Page 37 - Black Velvet Issue 96

BV96 pg37 albums_BV96 pg37 11/03/2018 22:49 Page 1

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YYYYY Excellent YYYY Very Good YYY Good
YY Listenable, Just Y Poor

lines such as ‘no, no, no, lad, but it does so ex- we wish that people were lessly pounding away. This
I’m no quitter’ and ‘you can tremely well – further proof not able to relate to this is one of the more uplifting
achieve it, if you believe it’ that this is a band who has subject, but unfortunately songs on the album, and
are so raw and full of truth a clear vision of the music there are too many that lyrics such as ‘fight through
it gives them ultimate they want to produce. The will. ‘Heartbeat Away’ is an the crowd’ really drive this
power, ‘Follow Your Heart’ ending is haunting, with angry tirade directed to- point home. While ‘The
also having the added stripped-back textures, wards the abuser; ‘You’re Awakening’ is uplifting,
bonus of an epic instru- leaving the listener yearn- just an animal, you’re just a ‘Collision Course’ is a call
mental where Filippa’s ing for more. The listener’s beast without a spine,’ to arms. The ending track,
stunning skills on guitar are appetite is satisfied in the scathes Moss during the ‘On Our Own’, jumps
THUNDERMOTHER fully displayed and har- following ‘Everybody’, a chorus. There are plenty of straight into a guitar riff
THUNDERMOTHER nessed by Emlee’s equally slow, acoustic song. Build- hard-hitting drums and blis- without a build-up, throwing
(DESPOTZ) impressive drum work. ing on the melodramatic, tering guitar work to be the listener straight in. With
There is an old saying There is also a nice haunting theme introduced heard; just check out the triplets and guitar solos,
that if something isn’t diffi- twist with ‘Fire In The Rain’, and explored in ‘Oxygen’, likes of ‘Doesn’t Matter’, ‘I ‘On Our Own’ is a strong
cult it’s not worth doing and the band’s first attempt at a ‘Everybody’ is a display Believe’ and ‘Just A Mem- track to end the album on,
it’s safe to say that the road power ballad; it shows that this is a band that can ory’ for starters. Then there and provokes the listener
to Thundermother’s third promise for some welcome create emotional, touching are the powerful ballads to reflect with the final
album has not been the versatility in the future. So, ballads as well as stadium ‘Home’ and ‘Anyone’, question ‘are we alone?’.
easiest of routes travelled, while there is little here that rock anthems. The EP fin- which include towering This is certainly the finest
but having now reached other bands haven’t done ishes with ‘Oblique’, a sing-along choruses. ‘Ain’t material that the band has
the final destination it has before, when music is this melodic track with a state- Always Easy’ is an excep- released over their career,
unquestionably been worth good, who really cares? ment ending full of guitar tional follow-up to their ‘All and features the classic
the work. Their self-titled YYYYY and drums. Sun Arcana In Time’ debut; if you Templeton Pek sound that
album comes less than a Michael Coventry sets out to create ‘full-throt- haven’t heard of the name fans know and love.
year after the band’s tled, heavy music which Stone Broken before, you YYY
founder and guitarist Fil- SUN ARCANA has the melodic appeal to will in 2018. Athena Kam
ippa Nassil found herself AS I TAKE A BREATH… a broad audience’, and YYYYY
alone following the depar- (EASY LIFE) they certainly do this and Penny Gower SEVEN STORIES HIGH
ture of all four of her band- Sun Arcana, a young more. DEADWEIGHT EP
mates. Few would have band from Essex, set out to YYYY TEMPLETON PEK (INCEPTION)
blamed her for also calling make their mark with their Athena Kam WATCHING THE WORLD Swansea's Seven Sto-
it a day but instead she debut EP ‘As I Take A COME UNDONE ries High give us four hard-
aligned herself with a new Breath…’, and they do a (DRAKKAR) edged songs worthy of
team, Guernica Mancini on fine job of doing just that. The release of ‘Watch- being added to any pop-
vocals, Emlee Johansson The 6-track EP sees a ing The World Come Un- punk playlist. First, ‘Apathy’
on drums and Sara Pet- carefully planned tracklist done’ sees Birmingham- gives us just over three
tersson on bass and the re- that takes the listener on a based punks Templeton minutes of anthemic-pro-
sults are absolutely superb. melodic journey, starting Pek celebrating their 10th portioned tunage, with Tom
