Robyn Writes

Ravenscode – District Of Broken Hope

Ravenscode are an alternative rock band from Ontario, Canada. Their debut LP, District Of Broken Hope was released early last February. It has a pretty awesome cover, courtesy of Charlie Adlard of The Walking Dead fame. They are the official band of the Oshawa Generals hockey team. Absolutely all of this is positively endearing, but District Of Broken Hope is sadly not that interesting in comparison.

It opens well, at least. ‘Hero’ begins with a bang. You’re immediately hit with a great sense of confidence and passion, and it’s clear that Ravenscode love what they do. They revel in building up a striking intro, and lead vocalist Justin Bezaire has the perfect tone for this kind of music. However, a closer listen to the lyrics reveals tired metaphors. While lyrics do not make a song what it is, the feeling that they give begin to transfer out into the album as a whole. They’re safe; and that’s exactly what District Of Broken Hope is. Everything is tried and tested. As the album goes on, each track takes on a certain formula. You know how the song’s going to start, you know where the guitar solo is coming and you know how it’s going to end. The tracks that deviate from this are the best on the album. ‘Where Were You’, for example, begins with an acoustic intro, has a slow verse before coming in strong with a standout chorus. It even throws in some great ‘na na na’s’ towards the end.

For what it is, it’s all very well made. ‘Hyde’ is possibly the best showcase for the band as a whole, featuring some strong vocal lines, great riffs and a pounding rhythm section. Every song is meticulously crafted. Throughout the whole LP, there’s a certain sense of impetus and drive that can often be lacking from this kind of music. It just doesn’t stop it from being background music. It’s not raw enough; I don’t feel the distress and the heartbreak that the lyrics portray as I listen to it, nor the anger that should be present in tracks like ‘District Of Broken Hope’. It’s radio friendly, which can be both a boon and a detriment. In this case, it’s bit of both.

2.5 out of 5 high fives!

Artist Spotlight – The Ocean Between Us

Ten years ago, if anybody had asked me what I knew about Yorkshire I’m not sure what the answer would have been, but it certainly wouldn’t have been, “Oh, you mean the hotbed of metalcore?”. Since Bring Me The Horizon formed this time nine years ago that all changed and the trend didn’t begin and end with them. Enter the stage The Ocean Between Us. Also emerging from in and around Yorkshire, TOBU are a post-metalcore band whose music, appearance and location are more than enough to see comparisons form between themselves and BMTH.

TOBU forge a sound that is a fusion between metalcore and melodic death metal, delivery raw riffs, screamed vocals and heavy breakdowns that promise to make any pits or walls of death at their live shows truly brutal, while maintaining the guitar-based catchy, rhythmic verses that can get a whole venue bouncing. The latest single released from their debut album is a perfect example of all of these features united in one song. Hitting in with a crunching bassline “Safety” pounds along at a pace for the most-part with a fast drum beat and racing guitars, but it reels itself in to deliver a chorus dominated by vocalist Judd’s demonic screams. A special mention also has to be reserved for the penultimate track “What Do You Stand For?”. Also featured on their self-titled EP, this song kicks into life with a riff that is more rock than metal, the song gives Judd’s vocals worthy pride of position throughout the verses where the kick-drums burst into life to power the song along. But at points both subside allowing the insanely catchy riff to take over again, before ripping through the song with the aggressive growls that have already made this a fans’ favourite.

