Page 37 - Black Velvet Magazine Issue 99

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‘Baby Let Me Go’ have a In Japan’ is about the love- and placing of the songs. in contrast to the sorrowful
poignant sweetness which hate relationship of a band While none of the track lyricism, but the vocal har-
allows Tasha to show off with the music business, quality dips below a level of monies will be sure to
her dramatic capabilities as seeing their hard work and good, there are, of course, pierce you with emotion.
much as her vocal range. sacrifices garnering only songs that are better than You’ll find yourself singing
Closer ‘Stranger Things’ in- broken dreams. ‘A Place To others and their positioning along to the ‘la’s at the be-
corporates punkish ele- Belong’ tones it down a on the record has been ginning of ‘Bouch’, which is
ments, a strong bass notch for a powerful reflec- done marvellously to en- packed with a sleazy swag-
rhythm and powerful gui- tion on someone searching sure repeated listens. The ger that you can’t resist
tars with another 180 at the for where they fit after suf- opening track is backed by with its cheeky licks and
bridge where the tempo fering the pain of child the equally excellent ‘Fuel dynamic rhythm work. The
FIGHT THE FURY drops and the song be- abuse, while ‘Cult Society’ And Alcohol’, a song which key shifts in ‘Whiskey &
STILL BREATHING comes reflective, backed rages against censorship is far more interesting than Coke’ during the bridge
(ATLANTIC) by ghostly, wailing guitars. and the passivity of society. the opening line about a brings out a playful side of
Fight The Fury is the It’s brilliantly done. This is a Brutal, aggressive, and tak- black box in a car sug- the band, whilst ‘Dead In-
new project from Skillet hugely impressive album ing no prisoners – ‘Procre- gests, while the hard-hitting side’ leaves the EP on a
frontman John Cooper. which grows on you with ate//Annihilate’ is a solid ‘Animal’ does a grand job high, showing off every-
Skillet guitarist Seth Morri- repeat listens. slab of metal. of lifting the middle section thing that the band does
son is also in the band. Mu- YYYY YYYY of the record where the well with its hooking chorus
sically, Fight The Fury sees Clare Huckett Clare Huckett quality of songs dips just a and frenetic instrumental
John embracing his heav- little. But the true master work. Whilst there’s no
ier side and allows him to THE BRUTALISTS stroke is the final straight, groundbreaking material
delve darker lyrically with- THE BRUTALISTS which starts with the on this EP, the band do
out the kind of boundaries (CLEOPATRA) hugely infectious ‘Born To make strides towards the
that fans and critics expect For a band formed by Be Great’, which will be pinnacle of their genre and
Skillet to adhere to. While ex-members of LA Guns embedded in your brain for we’re sure it won’t be long
you can expect anthemic (Mick Cripps) and The hours after you finish listen- before they reach there.
choruses, the energetic Quireboys (Nigel Mogg, ing and is followed by the YYYY
songs are carried by fero- here on vocals) in 2017’s quite awesome ‘Damage’, Athena Kam
cious drum beats and LA, The Brutalists sound arguably the highlight of
heavy guitar riffs. ‘My like they’re straight out of the album thanks to the DELAYED DEPARTURE
Demons’, ‘Dominate Me’, 1970s London. There’s amazing riffs and licks that YOUR COLOURS
‘Still Burning’, ‘I Cannot’ ska, reggae, early punk, a CITY OF THIEVES Ben Austwick produces on (DELAYED DEPARTURE)
and ‘Lose Hold Of It All’ bit of sleaze. Thematically BEAST REALITY lead guitar. These are ham- If you are feeling im-
blend melody with rawness they also go for the sort of (FRONTIERS) mered home by the sterling practically angsty on your
and aggression. When disaffection that was the Good things come to drum work of Will Richards, commute home from work
Fight The Fury unleash, hallmark of the era. Reg- those who wait and this which powers them per- on a rainy evening this EP
they do not hold back. gae-tinged ‘Form & Func- has been proven by Lon- fectly. ‘Something Of Noth- is for you. The Farnbor-
There are elements that tion’, for example, is a don rockers City Of ing’ is a brilliant conclusion, ough quintet’s comeback
are reminiscent of Five Fin- condemnation of the sort of Thieves, whose debut especially with the lyric ‘we EP ‘Your Colours’ is the
ger Death Punch, Dis- housing estate ‘streets in album ‘Beast Reality’ has made something of noth- third addition to their cata-
turbed and even Slipknot the sky’ that grew up at the taken longer to arrive than ing’’ which rings true logue after a short hiatus.