While AC/DC influ- with foot-stomping, heavy anniversary as a signed Williams's huge crystal-
ences are clear from the rock opener ‘Fracture’, to band. Having already re- clear production guaran-
start, comparisons are acoustic, melodramatic leased five studio albums teed to have any audience
soon forgotten as Thunder- ‘Everybody’, and back to a and toured extensively, jumping and singing along
mother successfully bring stadium-finish with Templeton Pek know ex- from the offset. Rhys Hyett-
you 13 big, fat slabs of hard ‘Oblique’. In ‘Fracture’, the STONE BROKEN actly how to write an album Ferrier’s deep, distinctive
work. Kicking off with ab- band immediately trans- AIN’T ALWAYS EASY that gets the blood pump- vocals work perfectly with
solute intent, ‘Revival’ is ports the listener to riff city, (SPINEFARM) ing and the crowd cheering Matt Davies and Charlie
the perfect name for the making you want to head- Here’s a British band right from the first note. Porter's gritty guitars and
opening track of the album, bang and rock out. The en- who do American arena Opening track ‘Nowhere To massive-sounding sing-
slowly coming up to speed ergy is captivating from the rock exceptionally well. Hide’ sets the tone for the along-to backing vocals. Al-
with a musical introduction start, and this is maintained ‘Stand up, show them what album; it’s upbeat, angry though track two, ‘Midas’,
that leaves you with no even when the texture we’re made of,’ Stone Bro- and infectious. Starting is more of a ballad, the
doubt that something spe- thins out in the first verse. ken frontman Rich Moss with a catchy guitar riff, lis- enormous production
cial is coming and ‘Revival’ This allows us to appreci- sings during the opening teners are immediately ab- makes this worthy of being
is just one example of this ate Tom Harper-Ward’s song ‘Worth Fighting For’. sorbed into the album, and another arena-filling an-
and it’s closely followed by singing, whose power- As you make your way typical punk-style drum- them. ‘Hoax’ is short but
‘Whatever’, a faster-paced house vocals are certainly through the 11 tracks on ming keeps the momentum most definitely to the point;
tune which will have you displayed throughout this their Spinefarm debut ‘Ain’t pulsing throughout. This think Lower Than Atlantis
banging your hand and EP. Second track ‘Oxygen’, Always Easy’, you’ll hear flows over into second with extra attitude and you
stomping your feet while one of the first singles the that Stone Broken are track ‘Oblivious’, which is would be on the right track.
also showing us what band released, starts with made of great stuff! Filled slightly slower and more ‘Alchemy Part 1’ closes the
Guernica is truly capable of an atmospheric, electric in- with songs that are radio- melodic. Neal Mitchell does EP perfectly; another fine
behind the mic. But the troduction, a complete con- ready, this album is, with- not hold back with his in- example of this band’s tal-
best is still yet to come; trast in mood with out any doubt, going to credible vocals, especially ent for writing catchy, up-
‘Quitter’, ‘We Fight For ‘Fracture’. Originally start- take the band to new at the end of the chorus, at beat pop punk but with a
Rock N Roll’ and ‘Follow ing off as a ballad, this is heights. Singing about be- which point you can imag- harder edge; great riffs,
Your Heart’ being the one of the more melodra- lieving in yourself and fol- ine a sold-out arena of fans pounding drums and great
standout tracks of the matic songs on the EP, lowing your dreams, feeling waving left and right to the melodies to get audiences
album and what makes complete with piano and homesick, loss and addic- beat. The pace is picked up bouncing around to. Expect
them so special is that, string accompaniments at tion; the songs on ‘Ain’t Al- again in ‘The Awakening’; great things from these
given the trials Thunder- points, which really add an ways Easy’ radiate pure with a drum build-up guar- guys; definitely a band to
mother faced to get this far, extra dimension to the emotion and the lyrics are anteed to make your heart- keep an eye on.
you can really believe the song. The breakdown in accessible. Props to Stone beat increase, you can’t YYYY
lyrics, and the emotion of the middle of ‘Oxygen’ Broken for covering the help but rock out whilst the Andy Nicklin
shouldn’t work with a bal- topic of domestic abuse; instruments are relent-
ALBUMS