With their debut album Savoir Faire coming out March 25 and a UK tour to promote it, bassist Ben Beagles and vocalist Judd Wrighton took the time to speak to TwoBeatsOff about their influences, the comparisons to BMTH and the state of metalcore in the UK. Introducing themselves as “badly dressed and skint as owt, but in high spirits”, this seems to be an attitude that resonated through the lyrics of the whole album – no money but no worries. Explaining why the album came to be called “Savoir Faire” the lads said: “Its French for ‘Know How’. Have you ever seen that dodgy Disney film from the 90’s called Oliver and Company? Based on Oliver Twist. It’s about this cat that gets stranded in New York City and then meets these dogs that live in a boat and don’t need any money to get through life ‘cos they’re all streetwise. It kinda reminded me of ourselves since we used to tour whilst jumping trains and pushing our gear about in shopping trolleys. At one part of the film one of the dogs sings a ‘r8 good song’ and it goes like this. ‘Why should I worry? Why should I care? I don’t even have a dime, no, but I’ve got street savoir faire.’”

The debut release has been in the works for the past 18 months since the band’s EP over 2 years ago, and while the current line-up is approaching the 18 month-old mark, they have “had just about every musician in Northern England play for [them] at some point.” Influenced by the relative hard times experienced by youths in the UK today, the band doesn’t tend to take themselves too seriously: “Our lyrical influences are about general hard times being young adults living in Britain. Being raped from every angle by absolutely everyone and still nobody gives a fuck, metaphorically speaking.” But rather than thinking that they really are the hardest done to people in the world, they describe their songs as “a way to complain about first world problems,” while their music more generally is “influenced by what we hear around us mixed with psychedelic thinking hats.”

Although some bands get incredibly aggressive at attempts to pigeon hole them into a definite genre or at comparisons with other bands out there, TOBU aren’t so resistant. Asked if the comparisons to other bands such as BMTH annoy them, they said: “no, not at all. Bring Me The Horizon are a brilliant example of good British metal music. If people compare us to bands like them we take it as a compliment.” But these good vibes and words of praise for BMTH didn’t extend to the metalcore scene in the UK in general. “Absolutely hate it. Ever since people stopped wearing BMTH t-shirts and started wearing More Than Life t-shirts. It appeared that t-shirts still remained to be t-shirts, but to 80% of people in the UK that like heavy music it is evidently very very gay to be into us. Ball deep.”

So what do you get from TOBU’s debut release? 11 tracks of head-banging, viciously screamed post-metalcore; what’s not to love? Especially from a band who are happy to describe themselves as “whingeing little pussies” and have the motto “work hard, play hard, fuck bitches harder”. One thing that TOBU have that many young bands lack is a true understanding of song composition. Each song is well thought out with perfectly judged changes in pace and a thrashing rhythm. So looking forwards to what the future holds, “that’s up to everyone else. Watch this space.”

The Ocean Between Us are Judd Wrighton, Ben Beagles, Billy Gaskell, Simon Smyllie and Fraser Mulholland. Their debut album, Savoir Faire, is coming out on Monday 25th March on Wolf At Your Door Records. The band are currently touring the UK.

J-Pop Sunday – UVERworld

Kaito’s in Japan this week! So while he’s in his element, I’m taking over J-Pop Sunday. And I’m going to kick off my reign of terror by introducing you all to the band that first made me fall in love with J-music, and that’s UVERworld!

Quick guide
Act Name: UVERworld
Years Active: 2003-present
Genre: Rock
Notable Singles: “CHANCE!” (2005), D-techno life (2005), Colors Of The Heart (2006), Hakanaku mo Towa no Kanashi (2008), Gold (2010), Baby Born & Go/Kinjito (2011)
Number of members with strange symbols in their name: 1 (TAKUYA∞)

UVERworld are one of the biggest selling rock bands in Japan. They’ve sold over two million records worldwide and they have a name that’s easily pronounced by an ignorant Western tongue. They formed in 2003 in Kutsasu, Shiga under the name Sound Goku Road and originally featured seven members. However, after their first few demos, their number dropped to five and Takuya took up main vocals. Their big break came in 2005 when they got signed by Gr8! Records, the label that also plays host to Orange Range and Yui among others. It was only a matter of time before they burst onto the scene with the album TimeLess. TimeLess is a pop tour de force, with some of the best vocal hooks around and some interesting rapping. There’s some hilarious Engrish lyrics (my favourite being “don’t stop the lovin’” in “ai ta kokoro”) but the guitar is positively insane. On a sheer technical level, UVERworld outrank their closest Western contemporaries by a country mile. And they dress better, as you can see in this live performance of Chance!:

