Review – I Am The Avalanche - Avalanche United

The sophomore effort from Vinnie Caruana’s (Ex-The Movielife) I Am The Avalanche sees the Brooklyn Natives aim for the jugular with Avalanche United, a high tempo, tremendously energetic punk soundtrack with working class heart.

Focusing on faster paced punk numbers, laced with rough vocals, pop punk influences, and heart on the sleeve values, I Am The Avalanche open up with an excellent triumvirate in Holy Fuck, Brooklyn Dodgers and Amsterdam; all three track pack a big punch and some excellent hooks and melodies; the choruses are tremendous.

It is a blueprint that the band try to adopt throughout, but don’t manage to continue their early dominance.

As the record progresses; the songs may still be well crafted, but their best moments are thrown out one after the other early doors.

What follows is still very enjoyable, and an emphatic listen, but lacking something to make them soar above what came earlier.

The choruses and hooks are still there, and the pulsating punk heart beats strong in the undercurrent.

That is not to say that the record is not good; I Am The Avalanche may not offer up a record to compete with some of their peers, but it is a big album for them nonetheless, and will do them no harm as they continue to build a fan base.

As Gratitude closes out what is an honest and reliable offering, I Am The Avalanche prove that they are not a second rate cash-in on Caruana’s previous reputation, but an excellent band in their own right.

6/10

Review – Your Demise – The Golden Age

Your Demise are undoubtedly the shining lights in the UK hardcore scene at the moment, and after an awesome outing with their previous record “The Kids We Used To Be”, their latest release had a lot to live up to.

At first, it feels like they miss the mark a little, but as the album develops, and the sound grows on you, the band seem to stride into a comfort zone which once more sets them out as the band to beat in this country when it comes to this kind of music.

As the title track sets things off, it is the following These Lights which show them at perhaps their most accessible and commercial, but by the time the album hits its middle segment, it gets back to what they do best; anthemic hardcore with slight melodic tendencies. Forget About Me and a riotous I’m (Not) The One (featuring letlive. Frontman Jason Butler) set in as two highlights; the latter packing a huge punch and one of the most bad @$$ riffs you will hear all year.

Never A Dull Moment follows, and once more sees them touch on their more melodic tendencies for a real anthemic track, backed with the gang vocals fans have come to expect from them.

It might not be as consistent as it could be, but this is still another cracking outing for the Your Demise boys, firmly throwing down with an unrelenting and powerhouse sound, which they honed in the live environment.

The album may ebb and flow, but this is another sterling effort, and sees the band once more blur the boundaries of what British hardcore can be. It is the inclusion of the pop tendencies, juggernaut riffs, guttural vocals and some excellent guest spots, which makes this something unique and another fine outing for Your Demise. Of the guest spots, Butler’s cameo is majestic, and Josh Franceschi of You Me At Six fame contributes a cracking vocal towards the end of the record. Elswhere, Evarose’s Dannika Webber and Down To Nothing/Terror’s David Wood lend a hand too.

It may not make them superstars, but it cements their position as the finest UK band in this scene. 

7.5/10

Review – The Audition - Champion

Returning to the fold with a 6 track EP following their departure from Victory Records, The Audition take the short time they have to showcase how they have matured, and the direction they will ultimately follow on their next release.

It is a little difficult to really review an EP, in that there is a shorter time in which to really form an opinion on the material.

It is standard The Audition-fare, and there is nothing that really stands out as anywhere near as spectacular as some of their earlier big hits (You’ve Made Us Conscious, Approach The Bench, etc). Whereas those hinted at pop-punk esque tendencies in places, this roots itself firmly in pop-rock stylings that are ultimately solid and admirable, yet lacks a real killer instinct.

Who Do You Think You Are is a very enjoyable and worthy opener, and You Make Me Sick represents the high point of the 6 tracks on offer. Elsewhere, there is a something lacking a little, in that the remaining four songs don’t live up to the first two. They are not inherently bad songs, but not the best the band have written.

Whether this represents their sound moving forward will remain to be seen, The Audition continue to churn out reliable pop-rock, but still lack that killer set of songs to really transcend and raise their game (and their profile) further.

 5.5 /10

Review – Charlie Simpson – Young Pilgrim

Once more reinventing himself (and his sound) as a folk rock/pop troubadour, more akin to the likes of Frank Turner than his former tenures as lead singer of Busted and Fightstar, Charlie Simpson’s debut Young Pilgrim sees him out to once more show another side to him and what he can do.

Young Pilgrim is a solid debut offering, as he strums an acoustic guitar through more folk/Americana rooted pop songs. It’s an enjoyable listen, but it only really hits its peak on opener Down, Down, Down and the anthemic Cemetary, which possesses one of the best hooks and choruses the man has written.

His unique voice makes this a very effective record, Farmer & His Gun proving to be another highlight in the latter parts of the album, complete with a nice little Bob Dylan-stlye harmonica playing thrown in for good measure.

Elsewhere though, whereas some of his previous material soared, this is just a pleasant, laid back record, which although once more the man’s raw talent, fails to ignite into overdrive.

It is not an all out hit fest, but depending on what you are looking for in a record, this could well be up your street, Simpson showing another side to his persona, and showcasing a fine vocal performance throughout.

