Robyn Writes

Review: Walleater – s/t

Bursting from the musically fertile breeding ground of Leeds, Walleater are a burgeoning bunch of plaid-clad youngsters armed with a plethora of effects pedals and a set of musical influences that is almost exclusively based in 90’s guitar music drawn from both sides of the pond. On their debut tape release, A Masking Aura, Walleater appeared for more infatuated by the vague song-construction and slacker lo-fi aesthetic of Pavement, to the extent that the tape featured a cover of Pavement’s ‘Grounded’.

Their latest self-titled EP is a logical continuation of their first musical outing – it’s more refined, at times more muscular and alternately delicate. Yet, it also exhibits moments of introspection and outbreaks of churning noise that remains synonymous with the shoegaze brigade and its current revival. Third track ‘Glow’ opens like an early Swervedriver jam, bearing clear lineage to the Oxford band’s equally expansive take on American alt-rock. But half-way through, the otherwise delicate and resplendent instrumental is submitted to a decimating yet resplendent rapture, where guitars open up like a hole in the clouds and flooding the song with a coruscating distortion that is quite spectacular. It’s a moment of pure aural bliss that was once perpetrated by the likes of psychedelic noise-niks Spacemen 3, indicating that Walleater, consciously or not, have swapped some of their wholly American, Stephen Malkmus-indebted slackerisms for the quintessentially British counterpart.

But Walleater have far from outright abandoned the apathetic stylings of their debut tape, the remaining three tracks continue to draw kinship with the immense guitar distortion of grunge and alternately, the shy and ultra-sensitive postulations of classic emo. Opener ‘Give In To Me’, the track most comparable to their A Masking Aura tape, posits a rather twee synth line over oceanic guitar distortion- providing perhaps the neatest embodiment of Walleater’s aural aesthetic. The vocals however, maintain their dispirited baritone although subtle harmonies in much of the record’s understated choruses impart some much needed depth and dimensionality to an otherwise incoherent mumbling. ‘Just A Boy’ and seven minute closer ‘What Do You Know?’, opening with delay-ridden clean guitar intros, maintain a similar coalescence of grunge and emo that marked out Balance & Composure’s early output before they decided to gear themselves squarely towards arena rock. Both tracks are sumptuous in their intimate delicacy, the band eschewing their penchant for hiding behind a mountain of impenetrable distortion to reveal themselves in a manner that’s more subtly affecting than the noisy maelstrom of ‘Glow’ and the grungey drive of ‘Give In To Me’.

Walleater maintains a brilliant balancing act between American and British manifestations of alternative guitar noise. There’s enough raw emotional subtly, stratospheric psychedelia and propulsive grunge to appeal to fans of each sphere. However, each track seems to belong exclusively to each of these camps to the extent that they could easily be labelled as “the emo song” or “the shoegaze song”. Walleater are a band still striving for a wholly unique sound and despite their array of guitar-based influences, they’re still yet to figure out how to blend their more abstract attributes with their equally affecting emo-isms. But until then, Walleater is still a fantastic little record of hushed introspection and expansive, blissed-out empyrean clamour.

4 out of 5 high fives!

Review: As It Is – This Mind Of Mine [EP]

The third EP from transatlantic pop-punk lot As It Is, This Mind Of Mine was a crowdfunded effort. The band are no stranger to self-releases, but after putting their ideas onto Kickstarter, received a wave of support that they hadn’t previously anticipated and put it all into crafting these four tracks. Does This Mind Of Mine stand up as worthy of that support?

To the band’s ever-growing fanbase, probably yes. It’s a standard pop-punk record; lots of bounce, plenty of emotion, cheeky lyrics. And it does work – the dual vocal approach of British guitarist/vocalist Benjamin Biss and Minnesotan Patty Walters lends itself to quite a distinctive sound, even if, in truth, nothing else about the record really does. Opener ‘Bitter Broken Me’ proceeds to tick all the boxes – it’s well-produced, with some playful riffs and that distinctive vocal split. ‘Horoscopes’ carries on this trend, but with some good woahs in the chorus and some decent bass. ‘Can’t Save Myself’ has a really explosive chorus, and ‘Relive This Story’ is your typical slow-burner, with more than just a hint of influence from Taking Back Sunday. It’s all good, well-structured and poised to meet your expectations – it sadly just doesn’t smash them.

However, As It Is do stand apart on one aspect – their lyrics. There’s a gleeful honesty that abounds throughout This Mind Of Mine, tackling personal demons and difficult topics. It’s not your typical mush about girls, and at times, it’s very clever indeed. In ‘Can’t Save Myself’, there’s this fantastic bit in the verse that goes “And as I’ve aged the only thing I think has changed / is that the demons have moved from under my bed / into the inner depths of my head,” and that’s merely one such gem. Given time, As It Is may well have the lyrical prowess to challenge verbose pop-punk predecessors like Fall Out Boy.

