Die No More, The Amorettes and The King Lot at The Venue Review

So on Friday night I travelled to Dumfries (it fits into the "and around" part of this blog's title!) to see the heavy metal monsters that are Die No More, and got to see some very cool bands along with them.

The King Lot kicked things off with some U2 style rock, but without forcing you to have a shit album! The band were clearly into what they were playing as they danced about in time with their song's rhythm’s, and had some nice songs that, if more people knew the lyrics, would have been sing-a-long hits. Actually, there were a couple of women dancing near the stage and singing along, who must have seen them many times before.

If I'm honest, I don't remember too much about the sound of The King Lot, they just had some good songs that pretty much allow you to do whatever you want. Dance to their songs, headbang to their songs, drink to their songs, and I don't know, masturbate to their songs, it's all acceptable (so long as you do the last one in the comfort of your own home ;) ) which is something not many bands can do.

 The King Lot kick things off

So after about 5 minutes the next band came on (which is a lot quicker change over than most bands pull off), The Amorettes (no, I still don't know how to pronounce their name), who were bloody fantastic! They really remind me of pre Caress of Steel Rush, with their bluesy hard rock style of music with lyrics of lust.

The band's singer/lead guitarist Gill was amazing, at point squealing her lyrics into the mic, with the effect of her voice sounding like it was right in your ear. This might have been a technical difficulty, but either way, it was fucking cool. And as for her guitar solo's! I'm still amazed that her skinny fingers can grab the strings, let alone the way she plays, with fast yet soulful playing, and power chords using the first three fingers (which is very awkward) instead of the index, ring and pinky!

They also had some very nice call and repeat chorus's which they got the crowd singing (even if we didn't have a clue what we were saying)

The Ammorettes shake things up (including my camera)

And then we had Die No More who, as usual, blew me away. They played most of the songs from their new album with the exception of One In The Chamber, which they cut from the set (Yes, I did cry a bit when I saw the song had been scribbled off of the set list). They also included Conscious Indecision from their EP, an old song called Electric Crown (not that I'd heard it before) and a new song (at least I think it was a new song, could have been an old song though) called Neighbour, which Marc dedicated to Hannah, the drummer from the Amorettes (make of that what you will ;)

It's a shame that roughly three quarters into their set a lot of people started to leave, probably to go to the nightclub part of The Venue, but it's their loss. It's also annoying that they didn't play an encore despite chants of one more song, but then again their final song of the night was Council Of War (the one with Die No More as the main lyric) so they may not have been able to top that!!!

Die No More bring their metal to the table!

 

What a brilliant night of music that was, and all for just £4!!! And afterward I even got the Die No More lads to sign a set list, and bought a shirt (FAN BOY ALERT) .

With Bared Teeth and Truth's EP review

Bit of a Triverse week this week, seeing as this is the second post I have on them, and I'll be reviewing their performance (along with State Control and The Meltdownz) at Club Rock on Halloween. Anyhow, With Bared Teeth and Truth's is the second EP from the bad mother fuckers that are Triverse Massacre.

Mike Collins, drummer of Triverse Massacre, show's off his artistic side with the EP's stunningly scary artwork!




Thing's start off with some sqeuals, creating the ambience for the EP, as Wolves At Your Gates crunchy introduction becomes audiable, before things get messy with the first verse of the song. The vocals are a lot better than the bands first EP, as we are able to understand what is being said. The song has a very lovely solo, and it shows how well James Graham and Chris Kelsall work together, as they both have decent guitar parts. The only problem with the song, is that it isn't entirley sure of what genre it want's to be! The solo is almost classic rock, the verses and chorus' Death Metal, and the introduction just plain metal. Still the guys are able to make the song run smothely!!

The second track, Exhale Betrayl, has been compared to Slayer a lot, however I can't help but feel that the speedy riff sounds a lot like the riff in Metallica's Battery. The chorus changes things, as does the second verse, slowing things down, but the riff ultimatly comes back for us to headbang along to. The song's pretty short, not getting the 3 minute mark, but it's damm sweet!

Bullet's Kill Beasts, my favourite track from their first EP, makes a return on this one, re-recorded and sounding better than ever. The drum's are heavier, Starck's voice sounds so much more Powerful, and the guitars are even erier than before. It's hands down my favourite track on this EP as well, and one the guy's will probably be forced to play at every gig they ever play.

