Robyn Writes

Review: Red Seas Fire – Confrontation [EP]

There’s a little bit of a gap in the UK metal scene at the moment. Tech-metal is constantly on the rise and fall, metalcore maintains a consistent presence and otherwise, it’s a bunch of bands who’ve been around for years and years. Of course, there’s your radio-friendly Bring Me The Horizon-esque sound too, but very rarely is there anything that blends all of this together to create something that’s diverse enough and heavy enough to please a number of different camps – well, now that Chronographs have gone all alt-rock, that is. Red Seas Fire have risen forth as a true contender, and Confrontation is an exciting, progressive and thrilling record.

‘Tyrants’ begins slowly, with haunting, echoing melodies, before leading into a powerful, atmospheric verse laden with ambient synths. The rough vocals are just on the right side of unrefined, yet still maintain a great degree of control. The switch to clean for the chorus is so unexpected, and Robin Adams sounds like a young Chester Bennington – you know, before Linkin Park got horrifically boring. The abrupt segue into ‘The Gold Room’ feels visceral, with a few hints of ‘core influence rearing their heads alongside the complex riffs. Each song is so tightly constructed, with perfect structure and a formidable rhythm section – highly impressive for such a young band. The touches of electronics throughout the record are just perfect, and the production levels are incredibly high while still maintaining a raw and instinctual feel. ‘The Grand Escape’ provides an ideal centrepiece to the EP, with a heavier reliance on synths than previous tracks, before the record finishes on the completely clean ‘Compass’. Remaining clean the whole way through lends a power to the track that it might otherwise lack, and it’s the perfect way to end the EP, as heavy bass contrasts amazingly with really sweet incidental guitar.

Red Seas Fire are absolutely ones to watch this year. Confrontation is part of a much wider vision, and will be combined with predecessor Exposition and forthcoming EP Resolution to create a complete full-length. Now available for free on Red Seas Fire’s website, Confrontation deserves your full and rapturous attention.

4.5 out of 5 high fives!

Review: A Werewolf! – Because Why Not?

Because Why Not? is a very apt name for the debut EP from Worcestershire mathrock duo A Werewolf! The entire record is a whistle-stop tour through genres and musical styles to complicated rhythms with crazy, crazy film quotes thrown in. I’d like to say that if you’ve got a record in front of you with a song called ‘Chop Yourself Off at the Knees and Pretend You’re Tom Cruise’, you kind of know what you’re getting into but with Because Why Not?, you totally don’t. And that is not a bad thing at all.

The record starts off intense. ‘Hellbent on Duck Slaughter’ is the mathiest track of them all, and if you’re not into crazy riffs bordering on the wrong side of jazz, then this will probably put you off for life. However, listen closely and you’ll find that there’s an incredibly full sound coming from these guys, despite the fact that they’re a duo. It’s all completely instrumental, and in most cases, this works. In tracks like ‘Come At Me Bro’, which are less complex, vocals are missed somewhat, but that punk edge instils a great sense of fun anyway.

Where A Werewolf! truly shine though is in their more post-rock sounding tunes – ‘Psycho Scientist vs Super Massive Giant Swan’ and ‘Sanka Ya Dead?’ both feature jangly guitars and incredibly tight drums with a more laidback feel than the rest of the record – slowing down slightly truly enables their talent to shine through. However, they’re still highly exciting when they’re playing more frenetic stuff – ‘I Have To Return Some Videotapes’ effortlessly mixes funk and metal with those complex time signatures with awe-inspiring effect. It’s probably not the kind of stuff you’d just stick on in the background, and nor should it be – Because Why Not? deserves to be dissected and digested and to be appreciated fully.

Because Why Not? is ambitious and it’s completely mental, but most of all, it’s great fun. It’s not for the faint-hearted, but if you’re willing to try something a little different, you’ll have struck gold with A Werewolf!

4 out of 5 high fives!

Review: Dearist – Get What You Want [7″]

Dearist is the new project from Kyoto Drive’s singer and bassist, Adam Binder. Do not let that sentence instil you with fear – Get What You Want is no superficial, throwaway pop-rock record. Instead, it’s two tracks of soaring, atmospheric goodness, more akin to alt-rock titans Anberlin or 30 Seconds To Mars (when they’re having a good day). Indeed, Get What You Want is a promising debut and could be the beginning of something very exciting.

The eponymous track immediately signals a massive break from Kyoto Drive’s previous style. Downtuned riffs and a storming verse take precedence over saccharine guitar lines, the lyrics aren’t just about girls any more and the choruses reach new, anthemic heights. Dearist have hit on a totally massive sound, and it’s not all smoke and mirrors either – there’s a few cool effects coming into play here and there, but most of it is just through crafting straight up rock stompers. ‘Just Let Me Know (All Over Yet)’ continues along the same road as its predecessor, but introduces some beautiful piano to the mix. It’s not the lead single, but it’s the stronger of the two tracks; it perhaps lacks the immediate punch of ‘Get What You Want’ but instead, playful riffs abound throughout the verses and Binder’s breathy vocals float gently over a chorus that builds and builds into a fantastic mid-section that Jared Leto would be proud of.

