With so much excellent new music being released every week it can be difficult to keep abreast of absolutely everything deserving of review. However, in the interest of giving as many artists as possible a fair crack of the whip, here’s a round-up of what’s been flying under the radar of late.
Memoreve – Insignia EP
‘Insignia’ is the debut EP from British progressive metal six-piece Memoreve and it weighs in at a hefty twenty-five minutes. The four lengthy tracks are intricately crafted and make for a vibrant listen as they neatly blend atmospheric reflection and pulsating riffs on this mature sounding record. Although very true to the genre, with a clean sound underpinned by swathes of synthesizer, tracks like ‘Descendent’ have plenty of muscular riffing and energetic rhythms to balance things out.
‘Insignia EP’ by Memoreve is out now.
Memoreve links: Website|Facebook|Twitter
Heriot – World Collapse
Swindon’s very own purveyors of doomcore, Heriot, do exactly what it says on the tin – pummel you into submission with relentless chugging riffs and guttural vocals. ‘World Collapse’ is their second EP and is a neat showcase of the trio’s power and songwriting chops as they explore varying textures of destruction. The epically despairing single, ‘China Lake, is a particularly intense example of what they can do and well worth checking out – not for the faint-hearted.
‘World Collapse’ by Heriot is out now.
Heriot links: Facebook|Twitter|Bandcamp
The Last Ten Seconds Of Life – The Violent Sound
This quartet from Pennsylvania have developed a decent following since forming back in 2010 and ‘The Violent Sound’ is another strong release to cement their expanding fan base. Their brand of downtuned deathcore filth is as uncompromising as ever, despite incorporating some clean vocals and flirting with a whole bunch of influences between the lines – a nu-metal groove here, a doom-laden riff there. The stylistic variety keeps things interesting, if a little disjointed at times, but tracks like ‘Blind Faith’ and ‘Bag of Bones’ pretty much nail it. If you like your music heavy and dripping in bleurgh, you can’t go wrong here.
‘The Violent Sound’ by The Last Ten Seconds of Life is out now on Siege Music
The Last Ten Seconds of Life links: Website|Facebook|Twitter
Teksti-TV 666 – 1,2,3
‘1,2,3’ is a compilation of three EPs by the hard-touring Finnish psychedelic punk rocking shoegazers Teksti-TV 666. Although that might not sound like the most attractive proposition, it is actually well worth a listen. This is a band with five guitarists; yes, five; as such, what you can expect is a deeply layered wall of sound that is both hypnotic and sure to get your head a-rockin’. The vocals are so low in the mix as to be incidental, so it basically becomes an instrumental overload a bit like a tripped-out soundtrack to a time-lapse. The tongue-twisting ‘Kuustoista Vuotta Sitten’ is particularly stunning as it rocks up over eleven minutes of pulsating riffage. So if you are looking for something coolly obscure, it doesn’t get more left-field than this – must be amazing live.
‘1, 2, 3’ by Teksti-TV 666 is out on November 7th on SVART
Teksti-TV 666 links:Website|Facebook|Soundcloud
Dead Days – Start Over Again
On their debut album ‘Start Over Again’, Dead Days have come up with some powerfully catchy alt rock tunes with an air of excitement and a singing drummer. Despite hailing from Bracknell, the three-piece have a transatlantic feel about them; ‘Liar Liar’, for example, is very American sounding with its big hooky chorus and bad ass guitar solo. Sure, this is not exactly blazing down any new trails, but the songs like ‘Wait For It’ are well worked and have just the right amount of hard rock groove and cool guitar work to compliment the urgency.
‘Start Over Again’ by Dead Days is out now.
Dead Days links: Website|Facebook|Twitter
Pistols At Dawn – See You Home
A chance meeting with producer Toby McLaren helped this London-based five-piece unlock their penchant for soundscapes and soon had them locked away in a cottage in Dorset exploring ideas. The result is a rich record of clean guitar lines and electronic textures with a dark indie-pop aesthetic. It’s all very involving; with an emphasis on collective appeal and well-constructed songs, this is a headspace record to immerse yourself in and unravel its complexities. Tracks like ‘Foregone Conclusion’ explore all the different aspects of the band’s sound, neatly showcasing their atmospheric soundtrack vibe. It’ll be interesting to see where they take things, but as debut records go this is an intriguing first crack at something adventurous.
‘See You Home’ by Pistols at Dawn is out now.
Pistols At Dawn links: Website|Facebook|Twitter
Words by Edward Layland (@EdwardLayland)