Review: Bring Me The Horizon - Sempiternal

Info

Name: Bring Me The Horizon

Album: Sempiternal

Style: Metalcore

Released: 2013

Label: RCA (Sony)

From: England

Facebook: www.facebook.com/bmthofficial

Website: www.bringmethehorizon.co.uk

So, I scrolled through the latest Facebook posts on my wall and suddenly found a recommendation for the latest Bring Me The Horizon album. Normally, this wouldn't influence me so much as the band never actually convinced me musically or off-stage. But seeing that this recommendation was made by one of my favourite metalcore bands (namely August Burns Red), I was a little surprised and had to give “Sempiternal” a chance.

The album starts with a typical BMTH-song called “Can You Feel My Heart”. Seeing the title, I'm not really convinced but listening to it more than once, the song gets better and better. No hit for me but still a useful song concerning the variety on the album. “The House of Wolves” is the first harder track on the record and this time the band can definitely convince me. Even shouter Oli Sykes doesn't sound like the 16-year-old girl he always sounded like, although still more like a girl than Walls of Jericho's Candace Kucsulain.

As mentioned in one of the previous reviews, the name “Empire” is frequently used by bands that I want to review this year. BMTH add “Let Them Sing” sing in brackets but still the name is more or less the same. The song itself is pretty much of the same style as “The House of Wolves” and again I'm not disappointed. Especially the groovy intro is very catchy. Great song. “Sleepwalking” is a little more of a change to the record. This time it's the catchy chorus that doesn't want to leave my ears. Linkin Park couldn't have done better in their early years and the breakdowns right after the chorus gives it the necessary metalcore sound. To be recommended.

“Go to Hell, For Heaven's Sake” has pretty much the same style as “Sleepwalking” but the title alone deserves all points the song could get. It's a little more silent but still absolutely worth listening to. The same can be said about the highlight on the record. “Shadow Moses” makes me wonder, when BMTH started to sound as male as they do in this song. The first highlight is the breakdown right after the intro, the second is the one right after the first chorus and the third one the repetition of the second breakdown just before the ending of the song. Why don't they always sound like this? And why don't they sound like this for 45 minutes? That song is a hit.

“And the Snakes Start to Sing” is a song that goes back to BMTH's old sound. I can hear Oli Skyes' tears while he sings – in my opinion, a very superfluous song. I'm lucky that the record isn't on vinyl which makes it much easier to skip that track. Too bad, the album just started to become better. “Seen It All Before” starts in the same way, but at least this one doesn't stay as melancholy. That song's way better than the previous one but still, no track that I could recommend.

I can definitely recommend “Antivist”, though. My hopes for a positive musical development are rising while listening to the hardcore intro and lyrics, that demonstrate again how charming Oli Sykes can be. Especially the line “There will be no peaceful revolution / no war without blood” is outstanding and should animate certain people to use their brains. “Crooked Young” again is a song worth listening to. The breakdowns alone make me want to visit a live concert. Great track. Full stop.

Although „Hospital for Souls“ is again a very emotional track, it is also a very nice ending for the album. Still, seven minutes make it a little too long for me.

What a surprise! BMTH have developed their style and are going to become a pretty good metalcore band. In my opinion, there are still a little too many tears shed here or there, but if the band can stop doing this, they'll certainly be a candidate for my future playlists.

Listen to “The House of Wolves“, “Go to Hell, For Heaven's Sake“, “Shadow Moses“ (!!!), “Antivist“, “Crooked Young“

Bewertung: 8,5 von 10 Punkten

Tracklist:

1. Can You Feel My Heart?

2. The House of Wolves

3. Empire (Let Them Sing)

4. Sleepwalking

5. Go to Hell, For Heaven's Sake

6. Shadow Moses

7. And the Snakes Start to Sing

8. Seen It All Before

9. Antivist

10. Crooked Young

11. Hospital For Souls

Members:

Vocals: Oliver Sykes

Guitars: Lee Malia

Bass: Matt Kean

Keyboard: Jordan Fish

Drums: Matthew Nicholls

An interview with Phia

The first interview on New Rock Reviews International! Many thanks to Australian singer/songwriter Phia and our interviewer Tony for having this little chat! Enjoy!

Review: When Million Sleep - Earth to Air

Info

Name: When Million Sleep

Album: Earth to Air

Style: Rock

Released: 2013

Label: n.a.

From: Germany

Facebook: www.facebook.com/whenmillionsleep

Website: www.whenmillionsleep.com

Alright, off the British Isles and back home for now. German newcomers When Million Sleep asked us to review their debut album “Earth to Air” and we didn't need to think twice about agreeing to do so. Let's hope that we won't regret it.

