The Underdogs - "I Punched Magic Matt" review

"I Punched Magic Matt" is the debut EP from local rock 'n' roll upstarts The Underdogs. This band have been kicking around for quite a while now on the live circuit (performing a mixture of covers and originals) and I can assure you from first hand experience that they go down an absolute storm. However, this is the first time the band has put together some form of demo for all of the fans to enjoy and so it was with eager anticipation that I wrapped my ears around it for the first time.

From the first few chords on opening track Teenage Angst In Heaven it's apparent where the band's influences lie. From pop-punk veterans Green Day to grunge heroes Nirvana. The Underdogs show that they aren't afraid to wear their musical inspirations on their sleeve. Everything from the vocal style to how loud the bass is in the mix highlight how bands of this ilk should and do sound. It's an EP that really captures the feeling you get when listening to an early Green Day record; even the titles of the songs themselves are very reminiscent of that era of music. Nevertheless, even with all of these similarities present, The Underdogs still sound somewhat unique in comparison to bands of the same style.

Perhaps the finest thing about this EP is the catchiness of the songs. You'll have the chorus to Oh Maybe running laps around your head for days and even the chord progressions manage to lodge themselves deep inside your cerebral cortex. The quality of the tracks alone is great. EP highlight Magic Matt kicks hard initially with a pummelling drum section and furious strumming before breaking into a chorus that is not only melodic but rather soft-hearted and floaty, it then proceeds to crash through into a fantastic sounding solo; great variety and unpredictability. In addition to the quality of the tracks, the title itself is hilarious and refers to the events of a certain 'Battle of the Bands' night, if you weren't there then you missed out greatly.

So there you have it, a very promising debut from a very young and very much local band. Not only is this EP great but it's also free. Support an up-and-coming group of musicians by downloading it for free from the bands Facebook page on the 28th of September, and then get down to a show and sing your lungs out. 7.5/10

While She Sleeps - 'This Is The Six' album review

While She Sleeps have quickly become the poster boys for modern British metal music. They grabbed a lot of attention with their storming debut mini album 'The North Stands For Nothing' and since then have spent their time touring and writing their first full length. The hype and anticipation surrounding this band has been huge, with everyone praying that they could show us all that they deserve the attention. And for that reason, it gives me great satisfaction to say that While She Sleeps have smashed all of my expectations and have gifted us with a sublime record.

The easiest way to describe While She Sleeps' sound would be to lump them in with metalcore, but this does not do them justice. Metalcore has become a very stale sub-genre with a vast number of bands releasing effectively the same album over and over again, yet, with While She Sleeps, we have a strangely unique sound. There's just something about this record that separates it from the rest of the stuff that's out there. You've got gang vocals, guitar melodies, fills, riffs, solos, breakdowns; everything you could possibly need to produce a fantastic metal album but with that extra special something that they seem to possess. The songs themselves are of an extremely high quality. From the sheer brutality of Dead Behind The Eyes to the stop-start rhythms of Be(lie)ve to the heartfelt reminiscing of Seven Hills, this record is wall-to-wall bangers. Every track could be a single. It is undoubtedly one of, if not the, most consistent record I've heard all year.

It's the vocals that really do it for me on this album. Lawrence Taylor does an excellent job, it's constant ferocity and venom but with an occasional lighter touch. Even though the vocals are harsh there's a melody present and you just know that these songs are going to kill it live. The combination of crushing riffs, thundering drums and soaring vocals lead to a state of musical zen. This is an album that you'll just want to listen to over and over and over again - I know I have. The confidence is staggering. It's a near perfect record and the only issue I have is a very slight one; I find that the atmospheric parts such as the track The Chapel aren't really needed and don't really add anything. With that being said, this tiny issue does not detract from an album that is, overall, utterly superb and - unfortunately for While She Sleeps - creates a huge amount of expectation regarding a follow up album which I eagerly look forward to hearing. You need to own this album. Astounding. 9.5/10

'The Dark Knight Rises' review

Christopher Nolan is without a doubt one of the most consistent and talented writer/directors of recent memory. His modern masterpieces such as 'Inception', 'The Prestige', 'Memento' and of course, 'Batman Begins' and 'The Dark Knight' have cemented his position amongst the all time greats with his own unique type of film that captures the viewer in a way that few directors can manage. The man is a genius. So with the release of the immensely anticipated conclusion to his epic Batman trilogy, the question always was, will it live up to the hype?