Get What You Want is an intriguing debut and hopefully, a sign of things to come. I for one am awaiting Dearist’s forthcoming full-length with genuine excitement – July can’t come soon enough.

4 out of 5 high fives!

Top 10 Songs of Spring

Forget the Saharan sand and the air pollution, spring is here! It’s like summer’s support act – not quite the big deal, but not bad all the same. Most of the time, anyway. So, my music taste tends to change with the season; my horrorpunk has (for the most part) been set aside for darker times, and I’m ready to approach something fresher. Here’s a bunch of songs that are the perfect lead-in to happy spring days.

10) Against Me – Transgender Dysphoria Blues
I haven’t been able to stop listening to this record since January, but the eponymous track on Against Me!’s storming sixth album is the most fantastic wake-up call. Laura Jane Grace has got some heavy shit to tell us, and she’s going to do it in style.

9) Asian Kung-Fu Generation – Rewrite
This was the opening track to a season of FullMetal Alchemist, which I totally burned through during an Easter holiday back in high school. But it’s easy to see why songs like these get chosen to lead in a story that’s as much about adventuring as it is about kicking demonic ass – because they’re really, really catchy.

8) Blink 182 – Aliens Exist
Enema of the State. What an album. Blink 182 usually makes it onto my summer playlists rather than my spring, but ‘Aliens Exist’ has just a touch of desolate paranoia that I can’t help but adore. Also, the Tom, Mark and Travis Show version is beyond perfect.

7) Eisley – Drink The Water
It’s impossible to listen to an Eisley album without falling into some state of perfect bliss. Every track is beautiful, and ‘Drink The Water’ from Currents is no exception. All of their songs are like fairy tales, and if you’ve never tuned in before, go right ahead and be amazed.

6) Fall Out Boy – Just One Yesterday
Save Rock And Roll is full of great vocal lines, but this song takes the chocolate-smothered cake with cherry on top. The guest vocals from Foxes are just sublime. Roll down the windows and belt it out down country roads for maximum effect.

5) Fidlar – West Coast
Surf-punk is one of my favourite things in existence, and by extension, Fidlar are pretty high up on that list. ‘West Coast’ is a massive song, totally singable and Henry Rollins makes a cheeky appearance in the video for no apparent reason.

4) Kevin Devine – Just Stay
Possibly my favourite Kevin Devine song, ‘Just Stay’ is a beautiful mix of country sensibilities and second-wave emo feelings. Simultaneously uplifting and crushing, just like spring tends to be with sunshine and showers.

3) Northstar – Like AM Radio
Who doesn’t love a bit of 2004 emo from Alabama that sounds like it should have come out of Long Island? I don’t know anyone, that’s for sure. Pollyanna is still a great record, and ‘Like AM Radio’ is its crowning jewel.

2) Allison Weiss – One Way Love
Allison Weiss is 100% adorable, 100% awesome and one hell of a talented songwriter. And I think that’s all I need to say: listen to the track and discover for yourself.

1) Andrew McMahon – Synesthesia
Andrew’s solo tour last year was incredible, and so was The Pop Underground, his first solo EP. Jack’s Mannequin doesn’t really count. If you like soft synths, sweet piano and Andrew’s dulcet tones (who doesn’t?), then this record is a must.

Review: Tussk – Par T. Animal [EP]

Par T. Animal is a bit of an odd beast. The forthcoming two-track EP from Stoke-on-Trent rockers Tussk is one part Every Time I Die, one part Pantera and two parts heavy metal cheese. It’s loud and it’s proud, with plenty of over-the-top guitar solos and cheesy lyrics, backed by some hardcore growls and cheeky breakdowns. The question is, does this weird mix actually work?

For the most part, yeah, pretty much. ‘Jazz Hammer’ starts the EP off with a bang, with that southern rock swagger kicking in straight from the off and some great shouty vocals, but then it all goes a bit Aerosmith and the vocals get seriously hair metal. It’s a really strange combination, and at first, it doesn’t seem to blend. However, as you get into the EP, it makes a pleasant change to constant growls, but there needs to be more of a balance between the two sides. Playing off that darkness and light could work really well for Tussk with some polish. There’s some absolutely storming guitar solos present throughout, but they’re partially ruined by poor production – the mix just isn’t right, leaving the drums too overpowering and the guitars too fuzzy. ‘Double Drag Queen’ doesn’t have quite as much impact as ‘Jazz Hammer’ at first, but it builds to a great chorus and if you listen carefully, you can pick out loads of fantastic licks and fills as it goes on. However, both tracks feel quite disjointed in places, as if they’re trying to cram as many badass elements into a track at once, and while it does make a difference not to hear the same hardcore song structure put in place all over again, Tussk could do with just a little more precision in their writing.

Par T. Animal definitely revels in that rock and roll spirit, and to be fair, all of the elements are there – it just needs a little more focus and some better production. Tussk have certainly got style and determination, and a healthy appreciation for partying hard; that’s what’s going to see them through in the end.

2.5 out of 5 high fives!