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

Review: Heaven's Basement - Filthy Empire

Info:

Name: Heaven's Basement

Album: Filthy Empire

Style: Hard Rock

Released: 2013

Label: Red Bull Records

From: England

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

Website: http://www.heavensbasement.com

Here we are with another review about a British band. This time we're talking about hard rockers Heaven's Basement, who are held high by many British rock magazines. I just had to listen to an album with four K's in Kerrang Magazine. Unfortunately, I find a first point of criticism on the album cover. The album's name is perfectly visible, but where's the band's name? An F for marketing. How should you find an album of a band that you just know the name of, if it's not on the album cover?

“Filthy Empire” starts off with a song called “Welcome Home” which reminds me of Metallica's “Master of Puppets” album. Didn't that have a song of the same name on it? Still, I like the song. The verse is just as you would expect it to be on a hard rock album but the chorus is a little too soft for my taste. In terms of production, I need to mention one more point of criticism. Although the band only has one guitarist, I can hear two guitars on the record. In my opinion, a band shouldn't pretend to sound like something they couldn't sound like when playing live. This includes having two guitars on the record, if you only have one in the band. “Fire, Fire” is a song made for stadiums and couldn't have been better, had it been composed by Guns'n'Roses or Aerosmith. My highlight number one on the record.

“Nothing Left to Lose” again is a typical hard rock song with a short solo during the intro, and changing singers (singer Aaron Buchanan and guitarist Sid Glover) during the verse. But again the chorus is too soft for what I expected (sounds to me like the early You Me At Six with a rock singer). “Lights Out in London” is the first less intense rock song on the album. The chorus fits in this time and gives the song the emotion that I wanted it to have and guitarist Glover shows again that he is more than just a good guitarist.

After this little balladic track Heaven's Basement go back to hard rock. “I am Electric” sounds like the good Lostprophets and the breakdown is certainly one of the best parts on the whole record. The second highlight for me. “The Long Goodbye”, however, is another song that I heard in similar ways from other British rock bands before. A good track but nothing that I would have missed on “Filthy Empire”.

But I would definitely have missed “Heartbreaking Son of a Bitch”. The chorus again reminds me of You Me At Six, but I'm totally convinced of the song itself. I could listen to it again and again. The third highlight on the album. The next song, “Be Somebody” is one I would definitely like to be off the record. Not a song that I need and certainly a filler.

“Can't Let Go” sounds a little like The Offspring during the chorus. Nothing bad, but nothing good either in my eyes. The big surprise to me is “The Price We Pay”, a beautiful ballad with acoustic guitar(s) and a descreetly played piano in the background. Something different and my absolute highlight on the record.

“Jump Back” is, just like “Fire, Fire”, composed to be played in stadiums and makes me want to sing during the chorus. Another candidate to be listened to more than once in a row. It's not enough for 45 minutes, but 15 minutes can do. “Executioner's Day”, the last song on the album, is another hard rock song that makes me want to hear more of this band. Unfortunately, it's the last one and therefore a little late for this album to get more.

Conclusion: Heaven's Basement are certainly a talented band but I would like to see more experiments and variety on the next record. “Filthy Empire” is a pretty good debut but if you'd ask me, I wouldn't agree with Kerrang's four K's.

6,5 out of 10 points

Listen to: „Fire, Fire“, „I am Electric“, „The Price We Pay“, „Jump Back“, „Executioner's Day“

Tracklist:

1. Welcome Home

2. Fire, Fire

3. Nothing Left to Lose

4. Lights Out in London

5. I Am Electric

6. The Long Goodbye

7. Heartbreaking Son of a Bitch

8. Be Somebody

9. Can't Let Go

10. The Price We Pay

11. Jump Back

12. Executioner's Day

Members:

Aaron Buchanan

Sid Glover

Rob Ellershaw

Chris Rivers

Review: We Are Animal - Idolise

Info:

Name: We Are Animal

Album: Idolise

Style: Indie/Rock

Released: 2010

From: Wales

Facebook: www.facebook.com/weareanimal

Website: http://weareanimal5.bandcamp.com/

Alright, it's time to restart our international part of New Rock Reviews again. And it's again a Welsh band that gets the opportunity to prove themselves. I first saw We Are Animal as support for The Joy Formidable in Berlin in February and was quite impressed about their intense sound and creative music. So I thought I should buy the album but, unfortunately, it was already sold out before I had the opportunity to get it. So I sought for it everywhere on the net and finally found it on Amazon and it didn't take me long to decide whether I should buy it or not. Although “Idolise” is from 2010, I think the band definitely deserves a place on NRR 2013.