 In a word; yes. 'The Dark Knight Rises' manages to achieve all that it aims to. But it does so much more than that - it smashed all the expectations I had. From it's epic and mysterious opening to it's satisfying and well rounded ending, 'The Dark Knight Rises' delivers in a way I could never have imagined. The twists and turns, the explosive action sequences and the fantastic character interplay all combine to result in undoubtedly one of, if not the, finest superhero film ever.

Whilst many people may say that 'The Dark Knight Rises' could never live up to the brilliance of 'The Dark Knight' (mostly because of Heath Ledger's outstanding and utterly memorable performance as The Joker) I would say that the character of Bane is a wholly more threatening presence throughout the film and Tom Hardy's performance is fantastic. The sheer brutality of Bane and his calculated and well planned actions prove to be a more frightening counterpart to Batman compared to the madness and unpredictability of Heath Ledger's Joker. (Although of course in comparison to Bane, The Joker's plan was much simpler - kill The Batman). And because of this, you find yourself (for potentially the first time ever) worrying about Batman as a result of the fact that Bane outmatches Batman - both physically and mentally, due to the fact that Bruce Wayne never recovered from the events of 'The Dark Knight' and is in terrible shape for his first encounter with Bane.

Alongside Tom Hardy's excellent performance is the great Anne Hathaway, who manages to destroy all of the prejudices I may have felt towards her as an actress and Catwoman as a character. Other great performances include Gary Oldman who is a large and attention grabbing presence as always. And, of course, Christian Bale - Batman himself, who turns out an immense performance as the broken bat. Perhaps most surprising is Joseph Gordon-Levitt's stellar performance as Blake, a police officer with much more intelligence and importance than initially meets the eye.

The story itself is what makes 'The Dark Knight Rises' stand above all of it's competition. The unpredictability of the events and the constant failed attempts that you make at trying to stay one step ahead of the film and guess the events before they happen, both speak volumes in terms of how quickly the feel and tone of the movie changes constantly. This film screams epic. The characters, changes of setting and the tone of the movie itself make it apparent that this is the conclusion to one of the greatest trilogies in motion picture history. The loose ends are tied and whilst you feel a certain sense of completion in regards to this superb series of films, it does leave you feeling saddened, knowing that this is the end of Christopher Nolan's outlandishly entertaining take on Batman.

So, there you have it, the greatest film of the year so far, with perhaps only The Hobbit left to contend with for the title itself. An obscenely good film, with bags of intrigue, originality and thought. A modern masterpiece. Thank you Christopher Nolan for gifting us with this eruptive finale. 10/10

Periphery - 'II' album review

The emergence of the genre known as 'Djent' has resulted in a plethora of bands utilising what can only be described as the guitar tone of Satan himself. Periphery are undoubtedly one of the genre's forerunners and they showed this with their excellent début record that managed to capture the essence of  Djent in every track; with chugging riffs, luscious solos and polyrhythms. With their second album it is clear that Periphery wanted to capture the magic of their début (which made them stand head and shoulders above the vast majority of their peers) but to drive it forward and to give themselves a more well rounded and perhaps even unique sound. An amiable task, but, did they manage it?

 The great thing about Periphery is the sheer ease with which their music can be listened to, in terms of a progressive, technical metal band they are perhaps the most accessible and this makes for some great songs. That's right. Not just tracks that showcase the bands huge amount of talent, but songs. Well written, well performed and wholly listenable songs. Here is a band that gain great influence from the progressive metal titans Meshuggah -the band that coined the term 'Djent' - managing to craft an album that consists of songs that don't tax the brain in a way that the new Meshuggah record does (don't get me wrong though, 'Koloss' is breathtaking) but also manages to leave the listener with a feeling that they won't be able to get the full amount of satisfaction out of every song without listening to each one for a third, fourth or fifth time. A great achievement indeed.