and Marilyn Manson. This time and which were a trap intended, but it’s here now throughout ‘Beast Reality’. The band write about their
blistering EP leaves us for many. ‘Meet Me Half and to be to blunt, it’s sen- They made something personal experiences of
wanting to hear more. Let’s Way’ has that hugely infec- sational. Initially planned to wonderful. small town life. Opener
hope Fight The Fury bring tious ska sound mixed with hit our ears in 2016, the YYYYY ‘Neon Lights’ catches you
an album’s worth of mate- blues-rock guitar flair. ‘Jun- delay has been a lengthy Michael Coventry straight away with its heavy
rial to the world soon. gle Nasty’ is equally infec- one for the Thieves, but instrumental intro and loud
YYYY tious but more sleaze rock, this 12-song barn-burner is vocal. This song is rebel-
Penny Gower examining the shadier side poised to make up for any lious, catchy and upbeat,
of lowlife. ‘Know Your lost time as it is packed full possibly the best on the
SMOKING MARTHA Value’ is a nod to 70s-era of banging tunes including EP. We then jump into
IN DEEP synth-pop, while ‘Nutter’ is opener ‘Reality Bites’, ‘Who Are You?’ which
(BAD REPUTATION) pure Cockney pub-rock. which is a near perfect in- keeps the pace with a dy-
A scorching debut from This album is bonkers and troduction to the band. City namic vocal range and
Australian alt-rockers brilliant. It’s The Clash, Of Thieves are the defini- heavy alt-rock instrumen-
Smoking Martha. The five- Madness, a hint of Bowie, tion of a no-frills, no-non- tal. This track has similari-
piece combine punk ele- Chas & Dave and the Sex sense hard rock band and ties in style to newer Bring
ments, classic metal, Pistols all mixed together, it quickly becomes appar- Me The Horizon and Mal-
power pop and melodic and for all it’s a major 70s ent that bassist Jamie Lai- WHY EVERYONE LEFT lory Knox. Title track ‘Your
pomp for an album full of throwback, it all sounds ley isn’t the greatest singer THIS IS NOT A TEST Colours’ picks back up on
interest. There’s an intrigu- fresh as a daisy. you will ever hear, but he is (WHY EVERYONE LEFT) the heavier riffs and keeps
ing contradiction in some of YYYYY an excellent rock singer. Hailing from Modena, the heart-wrenching lyrics
these tracks, much of Clare Huckett His voice has just the right Italy, this pop-punk quartet intact, while ‘Too Close’,
which are dark in tone. amount of grit to give their are sure to make waves the closing track, is a good
Opener ‘So Lonely’ has I AM PARIAH songs that extra bite with- with ‘This Is Not A Test’. continuation, carrying the
grinding riffs and an- PROCREATE//ANNIHI- out becoming a drain on Packed full of infectious traditional alt-rock sound
guished vocals, yet there’s LATE your hearing senses. The riffs and bouncy melodies, and creating a dark and
a hint of a bounce in the (I AM PARIAH) band gel quite superbly it’s a slice of summer de- emotional theme for the
rhythm which should sound I Am Pariah are angry: and the music they write light that will leave you EP. It is a good effort from
wrong but really isn’t. ‘Ebb at the ugliness of society in accompanies his voice per- yearning for the warmer the band and will be en-
Of The Tide’ encapsulates general and at those indi- fectly to make a real win- days. Opener ‘Pick You Up’ joyed by their fans, but if
this contradiction both in viduals who always seek to ning team, everything brings a touching introduc- they want to stand out they
the lyrics about a Jekyll destroy, in particular. Fortu- works and fits so well to- tion as vocalist Enzo Cap- are going to have to ignite
and Hyde character and in nately, they have chan- gether. This is perhaps pucci soulfully croons over a spark and define their
the complete stylistic nelled that anger into a where the extra time it has an acoustic guitar, before own sound to get ahead of
about-face from the heavy ferocious 4-track melodic taken to hone ‘Beast Real- full-throttled instrumentals the game.
melodic to the minimalist metal EP packed full of ity’ has paid off the most. slam into you with an infec- YYY
bridge. The acoustic gui- fast-paced riffs and rapid- Another fantastic element tious energy. The vibrant Becky Dorgan
tars and strings of ballad fire drums. Opener ‘Heavy to the album is its pacing energy of ‘Stand By’ stands

ALBUMS