The EP ends with Torn From The Throne, a beast of a track that changes time signatures more than Rush!!! But each change of pase is glourious, the band able to show how well they understand each other as they work together to create this headfucking masterwork! The bridge for this song is the best part of the EP, especially when Dan Fisher's bass comes in, giving him a chance to shine!

The EP is avaliable direct from the band for £3, or £7 with a T-shirt (hurry, there aren't many of the tee's left), or can be downloaded here for £3.96! And don't forget, they're playing Club Rock on Halloween, and entry's only £3!
 

In The Jaws Of Deceit EP review

In The Jaws Of Deceit is the debeut EP, released in 2012, from local Death and Grove Metal outfit Triverse Massacre. It contains four tracks that are gauranteed to fuck your head!

Things begin with Clutching At Wars, which has some lovely drumming as an intro, before the two guitars start up the main riff, eventually going to supersonic speed. Liam Stark's vocals change all the time, from near Black Metal screeches, to classic growls. The bridge for this will grab you by the balls, give a violent twist, and then leave, before the final minute does exactly the same, with an amazing start-stop rhythm!

Snake Tounged PT.1 has a very nice bass line from Dan Fisher, it just could have done with being turnt up a bit! The growls may make you shit your self, if your not busy air drumming Mike Collin's crazy speed. "Now that your mind, has gone deep... I can see what it is you are... Turn's me into this empty being" Stark growls before everything gets faster and heavier before finishing with undecipherable growls.

The third track has a slow, ambient start that shows the guitar skills of James Graham and Chris Kelsall, as well as giving Mike's drumming another chance to shine. And then all out carnage begins! If your aren't going to headbang to this, you don't deserve to headbang to anything, so please kill yourself! (wow that was mean even for me)! The bridge in this makes it the best track on the EP , as Stark screams/growls "BULLETS KILL BEASTS" (that's the name of the track), while a crunchy riff is played in sync with him.

The final track is Sluaghter of the Bantu, which begins with a comic drum roll, before breaking into chaos multiple times. The riffs for this are at times sludgy, and at other times faster than Herman Li's fastest solo. This track shows how well the band work together, as everyone plays different stuff, but it all works! 

For £1 you can get this EP here, which you should if you like your music loud! Also, Triverse Massacre are going to be playing at Club Rock on Halloween, so get yourself down there for a good time!

Prototype EP Review

Vaginal Explosion's. Just imagine it: Something so beautiful destroyed and reduced to virtually nothing. This is what you get with Seek Solace In Ruin!

Prototype is the debut EP from Hardcore Metal motherfuckers Seek Solace In Ruin!! The artwork pretty much sums up how you'll feel listening to it, as your whole body is torn apart by the heaviness. 

The first track on the album is entitled 

Discombubulatedcorpseterminationurbanizationgovernmentalibationexplosivemontazumasblastingpowerrevenge, or Disco Bob for short. It begins with a sinister acoustic tune before stopping and then.............. FUCK!!! A burst of heavy goodness that would bring a tear to a glass eye! Perfect for banging your head to.

Next up is the title track, continuing the heavy fucking up that is Seek Solace. A lovely chorus in this one, as Joe's screaming vocals compete with the guitars for dominance. The bridge slows things down, until the drums come in with some very cool fills before the song ends with Joe's vocals winning the battle.

The third track, Arterial Failure begins with some very heavy drum beats and palm muted guitar, before a pause of pace and then a scream from Joe as the heaviness comes back into it. "I'll take you down, I won't show you mercy" Sounds about right, as the song shows no mercy in fucking about your eardrums, especially during the instrumental parts! This one is my favourite from the EP

Rooted begins as soon as Arterial finishes, giving no break for us. The guitar riffs offers something kind of bouncy, so if you want to jump about the place, now's the time to do it. The bridge in this is probably the heaviest part of the EP, as it starts slowly allowing for some drum fills before we get the signature "We're about to fuck you" speedy guitar sound of Seek Solace In Ruin

What's the best part about this EP? Well, it's free!!! Here's the link, download it now (although you may want to prepare your ear drums first)!

Elected Evil Album Review

Die No More's  new album  Elected Evil is released on the 3rd Novemer, but I was lucky to pick up a copy at their album launch show (although Marc the bastard didn't sign it!), so I can bring you all a nice little review of it, prior to the offical release!

Before we talk about the actual music on the album, I'll tell you a bit about the album art work.

So as you can see, we have what can only be described as a demon standing above some kind of alter. Clearly he is evil, and he has elected someone for a job. The job description was probably "Bring me the most unholy music you can create!!" Clearly, Die No More were up for the job, and did it fairly well considering their logo now sports a pentagram!