I first found out about them thanks to Japan’s insistence on slamming entirely inappropriate songs onto opening credits for anime. This is a big deal for bands over there; it essentially means you’ve got it made. UVERworld were extremely fortunate to have some of their earliest tracks as opening themes – “D-techno life” became the second opening theme for Bleach. If you don’t know Bleach, just know that it’s absolutely HUGE in the anime world. However, my curiosity was peaked slightly later. For me, Blood+ took on a whole new significance as “Colors Of The Heart” absolutely decimated my musical landscape.


While Kaito is a consummate professional and finds the official videos, my Japanese is far too bad for that so have the opening to Blood+

“Colors Of The Heart” hit number 3 in the Oricon charts, their highest chart position at that point. Following that success, UVERworld’s second album, BUGRIGHT, came out in 2007. Now, while TimeLess is pretty poppy in places, it also has some surprisingly dark turns, taking cues from nu-metal and industrial in places. This element is almost completely gone with BUGRIGHT, instead focusing on high-octane rock extravaganzas, funky acoustic numbers and some gratuitous saxophone. However, none of it feels over the top; it’s still extremely fun, very intricate and perfect for summer festivals. And there’s a few power ballads, Japanese style, thrown in for good measure:


The acoustic version of “Kimi no Suki na Uta” has become far more popular than the original.

UVERworld are pretty prolific. It amazes me how many Japanese bands manage to get out as many albums as they do, especially keeping the quality so high. PROGLUTION (have you noticed a proclivity for caps lock in their albums names yet?) was released in 2008 and was UVERworld’s longest album to date. PROGLUTION showed the band begin to incorporate far more electronic elements into their sound as well as taking back some of the heavier elements from TimeLess. They began experimenting with instrumentals and clearly had a lot of fun. Plus the haircuts got even more fashionable. This wasn’t enough for the band though, and they released a series of singles. One of these, “Gekido” would become the opening theme track for D.Gray-Man, and “Hakanaku mo Towa no Kanashi” (儚くも永久のカナシ?) became UVERworld’s first number one! I can see exactly why, it’s a positively brilliant track.


Broken down houses are always perfect for music videos.

Since PROGLUTION, UVERworld have released FOUR MORE ALBUMS. That’s right. Since 2008, they’ve had an album out every year; most recently, The One. I regretfully didn’t manage to catch up with all of them, but all of the singles have been absolutely gold. And not just the one called “Gold” either – which incidentally was the first 3D music video released in Japan. One thing that I have learnt during the course of this article is that lots of people like to shift the pitch of UVERworld songs up so it sounds like a woman singing. If anyone can enlighten me as to how this trend began, I’ll give you internet cookies. And if nothing else has convinced you as to just how brilliant UVERworld really are, then hopefully this will:

That’s all from me this week! I may well be back for next week’s instalment, not talking about any projects involving TM Revolution. I promise, Kaito!

Orphans – Pack Mentality [EP]

Emerging from the idyllically located city of Denver, Colorado, Orphans present a subverted attack on modern hardcore that takes cues from off-beat bands such as Circle Takes The Square and These Arms Are Snakes. The four track E.P is a furious collision of chaos and calm that begins with flurries of concentrated vitriol that only increases as the record progresses. You won’t find any formulaic breakdowns here, only four unorthodox tracks of intense emotional release. Vocal screams are almost acidic in their unremitting caustic fury- a cheese grater to the ears for some and an endurance test for many but pure aural bliss for certain strange types such as myself who like to exercise their anger in a vicarious manner. Orphans though, address emotion head on. While some bands feel inclined to hide their true opinions amongst abstract metaphors the band see no need to try and mask subjects that obviously produce a lot of anguish within their collective psyches. “I care more about what people think of me, then I think about myself” screams the explosive and confessional lyrical bite of the frank vocalist.

