Crowdsurfer

Yeah. All this basically means is we have turned our attention to the actual code of the website rather than its content. You should find the whole site loads a little quicker. There may be one or two bugs which we will work out as soon as we notice them but overall this is a a good thing and you are welcome =]

This is war? Jared Leto aint kiddin’, the last twelve months on Planet Mars have seen the Brothers Leto drawing a line in the sand and charging full pelt into battle. Having spent the majority of their year butting heads with their record label there were some cynical sectors of society who doubted if this, the Californian trio’s third release and first collection of new material in over four years, would ever make it out of the battlefield in one piece in the first place. 30 Seconds to Mars would find themselves in litigation over what Virgin records claim was a breach of contract, an accusation of failing to deliver on a promised three album deal. It would appear the diminutive Leto doesn’t like being pushed around and stood firm for what he believes was a void contract, citing the Californian law that an artist cannot be bound to a deal for over seven years.

Whilst fighting the evil bigwigs at EMI, Jared locked himself away in his custom made home studio, working eighteen hour days and hammering out intense, epic rhythms, obsessing over what would become his band’s sonic statement and miraculous Musical milestone. The resultant opus ‘This Is War’ is reportedly a cinematic concept album that signifies an evolutionary leap in the band’s experimental space rock stylings. He has certainly raised the bar, but has he reached the dizzying heights of a Pink Floyd ‘The Wall’ or simply fallen short and offered up a pedestrian level ‘Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavoured Water’?

‘This Is War’ blatantly bellows it’s message of rising up against the man and battling back against insurmountable odds, it’s a war cry that is plastered over all twelve tracks and a recurring theme that eventually wears a little thin. I guess that’s what a $30 Million law suit will do to a guy. Leto has obviously taken this sentiment of struggle to heart and called upon his faithful followers ‘The Echelon’ to offer their assistance, a call to arms that the Mars Army have accepted in their droves. Always open to new ideas Jared invited fans to lend their voice and contribute to the album. This experimental approach was labeled ‘The Summit’ and bore witness to thousands of fans turning up in Los Angeles, the merry mob then recorded chants, hand claps and stomps in unison. Their efforts can be found on at least half of the disc’s cuts. This groundbreaking idea is certainly one that Leto should be applauded for and provides evidence that he truly does enjoy a rare connection with his fan base, a statement that he has continually made since stepping out of a movie studio and into a recording booth.

Sadly when you strip away this added unique factor we are left with a set of tracks that fail to live up to the grandeur that has surrounded their formation. The party commences well, opener ‘Escape’ slowly crawls out of the starting blocks, unveiling an electronica edge before soaring skywards with the first burst from the Echelon, It’s a bold start, a brave move and unfortunately it’s also the first nail in the coffin as it outlays perfectly what this album’s intentions are, the following eleven tracks then ape the exact same formulae, almost criminally.

Working with legendary producer ‘Flood’, the British beat master who has made his name with credible acts such as Nine Inch Nails and PJ Harvey, the electronic touches are certainly very well orchestrated , a heavy synth influence is a welcome addition to the Mars sound, alas, one can’t help but feel it is a watered down, more commercial variation of his usually faultlessly relentless work. ‘Night of the Hunter’ showcases a better example of this hybrid, offsetting a sleazy groove against Leto’s clean as crystal caterwauling, it’s also the album’s catchiest moment, a term that cannot be used to sum up the remainder of this recording. First single ‘Kings and Queens’ is an anthemic grower and ‘Search and Destroy’ chugs along with a dramatic menace. The title track however, strays a little too close to ‘The Black Parade’ template for comfort and ‘Closer to the Edge’ is a bloodless throwaway Muse-by-numbers effort.

One of the main problems with the disc as a whole is the obvious lack of hit potential. The tracks clumsily flow into each other and it’s hard to decipher when one ends and the next begins. It’s all just a bit too familiar. Lyrical cliches pop up far to frequently too, where is the originality that made their eponymous record sizzle?