The issue is that As It Is haven’t really had time to grow – rather than focusing on EPs, their next effort should be a debut full-length, which will give them the opportunity to develop a few of the aspects here and experiment a little more. With every step forward, As It Is reveal themselves as a band with promise – the final product’s just not quite there yet.

3 out of 5 high fives!

Review: Plebeian Grandstand – Lowgazers

Do you like your metal imbued with melody? Your breakdowns coveted by harmony? Your guitar solos harmonized by gorgeous major 5ths and subtle minor 7ths? If the answer to any of these queries is yes than well, Lowgazer simply ain’t your bag.

The latest release on the consistently brilliant Throatruiner Records by French melody-detesting quartet Plebeian Grandstand is nothing short of an aural bludgeon. It’s a record brimming with such unfathomable bile that those who purchase the vinyl version will be forced to adorn themselves with health and safety garb for fear of the record stomping on them and spitting in their face before brutishly strolling off to find the next victim of its puerile rage. Lowgazers arrives defiantly devoid of the slenderest amount of melody, instead sporting more tri-tones than you can shake a stick at and scattering them with such abundance as to mock the historical belief that their inclusion in music amounted to the equivalent of installing a “devil in the music”. The Toulouse four-piece draw upon just about every gnarly and malevolent derivative of extreme metal, throwing it all together in a singular maelstrom, a swirling cyclone of violent noise. Tracks are underpinned by the frantic blastbeats of black metal, whilst the guitars administer a rather unique blend of wrist-aching black metallic speed and dissonant open notes, occasionally slackening the speed into the murky realm of sludge.

Opener ‘Thvrst’ is resplendent in its sheer vitriol, guitars making it their duty to maintain a staunch dissonance, a duty that adamantly continues for the length of the record. Vocals abound with terrifying throaty screams, slicing through the instrumental tumult with piercing shrieks that surely leave vocal chords in tatters. Somewhat inevitably, the tracks coalesce into a singular frenetic blur of blastbeats and caustic furore, with difficulty arising in recognising when some tracks begin and end, even after repeated listens. In fact, the record exists as a singular barrage of satanic sound; largely unrelenting and upholding its manic intensity until a much needed mid-section respite. ‘Relief of Troth’ provides just that: relief. The two minute track marking the midway point for the album, a track of ambient noise that although unsettling, allows for a much needed break from the aural terror. ‘Svn in Your Head’ however, throws the listener right back into the fray with doom-laden feedback and a supremely sludgy, sloth-paced riff. Things soon return to their intense disposition on ‘Aimless Roaming’ whilst the album ends in the same fashion as it opens; in a veritable flurry of apocalyptic, discordant and hate-filled metal.

Lowgazer is a record of extremely limited appeal, but its sheer uncompromising audacity and intent on carving out some of the bleakest, most grating and extreme metal around deserves due recognition. It is a rare record, solely in terms of its breath-taking intensity and focus. Plebeian Grandstand aimed to make the most ruthless record they could fathom, and all credit to them, they have done just that.

3.5 out of 5 high fives!

Review: Above The Underground – Sonder

You wouldn’t believe the amount of pop-punk that passes through my inbox. From all corners of the world, I’m assaulted by a ton of bands that still manage to sound exactly the same. Which is why it’s always a real pleasure when something that stands head and shoulders above the rest manages to slip through – and that’s exactly what Above The Underground have done with Sonder.

In our review of Autumns, we noted that these guys had plenty of potential, but with the release of their debut LP, Above The Underground have managed to seriously up their game. Sonder is an absolute joy to listen to, and it’s fantastic to see just how far the band have progressed. The album’s structure is a lot more coherent, the songwriting is much stronger, and all in all, Above The Underground have managed to nail ten solid bangers, none of which will leave you disappointed.

The first half of the album is a bit more of your straight forward pop-punk fare, and it starts with the short, acoustic ‘Prologue’ before launching into ‘Return To Point Pleasant’, which demonstrates some great dual vocal work in the chorus. Although virtually all pop-punk is inspired by our friends from across the Atlantic, Above The Underground do a great job of not giving into the nasally vocals and cookie-cutter riffs; there’s plenty of sunshine, but with a little more bite. ‘Lavender Town Syndrome’ doesn’t do much to reinvent the wheel, but it’s easy listening; perfect for an afternoon drive with the sunroof cranked open and some proper posi lyrics to propel you along. Lyrically, the album is just as strong as than Autumns, if not stronger – each track is its own emotional journey, and embodies the confusion and excitement of youth in a deft and intelligent way.