The album kicks off with an ambient intro, that has a kind of sci-fi vibe to it. It sounds like something that you'd want to have on just before your about to go into the chamber at laser quest. And then the riff for Dark World explodes through the speakers, before Marc's vocals come in. The song has a brilliant little chorus with the lyric "Democracy lost and found, different but the same!" and various over lines that challenge authority. Kev's solo's in this are pretty good,  going wild during the main solo and showing off a bit of tapping at the end! With the first song alone you have the ambiance to get you in the mood for Laser Quest, and the heavy riffs to get you in the mood for shooting all who oppose you (at Laser Quest). 

The second track is called Soul Destroyer, and while my soul is still very much in tact, the tune does have the ability to make you shit your self thanks to the chorus, which is in a kind of call respond way, except the responses are whispered in a fairly sinister. The thing I love about this song is the fact that it refuses to end when you expect it to! During Kev's solo, you think he's about to stop (if I'd been soloing for that long I'd want a break), and then he comes out with something more, and then he does it again, before a crunchy repeating of the riff and the whole song stopping for a second, only for everyone to come back in and get the song going again!!

Absentia has a lovely acoustic intro, before the same riff is played with some very heavy power chords! "Remeber when you told me, you'd always be there for me?... Where are you?" begins the verse. This song probably has the best lyrics on the album, with a chorus ending with "These wounds have healed, but scars remain" . The song has a twin guitar solo as well as a brilliant call respond guitar section, Marc playing the riff and Kev repeating it, just octaves higher (sorry if the terminology's wrong, I don't have a Music GCSE)!

We all know the phrase, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" And yet we have the fourth track, Council of War, which featured on the band's EP, rerecorded here, and it sounds better than the orignial, even though it didn't really need to be done. Still at least we don't have a case of the band being lazy and giving us remastered versions of songs from their EP (Minot, I'm talking to you)! The solo in this version just seems to be more confident, and Steve's drumming is more chaotic than it was in the original, which of course is a good thing.

One in the Chamber is another song that has an acoustic introduction, but this time it's combined with Kev's electric guitar and some lovely drum fills. The verse is sung with the acoustic and then built up with the electric, giving a sense of explosion as the chorus comes in, and then the bridge just gets you pumped for another of Kev's solo's. This is my favourite solo on the album, just cause it's so fast. The end's with the electric guitars fading out and the acoustic's fading in, which has been done really well by whoever was mixing the album, and ends with a chord that seems to happy for the song, yet somehow works.

Your head will be banging every time you hear Connection Lost, just cause it has a brilliantly heavy riff, and some very good lyrics that combine to make the best song on the album. The breakdown before the solo is excellent, particularity with Steve's drumming going from simple taps of the foot pedal to a beast being released. The final chorus and outro are great, especially when Marc whispers "Pride" into the mic with no one else playing (it's another shit yourself moment)! Ultimately, this is the one you'll want to hear live!!

Blood in the Veins finally gives bass player Martyn a chance to stand out, as he plays a crunchy riff before Steve's drum is banged a bit, and then in come the guitars to give it the heaviness we all want. Before the second verse we have a muted chord, giving a comical effect to an otherwise serious song. The song also gives Steve a stand out moment as he gets a drum solo, and of course he uses it well, giving us some of the best drumming on the album.

Final track Oblivious also appeared on the Blue Print EP, and again is better than the original. The strangest thing is, it seems rarer than the original (maybe that's why I like it so much!). The introduction solo is fucking amazing, as always, and as anyone who's heard the original will know, it's a brilliant song. The ending for the song, and so the album, couldn't be any better, with a classic metal ending as a crazy final solo is played while Steve tries to keep up with the drums.

As a little bonus we have the Dark World radio edit, for those of us who forgot to start the song before we entered the Laser Quest chamber!!!

It's easy to compare these guys to Metallica, after all Marc's voice is a uncannily similar to Hetfield's, but there's something different about Die No More ! Maybe it's the fact that they haven't hit the big time yet, or maybe it's the fact that they work so well musically, but anyhow, with this album the guys have made their marc (sorry, that's a terrible pun) on the world of metal, and nobody is going to be able to rub that mark off!!!

Die No More Album Launch

So, Die No More's album launch was on the 27 at the Brickyard, and me and a couple of mate were lucky enough to get ticket's. Three bands for a fiver was a good enough deal for me, and considering the showcase of talent on display, was more than worth it!