30 Seconds to Mars went to war, and they could have conquered exciting new lands if they’d just followed through with the promise we all expected. Instead they have rallied so far before becoming victims of their own creativity. It’s a shame, this could have been great.

[rating:3/3]

On paper you could already guess what you’re going to get with Fortune. First things first they originate from France, which draws the conclusion that they must be a dance act…correct. Which would then make you think typical cool disco beats laced with electronics, and softly sung lyrics, but at the same time nothing new or progressive….correct again.

That’s exactly what you’re getting with ‘Highway’ it’s sleek, and very presentable, hitting all the minimum requirements it’s expected to fulfil. Look Past that thou ‘Fortune’ are victims of their own genre with other acts who can do the same type of music, only slightly better. These acts will possibly get the fanfare and attention leaving ‘Fortune’ overlooked, and left in the cold.

Three remixes of ‘Highway’ make up the ep, and each one does a decent job of making Highway their own song, but the lack of another track severely damages the lasting impression. An impression that will need to be regained with a full length that will have to conjure up more than just playing by the rules of there selected genre.

[rating:6/10]

Its hard to judge a band like Converge objectively, in their near 20 year history, they’re entrenched themselves in to a comfortable, for their fans at least, little niche and barely budged from there.
Their newest album, “Axe To Fall”, continues on the theme that has seen the band rise to the dizzying heights at the pinnacle of the “metalcore” genre. It starts with “Dark Horse” which is brash, hard and very, very fast, minutes later Jacob Bannon’s screaming vocals slam into my ears and I’m thrown back by the sheer force of it, I’m almost impressed by the musical skills on display, but a part of me can’t get past the feeling that this is metal and punk turned so extreme that it has begun to wander into the ridiculous.
“Worms Will Feed” is the 4th track and it thankfully slows down for a while, I check the back of the album and the previous seven minutes had apparently contained three songs, but to my obviously untrained ear, all the tracks had bled into one harsh sonic assault, at first, the song gave me time to catch my breath, but after five minutes of its plodding, dull predictability, I was wishing the attack had not let up.

The whole cycle repeats itself again, harsh, violent guitars and drums with frantic screaming going at a terrific pace when it suddenly changes gear and turns atmospheric and gloomy with a chugging, heavy bass. This is seemingly only done as a way to make the fast parts seem even faster, as musically its bland and boring, nothing of any interest is presented in these lulls in the action, and like a train that inexplicably comes to a halt mid-journey you find yourself wishing and hoping to any deity who will listen for the tedium to end and for the speed which I had started to become used to, to begin again.

As i came to the end of the album it had begun straying into some very odd, slower, metal ballad-like territory, which the growling bark of the lead vocalist is totally unable to give any real feeling to.The penultimate song, “Effigy” has absolutley nothing important to it but the shedding riffs, like a lead guitarists masturbatory fantasy. Finishing the album with the piano driven “Cruel Bloom” seems odd, it doesn’t match anything thats happened previously, its weak, washed out and a lot less atmospheric than its seems to think it is, leading once more to the inevitable heaviness that I am now familiar with. The last two tracks seem pinned on to the end of the album, they don’t belong with the rest of the CD and seem to have been put her to placate someone in the band, safe in the knowledge that even the most die hard fan with have trouble listening this far.

Really, in summation, an album like this isn’t meant for just anyone, its for the few who will love it, who will have read my words and seethed with anger and shout about how I don’t understand true metal, and that’s right, I don’t, but this music is just not at all accessible to the layman, and in the church of “metalcore”, that’s what most of us are. The fans my lap it up, it is, after all basically just début album “Jane Doe” with another layer of polish, and anyone listening to hardcore punk or metal and thinking that its all a bit too mellow for them would do well to check this out, but for the most of us, trust me, its not something you’ll want to listen to.

I suffer so that you don’t have to.

