rock and heavy metal releases as of late, so I thought we’d switch things up a bit this month with all the latest Music DVD’s worthy of a place in that ample stocking of yours – you tubby bitch.

Kicking things off with a hefty wallop this month was Bay Area bruisers Machine Head with their new feature length ‘Elegies‘. Undoubtedly one of the genre’s finest and most fearsome live acts on their day, it’s a suitably riff-tastic and mosh-worthy affair that will leave even your granny wanting more (like she doesn’t crave it enough already, baby).

Label mates and fellow modern day titans Killswitch Engage also throw their rather camp hats into the ring with their debut release ‘Set This World Ablaze‘. Undoubtedly the single biggest success story of the “New Wave” thrash movement thus far, it contains not only a blistering set featuring all of the band’s classic cuts, but also an in depth look back over their career thus far – covering everything from the early days spent toiling in the Massachusetts underground, right up until their stint as second stage headliners on this year’s Ozzfest.

Those of you who are familiar with us here at Crossfire know by now that there’s a little saying around these parts, and that’s that nobody does it quite like the oldies where good old fashioned rocking goes. As if our word wasn’t enough, there’s a host of mullet-sporting treasures straight from the 80’s thrash metal scene just waiting to be lapped up. While Brazilian revolutionaries Sepultura present their double-disc treat ‘Live In Sao Paulo‘, the legendary Testament make a more than welcome return with the punishing experience that is ‘Live In London‘. If you were fortunate enough to catch Skolnick and co on their brief yet memorably reunion tour all those months ago, then you’ll know how electric North London was that evening. If not, then you do indeed suck a huge amount of ass; but buy this stripped down yet satisfying slab of thrash metal madness and you may just redeem yourself.

Also coming out of the woodwork was underground heroes S.O.D. with their DIY presentation ‘20 Years of Dysfunction‘. Consisting of live performance footage and on the road hysterics shot almost entirely by loyal followers, it’s a shining example of how things should be done – by the fans; FOR the fans.

Of course, we don’t always want a taxing full-length to feast our demanding eyes and ears on. Sometimes it’s nice to stick on a good old compilation to cater for all your hard rocking needs, and what better releases to slam down to than Century Media’s ‘Visual Rebellion 3‘ and the official live experience of the hugely successful Taste of Chaos Tour.As the former thoroughly assaults the senses with a barrage of the biggest and best videos from the biggest and best bands the label has to offer (Shadows Fall, God Forbid, and The Haunted to name but a few), the latter offers viewers a chance to feast their eyes upon some of the most devastating and electrifying performances from the US leg of the tour in 2005, featuring select cuts from both established headliners and upcoming opening acts alike.

There you have it boys and girls, another essential shopping list for you to pass on to mummy in time for the Christmas rush. If you think you can handle this much manly metal mayhem, that is. Yeah, I know, sounds kind of sexist if I put it like that, but do I give a fuck? Well, I won’t answer that, but let’s just say the answer is similar to that of ‘am I able to solve a rubex cube with my feet?‘.

Tune in next time for the answer, and possibly some more inane babbling, right here in the pit.

Take it away James….

James Sherry’s Pit will be online once we have copy in, until then, click through to the Heavy Shit radio show and amuse yourself.

Categories
Buzz Chart

The Sound Explosion

Newcastle four piece ‘The Sound Explosion’ continue their assault on the airwaves with ‘Apollo‘ – the first offering from their much anticipated second album. Produced by The Stokes mastermind Gordon Raphael, this is high octane, punchy track that is the perfect taster into what looks like being a solid second album.

With over 100 live dates under their belt, The Sound Explosion live up to their name as one of the most explosive live acts on the circuit, and trying to bottle the energy spinning off them on stage proves a difficult challenge. From the onset it’s a punch to the face, drum lines pounding under your skin.

Frontman Kit Endean belts out lines, his voice ragged in parts, trading vocals with guitarist Glen Roughead.

The change in tempo throughout keep attention fixed, as it sways and thrashes through the track, the direction chopping and changing. The momentum builds up throughout the track until the rugs pulled from beneath your feet and you’re left in freefall, only for the bass to kick in below again. ‘Apollo‘ peaks with an intoxicating barrage of guitars and it’s almost worth the wait. I say almost……because this stunner of a track that leaves you hungry for more, roll on that second album, we can’t wait to get our hands on it.

Dee Massey

Categories
Buzz Chart

Thunderbirds are Now!

If you’ve recently fallen for the loveable post-everything-core noise of hip London trio Test Icicles, then get ready to fall in love all over again because ‘Justamustache‘ is probably your favourite record. You just don’t know it yet.

Thunderbirds Are Now! are brought to you by the kind people at French Kiss Records (otherwise known as fab art-punks Les Savy Fav) and deliver catchy, high energy dance-fused rock that draws on the frantic power of At The Drive-In alongside the deranged shronk rock of their aforementioned label bosses. That said, they never stray to far left of centre for the mainstream to understand and successfully walk the line between art and commerce with ease. Watch these Thunderbirds go!

James Sherry

Categories
Buzz Chart

Sheavy

Rise Above Records have been responsible for some incredible releases over the last few months. New albums by Taint and Capricorns are about to put ground-breaking UK metal back on the map, whilst Circulus and Witchcraft released records so steeped in seventies folk and rock you start to question what decade you’re actually in! Next up, here comes Sheavy.

‘Republic?’ is the bands fourth album for Rise Above and it’s business as usual in the Sheavy camp. Here you get eleven slabs (yes, this one goes to eleven) of Black Sabbath inspired stoner/doom rock that is packed with fuzz and distortion and vocals that sound more like Ozzy than Ozzy himself!

A few years back you couldn’t swing a bong around without spilling rancid bong water all over a stoner rock band, but it seems that the majority of the bands have finally smoked too much and can’t do anything but sit down and drool. Not Sheavy – these guys are still waving their freak flag high and long may they continue to do so.

James Sherry

Categories
Buzz Chart

Public Enemy

Public Enemy have always been seen as one of the godfathers of hip hop. Their classic albums “It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back” and “Fear Of A Black Planet” brought their plight of the underprivileged to the plate and smashed a home run against oppression.

Chuck D and Flav are back with their first studio album in 3 years, and from the off its like they’d never been away with the heavy drums of “New Whirl Odor“.

Chuck D’s angry and punchy flow gives every track that hardcore snap that we’re used to with Public Enemy, and Flav is the perfect compliment to him, as ever. The use of strings on “MKLVFKWR” and guitars in “What A Fool Believes” provide a nice detour from the usual boom bap but its during “Bring That Beat Back“, that you remember just how influential their sound was.

Public Enemy are back with a voice as loud and justified as it has ever been, don’t sleep on it.

Sam Hesketh

Categories
Buzz Chart

Dangerdoom

Take one of the most talked about producers of the year and throw him alongside one of the most productive emcees in the underground.

Now mix that up with a cartoon that has taken the States by storm, and you have Dangerdoom. Danger Mouse, of Gorillaz and Grey Album fame laces a great diversity of beats for MF Doom [Madvillain] to rap over.

The upbeat tracks like “Benzi Box“, “Old School” and “Vats Of Urine” leave you bopping and head nodding, whilst the down tuned sounding tracks such as “Bada Bing” and “Mince Meat” are more like Doom’s solo stuff, which makes the listener sway in acknowledgement. All these are helped with guest spots from Wu Tang’s Ghostface, Talib Kweli and Cee-Lo.

A lot of the time, super group type deals don’t work, falling under the hype that precedes them, but not this time. As the masked villain says, and delivers…..he makes mince meat outta that beat Mouse.

Sam Hesketh