Motherload kicked things off (which was a minute after we got in) in brilliant style! It was the bands first time in Carlisle, and while I felt there was a disappointing turn out for them (roughly 60 or 70 people) we made sure they felt welcome with the rock worlds greatest etiquette, headbanging and forming a three man mosh pit, until one of us ended up with a bruise on our head (amazingly it wasn't me) and then moshing some more!!!

I'd like to use this part of the blog to praise their brilliant bassist, Burl, who was truly into his shit, swishing his hair about and slapping his bass as if it were the last thing he'd do! And for once, you could actually hear the bass, at times being louder than the guitar!

The singer was pretty good on the crowd control side of things too, at one point stopping the song completely and telling us we weren't loud enough, gaining an equal measure of laughs and "Fuck You"'s from the crowd!

Next up we had Seek Solace In Ruin, a band that songs have the 'ability to fuck the listener in the face'. They started things off with their song Arterial Faliure, and it's fair to say that all hell broke lose after that!! A fair bit of space was made for the craziest mosh pit I've been in (and I've been in one on a trampoline). I was literally bouncing off the walls in rhythm to their songs.

Seek Solace's bassist, Nicky Studholme, encouraged the moshing from the stage, signalling to people to get back in, and the whole band helped in organising a wall of death, in which I fell to the ground and really fucked up my knee (it's over a week and the bruise looks worse than when I first got it). That's when you know you've had a good time!!!

There were some intresting moments during the set, such as the two times when Nicky came into the pit, at one point holding his bass out to me so I could lick it. Right at the start of their final song their singer, Joe Fryer, pretty much threw himself down onto the stages floor, fucking up a stage dive, and then lied there for a while as confused fans stopped the mosh pit to see if he was alright. The guys left the stage and then returned to finish the song (essentialy an encore for a support band, which must be an honour), with more crazy moshing erupting!!!

Finaly we had the band everyone had came for, Die No More! There weren't any crazy mosh pits, seeing as everyone was fucked from Seek's Solace's set, but there was a hell of a lot of headbanging. During the first song of their set, we were warned by a member of the Brickyard that we had to stop shacking the rail we were holding onto, in case it came off from the force of our shakes!!

Die No More certainly know how to work the crowd, getting us all to sing along to songs we hadn't heard of and giving shouts of "HEY" in time with certain drum beats. Mind you, the vocals could have done with being turnt up a bit, as the instruments were so loud (note: never turn down the instruments unless you're a pussy)!

Throughout the set singer Marc Farquhar commented on how the crowd were slowly getting warmer, and then he released most of that heat when they played Oblivious as the crowd sang along to the chorus and looked in awe as lead guitarist Kev Smith played the crazy introduction solo. And then Die No More left the stage...
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Only to return to the chant of "ONE MORE SONG" that went right through the crowd. And their final song was the song that will forever be in Die No More's set list, the brilliant Council of War, which has a chorus with the chanted lyric "DIE NO MORE" so you can imagine what the crowd was like at that point!! FUCKING MENTAL!!

Overall a brilliant night. Now, you need to check the bands out!! Motherload's album can be bought here in a special fanpack edition,  SEEK SOLACE IN RUIN have an EP that's avaliable for free download here and Die No More's EP can be streamed here, or bought here and their new album Elected Evil is available worldwide from 3rd November! Keep rocking and I'll be uploading a review of that soon!

DragonForce and NeonFly at the Brickyard

The 22nd September saw DragonForce come to Carlisle's Brickyard along with NeonFly, supporting their brilliant new album, Maximum Overload! Seems a bit stupid to cover these metal monsters when this is primarily meant to be about local bands, but who gives a toss?

I could use this blog to brag about the fact that I have all of the Force's signatures on my box set, or how the singer and bassist of NeonFly signed one of their CD's for me, or how Marc Hudson saluted to me when I was queuing, flipped the bird at me while he was in the crowd for NeonFly, referred to me several times during the set and made the first move in fist bumping me while still on stage, but it'd take to long to type =)

Anyhow, NeonFly kicked things off with a song called Ship With No Sails, a lovely six munite song of loss! In the instrumental part of the song, front man Willy Norton instructed the crowd to clap along with the drum which all eagerly did. I knew this was going to be a good performance, as from the first clap my watch undid itself from the force and slid down my wrist. In this first song alone, you could feel the energy of the band coming into the audience. And of course it was hilarious watching Willy almost fall over!

I can't say enough kind words about these guys! They stood there, a massive group of misfits, the drummer looking Emo, the bassist with some amazing dreads, the two guitarists as metal as steel, and the singer moving all over the place, but all of them knew what they, and each other, were doing!