[rating:2/5]

At first glance Liverpool Sound Of Guns may look like another band stuck in a time warp playing music that Cast or Space where playing 10 years before them, but this local band is looking to prove many people wrong with a more new and progressive sound. When you stick the CD in that vision of indie and the past is washed away as “Elementary of Youth” provides a solid opener, and backs the here and now sound the band promised. A track that was once Zane Lowe’s ‘Hottest record on the planet’ and it is a powerful start. Add to that ‘Gallantry’ and you have enough here to round up excitement for a future album.

For every good song here there a dud song to knock it down! The strange ‘Dead Sea Scrolls’ is an ok affair until the middle part of the song kicks in with a dreadful guitar mixed with the lead singer singing terribly. This completely kills this song, and makes you angry that a band could produce should a terrible, possibly lazy middle part. After that shocking 3 minutes the last thing I need to hear is ‘Lightspeed’ which is your typical arena song with all the ‘oh’s’ in the right places, but here the band are trying too hard and it doesn’t sound very natural compared to other tracks here.

The hit and miss element of this ep is really frustrating, and Sound Of Guns will need to get rid of the silly rough edges if they are able to make their mark. Until then the silencers are on for these guns.

[rating:5/10]

Ahhh, now here’s something to take notice of. Dead Confederate hailing from Athens, Georgia throw up the flare that will get them noticed amongst all other sinking bands around them. Their “flare” comes in the form of “The Rat”.

This single is a confident, gloomy affair that wouldn’t look out of place in a Silent Hill game. It’s as dark as a song can get, and every “bang, bang” is sung with the coldest swagger. No doubt a track that will conjure up many feelings inside you, but the dominate feeling that will undoubtedly and ultimatley remain with you is that feeling of wanting more, and wanting to find out if the album is just as impressive and compelling as ‘The Rat’ is!

*On a side note the single has two versions: The clean version, and the explicit version. There are 2 strange things about this. The first being that both versions are radio edits; neither are the full album versions…weird! Even weirder than that is that the clean version sounds much better in terms of recording quality than the explicit version which makes me wonder, why bother putting it on?

Still!

[rating:9/10]

Dead Confederate’s debut album ‘Wrecking Ball’ was released earlier this month and the band can currently be seen around the UK supporting J Mascis (in most cases) in the following places;

DECEMBER
01 London Hoxton Bar & Kitchen
02 Oxford Jericho Tavern
03 Plymouth Hippo w/J Mascis
05 Leeds Cockpit w/Pulled Apart By Horses
05 Birmingham Academy 3
07 Manchester Moho Live w/ J Mascis
08 Nottingham Bodega Social
10 Leicester Uni w/ J Mascis

And heres a little sample of what you can expect should you go along to any of the above..

NOFX’s latest EP, Cokie the Clown, is another short, sweet and well produced burst of fresh skate punk from the masters of the genre.
The lead track gives its title to the EP and sets the mood, its not going to be one of their more serious releases, its a silly, poppy punk song that starts the the proceedings fast and loud, guitarist Eric Melvin’s screeching vocals are quickly joined by the only slightly more tuneful Fat Mike playing the titular clown and telling his tale in a quick, drug-reference laden story that is as unsubtle and brash as it is funny, an anthem against sobriety.
The next three songs all feel very much like “classic” NOFX songs, heavy bass lines, fast, insightful vocals with more than a hint of humour, its all very catchy stuff, with a more traditional skate punk feel than you’ll find on most of their last few albums, with the newest, “Coaster” being the obvious exception. All of these tracks were originally recorded to go on to the last album, but the band were right to think they’re a better fit separated on this EP.