“Wolves and Bones”, the opener, makes me want to listen to more. Although it kind of reminds me of Funeral For A Friend (with somehow better lyrics), the chorus already stays in my head after the first time of hearing it. A great track. “Human Bomb” is a little rockier but ends a little bit to sudden for my taste. Still, pretty nice.

The first ballad on the album is “Movers and Makers” and as you would expect it, the song is a little more emotional than the first two. Again, the sound reminds me of FFAF (especially in “History”) which is not a negative point as they are one of my favourite bands. Although it brings a little change to the album, “The Sound Of A Thousand Wings in the Sky” is a little too much pop music for me. It's a song that you could always play on the radio; but in my opinion, it doesn't really fit on the album.

“Abandon All Ships” is a little more ballad-like again. The song somehow slows the album even more down (although it's a little rockier towards the end) and would possibly fit in at another place on the album. “At Last” is finally a rocker again and – after the first two – one of my favourites on “Earth to Air”. Singer and guitarist Thomas Buck again gives it the FFAF touch that I'm already used to.

Somehow, the bands that I want to write reviews about in this year seem to like the name “Empire” for one of their songs. And somehow, none of these bands disappointed me with these tracks. When Million Sleep's “Empire” is one of my favourites on the album as well and I just can't forget the lead guitar sound during the chorus. Simply good. “The Provider” is an absolutely catchy tune and here especially the intro riff which is repeated here and there throughout the song again. I can even enjoy a little rock breakdown towards the end which is a real highlight for my metalcore roots. This is definitely a favourite!

The guitars in “ Inhale ≤ Exhale” seem to have been influenced by metal bands as well. But again I can hear a lot of FFAF. The last title's name is “Sleeping Awake” and is of the same quality as the first two songs. The song is a little louder than some other songs on the album but the ending in my opinion is again too abrupt (especially as it is the ending of the album).

This is a pretty good debut album, When Million Sleep! The guys should try and sound a little bit more independent from other bands, although it is pretty normal for a debut to sound like the band's main influences. Anyway, with certain improvements the band could stay on my playlist for a little longer with their second album.

Listen to: „Wolves and Bones“, „Human Bomb“, „At Last“, „Empire“, „The Provider“

6,5 out of 10 points

Tracklist:

1. Wolves and Bones

2. Human Bomb

3. Movers and Makers

4. The Sound of a Thousand Wings in the Sky

5. Abandon All Ships

6. At Last

7. Empire

8. The Provider

9. Inhale ≤ Exhale

10. Sleeping Awake

Members:

Vocals, guitar: Thomas Buck

Guitar, vocals: Alex Walde

Bass, vocals: Jörg Junker

Drums: Stefan Peil

Review: Stereophonics - Graffiti on the Train

Info

Name: Stereophonics

Album: Graffiti on the Train

Style: Rock

Released: 2013

Label: Ignition Records

From: Wales

Facebook: www.facebook.com/stereophonics

Website: www.stereophonics.com

There's no way that Stereophonics' new album “Graffiti on the Train” could not be present on New Rock Reviews. From all the reviews planned in April, this one is probably the quietest album. Still, I am pretty sure that this little break is worth it; be it because of “Graffiti on the Train”'s quality or because of the forthcoming albums to be reviewed – we'll see. I can only promise one thing – there's enough Welsh bands on this blog for now, so there won't be any other for the next couple of weeks or months.

Let's talk about the album now. “We Share the Same Sun” is a quiet opener and only starts to rock during the chorus. Listening a little more closely, I can hear a few synthesizers and I definitely enjoy the The-Edge-like solo. All in all a pretty good beginning. The title track already shows that this album is going to rock a lot less than other Stereophonics releases. The tranquil structure of the song, a few violins, and Kelly Jones' emotional singing are the predominant ingredients. The lyrical story reminds me of I Like Trains' lyrics and is therefore pretty melancholy; but still something that will make people think.

“Indian Summer” is a song with a rock edge and could be compared to “We Share the Same Sun”. Some fans might disagree with the violins but as I like a little progress on every album I definitely wouldn't say anything against it. For me, “Indian Summer” is the first little hit on the record. The following song, “Take Me”, is again a little different from the first three. Its balladic structure and the change between Jones and a not-named female singer are nice; however, the song doesn't really get to the same level as the other songs on the album.