It is the lack of killer hits across the board that makes this pleasant if unspectacular. It needs more choruses and hooks to really transcend it above what it is; he may not light the world up with this project, but while he writes such effective and listenable chilled out jams, people will listen. You can’t fault the songcraft or his performance, but for me, it fails to hit the heights of what the man is capable of.

Whether he returns to the Fightstar fold or not remains to be seen, but either way, he could well go on to carve out a nice little niche in the singer songwriter market with records as listenable as this; it just lacks that killer something to make it truly great. It’s worth checking out though for the highlights alone.  

6/10

Review – Pythia – Beneath The Veiled Embrace

With their debut record Beneath The Veiled Embrace, Pythia attempt to make a mark for themselves as the UK’s equivalent of those seminal female fronted, power metal/symphonic bands that are more often associated with mainland Europe.

Although a spirited attempt, it does fall somewhat short of the mark, although no one can fault them for giving it a go. Opener Sweet Cantation and the album’s highlight, Sarah (Bury Her), open the record more than capably, but as it progresses, it is a little formulaic, and one dimensional. 

Although blessed with an incredible vocal, Emily Ovenden’s voice does unfortunately, at times, grate a little, and the songs lack the killer instinct of some of their genre peers; Nightwish lead the field for this kind of sound, and although Pythia are more than capable of growing on this effort, Beneath The Veiled Embrace sounds weak in comparison to some of the albums their competition have released.

The songs are not at all inherently bad, save for the aforesaid tendency to grate a little in places. The musicianship is outstanding, the riffs, symphonic blasts, orchestral influences, and all you could want from an album in this genre are there; the only real problem is that although at times enjoyable and listenable, it very rarely treads into the spectacular.

It is a solid foundation for which they will undoubtedly build, but they still have some way to go if they are to challenge the likes of Nightwish, Within Temptation, and the rest, whose European sound is so ingrained into the psyche of what fans of this type of music expect.

Ovenden is clearly a powerhouse, with a vocal not far off the talents of Tarja Turunen, but as a unit, Pythia need time to develop, and to hone their songcraft to write killer hooks and choruses. They need time to develop, and progress their song writing skills to incorporate the same into their music.

As a debut though, this is a solid starting point, from a UK band to watch; I’ve never heard a UK band do this style of music as well as they do, so all odds are on them upping their game next time out, and progressing even more.  

5.5/10

Review – The King Blues – Punk & Poetry

Following on from the success enjoyed by their more commercially sounding Save The World, Get The Girl opus, The King Blues struggle to make the same impact at times on Punk & Poetry; in short, it is a somewhat challenging listen, and at best an inconsistent set, which swings between hit and miss within a moments notice.

When it is good, it is very good; The King Blues are at their best when taking their unique style, adding in a catchy hook and chorus (effectively a huge dose of pop stylings) and aiming for the more commercial end of their sound. When they do this, as on the likes of the infectiously catchy Set The World On Fire, Headbutt and I Want You, they sound immense.

The problem is that there are a number of songs here that are just not up to scratch, and a few pointless interludes that don’t really add anything. We Are Fucking Angry, Sex Education and The Future’s Not What It Used To Be are unspectacular (even with the latter possessing a Skindred-style Ragga Punk influence), and fail to live up to the spectacular highs they do hit when they hit their sweet spot. 5 Bottles of Shampoo, an imperious and imposing spoken word number from their live set is thrown in, but amidst a terrible arrangement and poor musical accompaniment, just doesn’t work, losing all of its power. It’s a shame, because at its heart, it is not just a powerful message, but some incendiary lyricism from front man Itch; it is all lost when put with such a terrible arrangement.

Eveything Happens For A Reason possesses a nice little melody to close out the record, but the problem with Punk & Poetry is the inconsistency with which it delivers. At its best, the songs are majestic, but ultimately as a collection, this does not hit the highs of their previous offering.

6/10

Review – Attack Attack! (US) – This Means War

Much maligned in the past for their renowned “crab-core” antics and their screamo stylings, with their latest album, Attack Attack! up their game considerably, and mature into a more powerful beast than anyone could have expected from them.

Their sound has developed too; merging their metalcore assault with electronic influences, some soaring melodies, and some of the heaviest riffola you will hear all year, This Means War is a phenomenal statement of intent, the band clearly hitting a sweet spot, and proving their mettle on this record.

The riffs are venomous, and the vocals guttural, but interspersed with some sweet, sweet melodies (none more so than on the The Betrayal).

The record may be a little formulaic and one-dimensional for some, but across the board, this is a relentless and vicious array of beatdowns, chugga-chugga and piercing screams; a true metalcore record at heart, the ingenious inclusion of various electronics throughout, and a breathtaking production, seeing them tread a line not to dissimilar to that of the UK’s Bring Me The Horizon. As with BMTH, Attack Attack! have improved 100-fold, and have become a better band entirely. This album showcases them at their very best.

Even though all tracks begin with “The”, each is a lesson in fusing huge riffs and massive metalcore vocals, the energy never dropping one iota throughout. This is a reckless and relentless record, and it works so well in moving them past their reputation of yesteryear. They have clearly moved on, and raced to the front of the pack with this album. Whether its driving riffs, breakdowns, screams, soaring melodies, frenetic drumming or pulsating electronics; it is all here.

This is how metalcore sounds when it is done solidly; a few more stand out tracks would have scored this higher, but this is still a more than enjoyable outing from a band who have really shut the mouths of all their detractors with this record.

7.5/10