It's easy to see why the Force chose these guys, considering there ability to get the crowd going, Willy instructing us to punch the air and shout "HEY" in synce with him. And then Willy jumped right to the barrier, singing/serenading three girls infront of him and shaking the hands of anyone who put them out!

Now, because NeonFly are not a local band, I shall not be reviewing their album, Outshine The Sun, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't buy it!!!

So Neon finished, I bought a CD, had a little breatjer outside and then got as close as I could to the stage, which sadly was four rows back! As we all waited for the Force to begin, an Asian and a New Zealander ran through the crowd, guitars in hand to a large outburst of screams from teenagers who have spent to long listening to DragonForce in the bedroom, hoping one day they may be half as good as them!! (me)

As the song coming through the speakers ended, I started chanting DragonForce, the whole crowd immediatly joining me, only for another song to come on!! BASTARDS!!! The song ended, and the chant began again, anf this time to the crowds avail! New drummer Gee Anzoles was first to wlak tje stage, wave and then get behind his drums, before the beautiful palm muted riff of Defenders was played by the same men who had run through the crowd a moment ago!

And so the moshing began! Not that I was in the pit for long as I noticed an opening in the middle of the crowd, meaning I could stand at the barrier right in front of Marc (*cough fanboy*cough)! Marc's performance was amazing, although I did feel he wasn't putting as much effort in as Willy did, but I suppose he didn't have to, as, unlike Willy, he wasn't trying to win new converts.

A particualarly goof moment was when they played Three Hammers, the crowd getting involved singing the chorus, jumping and going mental! Symphony of the Night was another good one, a song the band played especially for Carlisle as it was the song that came up most in a Facebook post asking what Carlisle wanted to hear.

The band ended their set with Cry Thunder, but of course, the crowd hadn't finished, and so for the third time screams of DragonForce, this time mixed with ENCORE and ONE MORE SONG, surged through the crowd, until they came back on, and WOO's were screamed. Marc said the next song was a bit contradictory, as DragonForce said they'd never do a slow song, and never do a cover (even though all their albums have slow songs on them, and the cover isn't that slow!) Screams of Ring Of Fire followed as the Cash classic was played with all the glory of a power metal masterpiece! And speaking of power metal masterpieces, the Force ended with their most well known, Through The Fire and Flames, while the crowd erupted into a mass of moshing metalheads desperate to get the most out of the final song, singing every syllable in synchronisation with Marc! The show ended with them all coming to the front of the stage and bowing to the hoard of screaming fans stood before them.

If you missed either of the bands in Carlilse, I highly recomend you see them while they're on this tour!!!

It's a shame the night had to end, but I suppose if it didn't I wouldn't have seen Die No More on the weekend!!! Stay tuned for the review...

First post: Overview: What I'm doing and why!

Alright guy's? So you found my dark corner of the internet. Well done, I'd be surprised if many people do =)

Anyhow, incase you couldn't tell from the title of this blog (and if you couldn't, may I suggest seeking medical help, although not from the Cumberland Infirmary considering the hoo-haa they're in at the minute), this is going to be all about music in and around Carlisle. That might be a bad title, seeing as I plan to cover stuff that's happening in Cumbria and Dumfries and Galloway, but Music in and around Carlisle is a lot easier than Music in and around Cumbria and Dumfries and Galloway! It's too long a title. Not as long as 
Discombubulated corpse termination urbanization government alibation explosive montazumas blasting power revenge but still too bloody long!

Right, enough rambling about random shit, let's get on with it! 

What I'm doing:

A blog (obviously) that will follow bands in the local area, as well as talk and review certain bands that come to our area (which could be more often if the Old Fire Station is successful). Hopefully I'll also be able to bring you some interviews with band's.

Why I'm doing it:

Mainly because of this video which I suggest you watch! It's full of interesting things about the local area, although I'm surprised that the Sand's Centre only got one mention. Not that there's that much going on in the world of music there (although they are getting some top notch comedians), but it's still Carlisle's biggest venue. Oh well! 

Right, so there you have it! I'll be doing some reviews this week of DragonForce (23rd September at the Brickyard, I'm wetting my self over it) and Die No More (27th September at the Brickyard, should be pretty cool). If you can get yourself down to these shows and get moshing!!!

I've got to go now, today Peppa Pig's Big Splash is on at the Sand's, and Downton Abbey's on tonight so I don't want to over do it ;)