But midway through, the album, and the band, begins to reach a turning point with ‘Cheer Up’ – a slow burning instrumental, reminiscent of that Northstar or Inkwell style, which rings out beautifully before becoming a launchpad for ‘Not Home’. Potentially the best track on the record, ‘Not Home’ is an aural assault of minor chords and perfectly timed palm mutes. ‘Shine’ is a beautiful acoustic ballad, melancholy yet uplifting. Although it’s much of the same, ‘Bring Me The Sun’ has some stellar woah’s in the chorus, before end track ‘Reprise’ hits like a freight train. Eschewing gang shouts in favour of a proper gang verse, the band show their skills off loud and proud and leave you ready to hit repeat.

Above The Underground have really proven themselves with Sonder. Will it be hard for them to replicate? Only time will tell, but for now, Sonder is a truly exciting record.

4.5 out of 5 high fives!

Metal and religion: sworn enemies or friends with benefits?

Is enjoying heavy metal at odds with being religious, or are they just misunderstood friends? Well, plenty of people seem to think the former must be true: “How can you listen to music like that, didn’t you say you were a Christian?!”

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve had that reaction from friends, mostly followed by them either taking the piss out of me for my love of metal or my being vaguely religious, and recently it has got me wondering – what is the place of religion in metal? It’s no surprise that a lot of metal is pretty anti-religious, seeing as metal is more largely anti-conformist, and it’s not difficult to find anti-religious sentiments spread throughout the genre, from the more subtle references to the openly satanic ‘Antichrist Superstar’ by Marilyn Manson or ‘Shepherd of Fire’ from Avenged Sevenfold.

Is it okay for metal to rubbish religion? I’m all game for freedom of speech, but something does seem wrong about demeaning people just because of their religion. I love metal’s ‘fuck you and fuck what you think’ attitude, even when it’s aimed directly at religion, but only when it’s used in a positive way. “Fuck what you think, this is how we are and we like it” – this is the sort of message that unites fans and makes people feel accepted. I shudder to say it, but it’s the sort of message that has been so successful for Black Veil Brides. When it’s just discriminatory the message only succeeds in being insanely hypocritical – “fuck religion for being intolerant and aggressive”. If you’re going to be totally intolerant of intolerance and aggressive towards aggression, then you’re headed for chaos. Have people learned nothing from Martin Luther King?!

Turn it around though, and you can argue that it’s equally unfair for religion to rubbish metal – it’s the same hypocritical stereotyping and alienation. I vaguely remember the previous pope coming out and saying that all heavy metal and the like was sinful – a pretty stupid and unfair thing to say. Especially since, to tip the scale back, there are quite a few well supported and (relatively) successful Christian metal bands out there: The Devil Wears Prada, Underoath and August Burns Red to name a few. There’s no reason that metal and religion need to be at odds with each other.

Religion isn’t and shouldn’t be untouchable and music is a good avenue to criticise and support it, without having to be extreme and hate-mongering either way. A good current example of this is Architects’ ‘Broken Cross’ – which guitarist Tom came out to defend after it was roundly criticised by certain people of a religious persuasion: “To say ‘Religion is rubbish’ or ‘God is bad’ would be rather reductive, wouldn’t it? Let’s face it, religion is an unimaginably multifaceted beast, there’s plenty of good guys and bad guys”. I couldn’t have put it better myself!

I’m going to go ahead and repeat a little more of what Tom said, because he really hits the point I’m trying to make: “For millions (probably billions) I’ve no doubt that religion serves as a peaceful influence in their lives and that’s fantastic! But the moment others are outcast for their race, gender, sexuality and yes, even religion – well that just gets my goat. And I have no apologies for being upset about that.” The same goes for metal. There shouldn’t be any place in this world for marginalising and discriminating against people just because of who they are and the life they live.

So what am I saying? Simply, don’t be a dick and just be happy with your fellow earth dwellers. That’s not said as a Christian, or as a metal-er, just as common-fucking-sense. Another great example of this message, delivered by a band who I’m much happier to talk about than Black Veil Brides, is from Bury Tomorrow. When I happily moshed around at one of their gigs in Liverpool, screamer Dani Winter-Bates took the time between songs to tell everyone to just be happy and appreciative: “You can tell me you love Bieber and I’ll still shake your hand”. I think we can all agree, that’s pretty bloody tolerant.

Like any art, metal is there as freedom of expression – it can criticise religion and I can still enjoy it, just as I can enjoy ‘Mutter’ by Rammstein, even though I get on pretty well with my own mother. Stereotyping and aiming to be offensive to any group is out of order though – we can make quality music without needing to be dicks to each other.