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Xander Demos puts his best shred forward!

June 23, 2015 by Casey Douglas Leave a Comment

Master guitar soloist Xander Demos puts his best shred forward!

Xander DemosSome modern rock/metal bands seem to throw everything and the kitchen sink into their music. Something that may be overlooked in their zeal is the guitar solo: sometimes short, sometimes long and meandering, but both give space in the track where someone can truly shine. Shred guitarist Xander Demos doesn’t overlook this and hearing him play reminded me of what other bands sometimes gloss over.

Fronting his own band XDB and performing in various tribute bands, he’s certainly an adaptable busy guy. I checked out the songs on the XDB Reverbnation page and certainly enjoyed what I heard: songs that harken to some of the giants of rock and metal, and instrumental tracks that allow the shredding to truly shine.

Dancing Through Daggers features frenetic fingering accompanied by clear and epic vocals that set this song up as a great partner to fantastic mental scenes. Under a Darkened Sky is home to a fast solo that rises and falls in tone and tempo but grabs the ear and won’t let it go. Boys of Summer has a grittier sound than the others, the song interspersed with solo flourishes that grow in duration and intricacy each time they occur. I enjoyed these songs, the lyrics painted pictures and the sounds and rhythms were catchy to the ear. Where Xander really shines in my opinion however, is the instrumental tracks.

White Knuckle Driving has a grainy sound that alternates between bass segments of relative calm and fast fingering solos that increase the pace once more. I loved the periods of peace where things breathe before being launched back into the soloing. If you keep the title of the track in mind, it’s easy to imagine a souped up Mustang crunching and shaking as it turns suicide bends, the quiet parts of the song accompanying when the driver momentarily loses control, the frantic parts giving a soundtrack to when control is regained once more.

Woodshed Sonata is another purely instrumental track. It begins with the sound-byte “Grab some wood there bub!” before the listener hears a deeper, heavier sound than the previous tracks: pounding drums and lower notes accompanied by periods of blistering soloing. I feel these instrumental tracks truly let the listener appreciate the finger work put into this kind of track, unhampered by vocals or other distractions.

Check out Xander Demo’s Reverbnation page below!

Xander Demos on ReverbNation

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: casey, Darkened Sky, douglas, guitar, knuckle driving, Metal, review, riff, shred, studios, WMD, Xander Demos, XDB

Full-bodied sound from Sentinel

April 16, 2015 by Casey Douglas Leave a Comment

Pectus Excavatum is a condition that causes the chest to look hollow due to deformity in the growth of the ribs. It can lead to cardiac and respiratory problems but I’m thankful to say, from the sound of Sentinel’s album Pectus Excavatum, there is no sign of the latter in Tom Watson’s vocals, nor any lack of heart in Louie Penfold, Dom Skinner, Richard Shearing’s playing.

Consisting of three tracks, the album is a compact and incisive mix of catchy hooks, fast-paced beats and crisp riffs. New Dawn has an infectious drumbeat, melodic guitar swells and a great expansive chorus. Even though the band lists Killswitch Engage, Bury Tomorrow and Trivium as influences, this track made me think a little of Tool in places. The Crown is a gritty track with an even faster-pace, growled lyrics and a blistering solo followed by a swaying heavy riff pattern. I Am Lucifer begins like a gentle breeze but suddenly turns into a gale as full-strength sound and distortion erupts into a pounding assault that is only punctuated with, you guessed it, another hook-laden chorus.

SentinelSentinel tick the boxes for me when it comes to giving an opinion on a metal band. I love brutal music and harsh, shouted lyrics, but I always have a soft spot for a catchy and sweetly sung chorus. I guess I like the storm followed by the calm, before the next storm. Music without this dynamic grows a little boring and tedious for me. Sentinel avoid this pitfall and give the listener a saliva-filled gust of feeling, carried in the space that the more relaxed chorus gives.

The band has a couple of gigs coming up at South Sea live, Broomhill, Sheffield in the next few months. The first is on the 19th April, the next the 30th April. I highly recommend you go and see them if you can, as if Pectus Excavatum is anything to go by, you are in for a treat.

Pectus Excavatum can be purchased on Bandcamp for any price you decide here : http://sentinelbanduk.bandcamp.com/releases

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: Bandcamp, Broomhill, brutal, casey, douglas, free, harsh, heavy, I am Lucifer, Killswitch, Metal, New Dawn, Pectus Exactum, review, Sentinel, Sheffield, studios, Trivium, WMD

Call me when you’re famous

April 10, 2015 by Casey Douglas Leave a Comment

“I won’t waste my time on you…” is a key lyric from Call Me When You’re Famous’ song Dirty Little Secrets. One thing you should spend your time on is letting your ears sup on their punchy hook-laden sound.