When I got to the last track, which is a slower, acoustic song, a new version of “My Orphan Year” from “Coaster”, I started to see the message this EP is trying to get across, then I looked at the artwork and realised it was pretty obvious from the start, Cokie the clown is a caricature of Fat Mike, the funny man trying his hardest to make sure everyone has a good time, hiding the tragic, grief-stricken figure behind the make up, a simple metaphor maybe, but with the last few riffs of “My Orphan Year” fading away, its a poignant one. The tale of Fat Mike and his life from his current perspective is all here in the course of five songs in less than 11 minutes, from his childhood, moving across the country, to an adult life of drinking and drugs, it feels a lot more introspective and personal than anything this band have given us in the last 20 years, and for a long time fan, its a welcome insight.

So if you must quantify all that or just like to look at pretty stars, here you go:
[rating:4/5]

After conjuring up one of the best pop-ballads of the year in “Red” Daniel Merryweater returns to take another stab at our heart strings, but this time enlists the help of Adele. Not a bad choice as Adele is considered one of Britain best vocalists, and with Daniel praised for his own vocal abilities it sounds like a perfect match for a long lost love song. What you get unfortunately is horribly average, and is only saved by the vocals. Adele adds some much needed soul to the song. Musically there ins’t much going on. In the background, instruments sound generic and add nothing to the track. It is basically a song that shows you how well both artists can sing and it serves its purpose, but it’s not enough to make it stand out.

If you’re the kind of person who looks for something more than a well sung song then you won’t get much enjoyment from this track. If however you’re the kind of person who is only concerned about vocals, my advice? Get an acappala only version of this track, and make up your own background music, you’re likely to do a better job!

[rating:4/10]

Post-Grunge Religious rawkers Creed were an unbelievably successful modern rock act. Topping the charts with albums such as ‘Human Clay’ and ‘Weathered’, the Florida four piece shifted upwards of twenty six million units in their homeland alone. Prior to their messy 2004 break up, it’s suffice to say Creed filled a void with greater success than their aching Americana counterparts Saliva and Staind. What one finds most stifling about the success Scott Stapp and co managed to amass is the genre of Music they chose to apply their uplifting message of Christianity to.

‘Grunge’ was all about depression and despair was it not? A brief overview of the influential early nineties Music staple usually throws up characters such as Kurt Cobain, Eddie Vedder and Scott Weiland. Indeed the list of casualties that Grunge spawned is certainly greater than it’s survivors. Whether it be the heroin overdoses of the aforementioned Cobain and Alice in Chain’s mainman Layne Staley or the alcoholism that Chris Cornell battled for many years, the icons attached to Grunge were immersed in wallow and self pity. Surely Grunge’s message of misery could not be farther from Creed’s squawks of salvation. Possibly this is the main reason why Creed has never really been taken seriously as true successors to the Seattle sound. What your average Grunge fanatic may associate with the Holy Spirit spouting quartet is a mediocre attempt at a sound that died fifteen years ago.

On the surface ‘Full Circle’ is exactly what you’d expect from a Creed album. Soaring anthems with an emphasis on melody. A deeper delve however reveals Creed in 2009 is a less appetising prospect than ever before. A constant accusation aimed at Creed throughout their entire career is that of being a tad bland. Sure they were singing about a subject matter that was clearly dear to them but they did so to a backdrop of turgid alternative rock clichés. As bloodless as their early material was however at least it had the odd hook. ‘Full Circle’ has been stripped of any drive the likes of which helped ‘Human Clay’ slay the Billboard charts. Axeman Mark Tremonti, whose fret work was the main reason to lend an ear to Creed’s efforts in the first place, has been completely penned in. Is this the same six stringer that unleashed that chugging riff that demanded ‘What If’ be paid attention to? Although the music was never exactly stellar they used to be able to pull a metallic treat out the bag every once a while. Sadly, ‘Full Circle’ is so Musically faceless that there is nothing left to distract you from Stapp’s self righteous rants. Not one of the twelve cuts here stand out with anything remotely resembling character. The Alternative Music scene has moved on, Creed have not. And with the release of an album this lacking in passion, i’d be very surprised if we hear from them again.

[rating:1/5]