However, don't let the fact that this is a somewhat accessible record fool you. The musicianship on this album is frankly sublime. The guitar work in particular stands out; with an abundance of riffs, solos and mind boggling grooves. It is something to behold. Furthermore, the vocals on this record are fantastic, soaring melodies and brutal growls, 'II' has it all. It is probably the vocals that separate this album from the competition, the variety is a breath of fresh air and you will have a chorus or two circling around your head after listening.

Another great thing about 'II' is the length, you get a lot of bang for your buck, 14 tracks clocking in at around the 70 minute mark. The best thing about long albums is that you can really sink your teeth into them. They provide plenty of sustenance and this is very true of this record. You will find yourself crawling inside it and not wanting to leave, every fresh listen revealing another little intricacy you didn't notice earlier.

So, yes, Periphery did achieve their aim, producing an incredible album which will unquestionably be appearing in many people's 'albums of the year' lists. A mature, unique sounding record without a bad song. Fantastic. 8.5/10

'Prometheus' review

'Prometheus' was undoubtedly my most anticipated film of the year. Never mind the conclusion to Chris Nolan's epic Batman trilogy 'The Dark Knight Rises' or Peter Jackson's eagerly awaited 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey', this is the film that I was hoping would blow my mind this year in a way that I would never fully recover from. And whilst 'Prometheus' is, without a doubt, an excellent sci-fi romp and a great way of bulking out the 'Alien' mythology, sadly it didn't quite obliterate all of my expectations.

The Alien franchise is one of my favourite franchises of all time. And the thought of Ridley Scott returning to the world he helped create left me frothing at the mouth from the first rumour. With all of my hopes gathered, I sat in my seat and this potential classic began.

One of the finest things about 'Prometheus' (which is evident from the very beginning) is the outstanding cinematography and incredible set design. The area the crew investigate really is amazing. H R Giger's visions become a startling reality and you can't help but soak up every inch of every scene, it makes the film that little bit more believable and enthralling. The spaceship is also superb and means that no matter where a particular scene might take place, you feel involved in a way that is quite surreal and profound. The film's scale is quite something to behold as well, it becomes clear instantly that Ridley Scott wasn't exactly confined to a shoe-string budget and everything, no matter how insignificant, is appreciated by the viewer in a way that only large scale epics can manage.

Let's get on to possibly the best thing in the whole movie, which is; the performance of Michael Fassbender. Fassbender plays the android without a soul and does so in such a perfect manner that it leaves the viewer feeling rather haunted. Obviously, if you've seen 'Alien' then you know that androids aren't always interested in the feelings of the crew, and because of this it's hard to ever trust a robot in any kind of film. With that in mind, Fassbender really frightens the viewer with his stiffness, his humourless attitude and the unnerving efficiency of everything he does. In short, Fassbender is sublime and whenever he is in a shot you know it's going to be good. Also worthy of a mention is Noomi Rapace who plays one of the two scientists that are responsible for the expedition; and is probably the one character that the viewer properly connects with, she is probably the person that gets the most screen time; which isn't a bad thing because she is very interesting to watch.

The nods to the original 'Alien' are very obvious and add a lot to the film, Scott explores the mythos of the franchise excellently and creates many a revelation for an 'Alien' fan, it's great to see and adds an extra level of depth to what quickly becomes a series of engrossing discoveries behind the mysteries which, up until now, were never quite explained by the original 'Alien'.

'Prometheus' is unquestionably a violent film and there are some quite shocking and terrifying scenes. Whilst there may not be one scene that really stacks up against the infamous 'chestburster' sequence from 'Alien', overall, it could be said that Prometheus is a lot darker and more sinister than the original, which generates much more tension, particularly towards the end of the movie, when the massive conclusion is drawing ever closer.