‘Blood Of The Father’ lures the listener into a false sense of security with softly strummed chords that in retrospect serve only as a short prelude to the unrelenting anguish which resides in every strained scream and feedback blast, both of which are so piercing they could be weaponized. ‘Dark Satanic Mills’ begins in much the same fashion as the track before, but this time the fury that follows the calm is expected although its impact is no less compelling. Guitars utilise tapping techniques to introduce notions of melody and delay-ridden lead lines provide some atmosphere to the otherwise hostile proceedings. Overdriven discordance and introspective beauty both exist in a tense ‘Bengals’, with punishing atonal riffs giving way to a short mid-song oasis of delicately played clean guitar melodies that arrives like the uneasy calm of the eye of a hurricane. As closer ‘White Guilt’ plays, instruments slowly start to unravel and there is a real threat that the whole song will simply descend into pure white noise. But just when the track is on the brink of collapse the band reels in for a final exorcism of pain that culminates in an acerbic blast of feedback as the final blow for brutalized ears. A must hear for fans of the more cerebrally inclined hardcore sphere, Pack Mentality is an intelligent emotional catharsis punctuated with pockets of much craved harmony. Agony never sounded so good.

4.5 out of 5 high fives!

New Riot – Avondale House (SMILE FEST), 28th February 2013

In contemporary Britain, where rolling news is constantly filled with tales of austerity and warnings of economic instability as Europe crumbles around us, the public desperately needs a huge dosage of good-time, lager soaked entertainment with which the woes of modern life can be briefly drowned out in an alcoholic haze. And what better way to receive that much needed dosage than from seeing a hard partying ska band in the most English of establishments – a ruddy big pub.

The confines of the cramped upstairs room make a change from some of the relatively large clubs within which New Riot has supported big name pogo luminaries such as Less Than Jake and Reel Big Fish although they seem unperturbed by the fact they’re playing to a no more than fifty students and one crusty old punk who may or may not think it is 1982. New Riot carry all the hallmarks of a band that you have to be significantly under the influence of cheap alcopops to enjoy, as suggested by their party-centric lyrics that could easily have been stolen from a One Direction B-side. “Let’s go crazy crashing parties all over town!” goes the chorus from their popular number ‘RIOT.SLEEP.REPEAT’, which receives the biggest cheer of the night. The group’s relentless efforts to animate the blurry eyed crowd are partially successful, a small gaggle of particularly enthusiastic fans react to the band’s cries of mosh pits by skanking to their hearts content, with one dreadlocked fellow head-banging to every single note without fail. ‘Feel The Burn’ and ‘Nothing To Lose’ from their debut album maintain an admirably fast paced tempo that the band manages to uphold throughout their set. As the show progresses, the crowd becomes visibly thinner, a down heartening sight for any band to play to, but their good time bouncy bouncy energy never falters, even when many of the crowd’s attention is drawn to a particularly spectacular goal on the myriad of large TV screens spread strategically around the room. The group’s insistence on playing new songs upsets the show’s rhythm somewhat, and their between song banter borders on the inane. Musically though, the band offers little in originality, peddling the generic ska sound of brass and guitar interplay with shouty vocals and speedy power chord punk sections- proving that for the most part ska is still defiantly frozen in time. After thirty years or so as a genre, the group should be looking to bands such as Sonic Boom Six who have successfully cannibalized other genres and stitched them chaotically to a ska underbelly with terrific and ground-breaking results. New Riot however, seem quite happy to keep things within the genre’s expectations and guidelines; for all their sweating and animated gesticulations, New Riot could well be any of the countless personality devoid ska bands on the oft soul destroying toilet venue circuit. For about five intoxicated and energetic people though, New Riot lived up to their namesake.