Trails – SHT FKR (5/5)
This is an absolute stonker of a track. Fast, furious post hardcore with more than a dash of intelligence. Weirdass guitar riffs combine with a storming rhythm section. It’s got one of the greatest guitar solos I’ve ever heard, and choral gang vocals to die for in the outtro. Bloody fucking mental is what it is, and brilliant with it.
Ticks Talk – Drug Dimension (3/5)
The debut single from Indian prog-rockers Ticks Talk is a strange one to say the least. Conceptually set in a future where drugs pumped into the air promote murder and violence, it tells the tale of one scientist’s arrival in a place he doesn’t belong. There’s all the typical weird prog bits – the synths are pretty hard to miss – but with heavy metal riffs and a singer that sounds a bit like Davey Havok in places. And in places, it does sound like a bit of a mess, like it doesn’t know what it wants to be. That said, with a bit of polish and a bit of restructuring, Ticks Talk could turn out to be a very interesting band indeed.