I don't remember the songs they played live too well because, as we all know, it's hard to remember songs that you just hear for the first time. Nevertheless, I'm absolutely sure that some tracks on “Idolise” were played live that night. The record's first song is “1268” and when I first listened to it I was quite disappointed about the sound of the guitars because I remembered them to be way more intense. Still, the tracks is absolutely worth listening to and my disappointment disappeared with “Unfold Fold”, the second song on the album. I remember that this song was played at their Berlin gig because I remember the crowd doing the backings and I already liked it then. In my opinion, the studio version is even better, because it's brilliantly produced and the way the guitars are played during the verse is just amazing. I guess this song will never leave my ears again. Ever.

The next highlight on the record is “Black Magic” with its verse (“We saw some movements up in the tree tops / Mind if we ask how you got so high”) making me think about people who want to reach out to the stars but never actually get up from their seats at first. Great lyrics for a great song. “Hunting” is a little difficult to warm up to. The monotonous guitars could cause a little headache to some inexperienced alternative rock listeners. Still, this song points out a certain variety on the album which shows that the band also tries other ways of writing songs and that, in my eyes, is a very good way of writing music when every other celebrated rock band only stays with the way they always write songs because they will definitely sell more with that approach.

The next four songs are my absolute favourites on the record. “No vacancy” is a prototype of what I call indie rock: variety, a little round-the-bend synthesizers and it still has the necessary rock sound. Another hit. “Empire” is another great example for that style of music. I love the slightly strident sound of the guitars and the lyrics remind me of the situation of Wales' English neighbour:

„ We have a fallen empire

that's the word on the streets

we have many conversations

but we don't mention defeat“

The lyrical change during the chorus from “Fallen empire” to “Your fallen empire” even gives it a little mocking touch.

Following „Empire“, I get another dose of synthesizers during the beginning of "Benin". The guitars are joining in at the pre-chorus and the vocals remind me of The Doors. Again We Are Animal could be the ideal example for every want-to-be indie rock band. “Feeding Off the Energy” is my absolute favourite on “Idolise”. A rhythm which would make everybody love rock music makes me think: Even after 45 minutes of this song I would still need more of it.

“No machine” gives me a little and well deserved break after so much brilliant indie rock music and this break is continued by “Clean Up and Run”. The only ballad on the record convinces me with a little mystical sounds but also makes me think of my only point of criticism. Welsh lyrics would have suited this song great but, unfortunately, there are none.

Indie rock continues with “Super Overdrive” which is an absolutely catchy tune and will never leave me again. But then again, that's what comes to my mind after nearly every song on this record. I can not find any more bad criticism, especially as the last song “Animals” is another hit and leaves me saying to everyone who didn't see this band live yet: Go out of your house, catch a plane to Wales (if you don't live there already) and go see them live.

Conclusion: “Idolise” is a great debut and I for one can't wait for more. It's a shame, that I don't give the highest amount of points for a debut because you always have to leave some space for improvement, otherwise We Are Animals would have gotten more points for this record. I still give them:

8 out of 10 points

Listen to: “Unfold Fold”, “Black Magic”, Empire”, “Feeding Off the Energy”, “Animals

Tracklist:

1. 1268

2. Unfold Fold

3. Black Magic

4. Hunting

5. No Vacancy

6. Empire

7. Benin

8. Feeding Off the Energy

9. No Machine

10. Clean Up and Run

11. Super Overdrive

12. Animals

Members:

Owain Ginsberg

Cynyr Hamer

Dion Hamer

Liam Simpson

Carwyn Ginsberg