Dirty Little Secrets is the first single from the band’s Organised Chaos EP and I think it’s a promising taste of the kind of music they are capable of producing. The band has a crisp and large sound with that punchy pop punk flavour that worms into your ear and forces your mind to repeat little tidbits of lyric over and over, particularly the chorus. The vocals are strong enough to easily ride above the high-tempo accompanying music, the other instruments distinct yet all coming together with a seemingly casual ease. I’m not a great fan of punk bands that mash everything together into a cacophony. Call Me When You’re Famous are safe from my scorn in this respect.

I always think that it’s nice when a punk band looks like they’re enjoying what they’re doing, rather than swimming in a sea of angst. Call Me When You’re Famous’ Dirty Little Secrets video certainly looks like they had fun making it. They put a call out to any fans who wanted to join them, provided free beer and made excellent use of a bouncy castle…what more could anyone want?

Call Me When You're FamousThe six-piece band from Leeds has created a fast-paced song with easy to listen to lyrics and a style that would easily complement any activity taking place in the summer sun, be it driving, bike riding or…bouncing around on an inflatable castle in someone’s back garden.

Check out their Facebook page to keep up to date with what they are up to and where they are playing next. They interact with fans regularly so they should be applauded for this.

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: album, Call me when you’re famous, casey, dirty little secrets, douglas, EP, leeds, organised Chaor, Pop, punchy, review, Single, Studio, studios, WMD

You’re Smiling Now But We’ll All Turn Into Demons

April 7, 2015 by Casey Douglas Leave a Comment

Demons

Population IV is the Portsmouth band’s latest album and it’s certainly a textured and flowing listening experience. From the airy vocals of The Sorcerers to the easy rhythm of Hothouse, the album takes you on a fuzzy and infectious trip through the hills and valleys of wah wahs and deep riffage.

I like my music to conjure images in my mind and to that end, Population IV doesn’t disappoint. There were two tracks that did this especially well. Chapel Perilous starts with a laid back and light melody that eases you into a pleasing rhythm before turning heavy as hell around the midpoint. If there was ever a soundtrack for a weary traveller climbing to a mountaintop temple only to find it has been overrun with demons, this is it. The other track I wanted to mention is Hothouse, the almost sun-infused riffs igniting the images of a long desert highway and a roaring biker riding into the sunset, relaxed and cruising before gunning the bike to even greater speed as the track tempo ramps up towards the end.

DemonsAll of the tracks are enjoyable, expansive and a great accompaniment to whatever you might be up to, infusing the air with the psychic feelings of flow, ease and groove. They’re also a great listen as the main focal point of your attention; the textures and flourishes in the rhythms and guitar enough to hook your mind like a floundering fish and still its motion as it dangles on each note.

The band formed in Portsmouth in 2002 and consists of Thomas Bone, Steve Hanby, Ryan “Howitzer” Howarth and Richie Troughton. They have a number of gigs coming up in the next few months: March 8th at the Shacklewell Arms, London, and on May 2nd at the Kraak Gallery, Manchester. Go and see them if you can, you owe it to yourself!

You can hear Population IV on the band’s BandCamp page here.

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: band, bone, casey, chapel perilous, douglas, hanby, heavy, hothouse, population IV, portsmouth, psychedelic, Richie, riffage, Rock, Shacklewell arms, steve, studios, the sorcerers, Thomas, troughton, WMD, YSNBWATD

Brook Jazz Lawrence – Watch This Space

March 26, 2015 by Amanda Gegg Leave a Comment

At the tender age of just twenty years old, it is safe to say that Brook Jazz Lawrence’s star is definitely rising…

…especially with the impending release of her first single ‘Feel the Fire’. Of course, she’s not the first young star attempting to share her music with the world, nor will she be the last. So what exactly is it that makes Brook and her breakthrough single stand out from the crowd?
Brooke LawrenceFirstly, the stand out factor for me is that, having been born and bred into the world of music at an incredibly young age, Brook actually writes her own music. With the world of pop in the state that it is in this day and age this is something of rarity, not to mention incredibly refreshing. She also happens to play the piano and the guitar so fans of her music can definitely expect to hear some unique all-encompassing hits in the next few years.

The single itself ‘Feel the Fire’ displays a level of production which transcends really nicely to the pop music of this day and age, especially combined with Brook’s ‘soul meets pop’ style of vocal. At the same time, it is also actually very reminiscent of American 00s pop that Brook might have grown up listening to such as Michelle Branch and Ashlee Simpson. This atmospheric heartfelt style of pop music has noticeably made a departure from the scene in recent years to make way for more band ensembles and soulful solo singers. However, it can definitely be argued that there is room for a comeback. It certainly hasn’t gotten any less catchy that’s for sure. And if anyone is going to be the one to reintroduce it, I can certainly see Brook Lawrence leading the way.

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: 00s, Amanda, Blues, Breakthrough, Brooke, BrookeJazzLawrence, Feel, Fire, Gegg, Jazz, Lawrence, Pop, review, Single, Soul, Studio, WMD

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