However, the fact that this is a prequel is probably the film's biggest shortcoming - you know what the ending will ultimately be. And whilst there are many details which make the film's end very interesting, it's painstakingly apparent that this film is just a precursor to two of the greatest sci-fi films ever made. With that being said, 'Prometheus' is still a very appealing film and is a fantastic addition to the franchise. 8/10

Architects - 'Daybreaker' review

Let me start this review by saying one thing; I like Architects. A lot. 'Hollow Crown' is one of my favourite albums and contrary to what you might hear elsewhere, 'The Here and Now' is a great record too. But we're not here to talk about them, we're here to talk about Architects' latest release: 'Daybreaker'.

Everything about 'Daybreaker' is massive. Massive riffs, massive vocals, massive production and most importantly, massive songs. It's one of those records that clicks from the very first listen, vocal and guitar parts alike will be running around your head seconds after you've stopped listening. It makes repeat listens all the more sweeter, you anticipate the biggest moments in all of the songs, most notably the now infamous shout of 'you fucking pigs' on the second single 'These Colours Don't Run'. It's moments like this that separate 'Daybreaker' from other metal albums out there. However, for me, these big moments don't happen often enough and some of the songs feel somewhat lacking in the "didyoujusthearthat?" department. That being said, every song does stand on it's own as a solid track at the very least which is a very notable accomplishment indeed.

The place where this record excels the most is the vocal area. Sam Carter gets better and better with every album and 'Daybreaker' is stuffed to the brim with superb vocal performances that you can't help but sing or shout along to (even if you don't quite do the songs justice). But, and this is a big but, it's not just the vocals which make this album great. The guitars and drums are frankly splendid and compliment each other excellently on many occasions; making great songs really fucking great and making the listener wish they'd thought of that riff or that fill on regular occasions; most notably on the tracks 'Alpha Omega', 'Devil's Island' and 'Father of Lead'. The technicality and sheer musicianship on this record are first rate and make for awe-inspiring listening.

This is undoubtedly Architects' most accomplished release although perhaps not the best (if that makes sense) it is a consistent and enthralling album but is still somewhat overshadowed by the masterpiece that is 'Hollow Crown'. Although, you can't blame them for that, every band has their perfect record and if 'Hollow Crown' hadn't been recorded then this would defintiely be the album that would make you fall in love with Architects. 8.5/10

Brotherhood of the Lake - 'Desperation is the English Way Vol.1' review

Following up Brotherhood of the Lake's excellent mini album 'Iron Sails' is this, their debut LP, 'Desperation is the English Way Vol.1'. Brotherhood of the Lake are one of the most promising in the UK Hardcore scene and this record encapsulates that fact. Pounding drums, crushing guitars and truly savage vocals all come together in the form of an album which is captivatingly violent from start to finish. You will find yourself banging your head along on many occasions and feeling an urge to simply jump around with limbs swinging to some of the highlights such as 'The Desperation', 'World To Me' and 'It's Meant To Hurt'.

Without even listening to the album you know it's going to be a bleak and dark record. From the artwork to the song titles; it's clear to see that Brotherhood of the Lake are a pretty austere group of guys, however, this certainly isn't a bad thing, the tracks serve as something of a release for anyone in that mindset I find, and you never really feel as if everything is as truly dreadful as the songs try and suggest. Whilst that could be conceived as a criticism, I feel as though that adds to the album and it enables the listener to make up their own mind on what the band are trying to convey.

My only true gripe with this album is that it isn't long enough. I could easily listen to another five or six tracks if they were added. Nevertheless, this criticism is a bit flippant because this is a trend amongst most hardcore bands and so is something that a person comes to expect, furthermore, whatever the album lacks in length it makes up for in sheer quality of songs. In addition to this, initially some of the songs can sound relatively similar, yet, with repeat listens you appreciate the uniqueness that some tracks have against others. For instance; 'Black Knives' features an unsettling acoustic intro and clean vocals before it breaks into a breakneck paced hardcore track. Overall, a great album which gets better and better with every listen. 8/10