The first song that reminds me of the Stereophonics that I'm used to is “Catacomb” which somehow makes me think about some Oasis or Beady Eye songs respectively – especially towards the end, when the song develops into a nice rock song. This is song-writing a lá Liam Gallagher – and absolutely to my taste. “Roll the Dice” slows things down again. The balladic beginning makes rock reviewers on other websites moan. Again I can hear a lot of violins and even trumpets during the chorus; still, this is one of the best songs on the record.

“Violins and Tambourines” is again really balladic at the beginning but then develops into a nice rock song towards the end. You might already have guessed from the name of the song, which instruments you can hear during the title. This one is another one of my favourites. Right after “Violins and Tambourines” there is the greatest surprise on the record. “Been Caught Cheating” is a great blues song and, although the solos aren't as good as Joe Bonamassa's or Henrik Freischlader's solos, it can still convince me to be another one of my favourites. This is a brilliant example of how wide Stereophonics' musical spectrum is and how much Kelly Jones can switch between musical styles. A great change.

What impresses me most about “In a Moment” is the backings during the verse and the bridge which add a very special note to it. I can't help but think about U2, which is absolutely no bad thing and shows how variational Jones' song-writing is. This song, as well, gets a very good grade. The last song is not going to rock either. However, “No-one's Perfect” has a nice singer-songwriter feeling to it and somehow reminds me of “Maybe Tomorrow”. Although it's a very quiet ending for an already very quiet album, I can only give it great marks as well.

Although this is not a typical Stereophonics rock album, “Graffiti on a Train” can't make me write a bad review about it. It's variational and really creative but the band could have written one or two rockier songs to add to it. “Catacomb” being the only “real” rock song on the album is a little to less for me.

Listen to: „Graffiti on the Train“, „Indian Summer“, „Violins and Tambourines“, „Been Caught Cheating“, „In a Moment“

7 out of 10 points

Tracklist:

1. We Share the Same Sun

2. Graffiti on the Train

3. Indian Summer

4. Take Me

5. Catacomb

6. Roll the Dice

7. Violins and Tambourines

8. Been Caught Cheating

9. In a Moment

10. No-one's Perfect

Members

Vocals, Guitars: Kelly Jones

Guitars, Vocals: Adam Zindani

Bass: Richard Jones

Drums: Javier Weyler

Review: I Fight Lions - Storm

Info:

Name: I Fight Lions

Album: Storm (EP)

Style: Alternative Rock

Released: 2013

Label: Syrcus

From: Wales

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ifightlions/

Website: www.ifightlions.com

After a short review trip to England and Heaven's Basement, I am back in Wales again. Well, it's getting obvious. I like the country but still, there a lot of really good bands there that are worth to be reviewed. I Fight Lions are one of them and they are something special as well.

I don't have to check three times for the correct spelling of the first track as the EP starts with the title track: “Storm”. What comes to my mind when writing this review is the brilliant bass and, of course, the Welsh lyrics. Despite thinking that Welsh is only suitable for more balladic songs (like The Joy Formidable's Welsh version of “Whirring” called “Chwyrlio”), I can only admit that I like the song. 

“Paid a Poeni” rocks even more. The drums and the classical rock riffing indicate that I don't have any other option than liking it. There's even a double bass in this song (and it's certainly not played by Metallica's Lars Ulrich), which really surprised me.

“Casanova” is a varied song and with that the most alternative on this EP. Whereas the verse makes me think about Russian folklore music, the chorus makes me (and I guess everyone else) want to sing – and I would have done so, if I could speak the language. The bass line during the middle of the song is well played and soon makes me think about Russia again. A great song to me but not the best yet.

Which leads me to the (unfortunately) last song on “Storm”. And this time I do have to look three times, if I spelt it correctly. The intro of “Chwil a Chwerw” indicates a ballad but soon the song develops into a rock song which could be one of my favourites of this year. To me, there's a certain Iron Maiden-influence during the interlude of this song, when both guitars start playing a melody that definitely would fit into the repertoire of Dave Murray, Adrian Smith and Janick Gers. This song is my absolute favourite and I can't wait to here more of I Fight Lions.

Unfortunately, the EP is too short to give top marks, but the band's “courage” to use their native language (instead of English to win more fans) is a very likeable aspect. All in all, “Storm” is the second EP of a band that I'll keep an eye on in the future.

Listen to: "Chwil a Chwerw"

6 out of 10 points

Tracklist

1. Storm

2. Paid a Poeni

3. Casanova

4. Chwil a Chwerw

Members

Hywel Pitts

Rhys Evans

Dan Owen

David Thomas