Gigs and Festivals

Well well, Big Four at Sonisphere eh? On a personal level I’m hugely exited by the prospect of Sonisphere this year, more so than Download by far. Call me a snob, but I’m not overly fussed by SOAD. Don’t get me wrong, they have some absolutely great songs, Toxicity, Aerials, Violent Pornography etc. And I’ve even paid money for their albums, but can they really compete with the Big Four? I have to say that for me they can’t.

Other than hoping to scrounge the money for a Sonisphere ticket this year I’ll be heading off to Bloodstock, none of the main headliners are announced yet to my knowledge, but it’s bound to be good, and going with a group of friends will always make festivals a laugh. And for a ticket that’s only slightly over half the cost of Download/Sonisphere then there’s really no good reason not to go. Oh, and the fact that the ticket was bought for me. ^^

The one other big gig event of the year on my calendar is the High Voltage Festival in London, as a smaller festival (only two nights of music) it’s slightly cheaper. And, is quite easily accessible being in London. First night is being headlined by Judas Priest, which is fine if you like that sort of thing I guess, but it’s not for me. I have seen Judas Priest before, but left before their set was done. Just not my thing. Either way,  the second night is headlined by the one and only Dream Theatre! Having selected their new drummer, and as of yet having chosen to keep his identity a secret they’ve done a great job of building at least me up into a wild frenzy which I’m sure will ensure that tickets for day two of High Voltage will sell like high temperature confectionary desserts.

Other than those big ones, there are a good few smaller gigs to look forward to this year. First off I’d like to give my condolences to the members of Bloodshot Dawn who were forced to call of their gigs with Arsis upon problems with the promoter (if i recall correctly). Then there’s the ever popular Day of Rockening, if you’ve not heard of it before, or not checked out the bands playing this year go check it out here, I’m particularly anticipating seeing K’Junga as it’s been far too long since I saw them play. Another one to watch is local band Hurtcore, energetic three piece with a vocalist who I’ve known described as “truly terrifying”.  Old hands Nervous Endings will of course will be playing as usual and in my own opinion they’ve been improving with every gig recently and I’ve loved every second of it.

I’m also intending to make an effort this year to see local band EnTro-P a few more times, seen them once or twice now and have been very impressed with them, their myspaced stuff really doesn’t do them justice at all. Oh and also, go check out a band called Talanas, Akercocke inspired proggy awesomeness. They’re even on spotify!

Other than that, there are Born of Osiris gigs to go to, Black Label Society gigs to go to and many more. And if I find all the money to do that I’ll consider myself a genius.

Changes

Hello again guys. I've been thinking about the lack of updates on this blog and the idea of semi-abandoning it whilst I'm at college doesn't sit well with me, however, I'm unable to devote the time to it that full reviews and features require. So, I've come to a compromise, I'll continue to update the blog, and the style will change slightly. It'll be less of band reviews and features to just updates about gigs I've been to, whether it was good or not anything interesting that may have happened etc. So yeah, that's that. :)

Apologies

So yeah, this is just a quick post apologising for the lack of updates. I've been really busy recently, got a job to go to, a course to attend, gigs to go to. And loads of stuff happening in my personal life as well. So, sorry guys, updates will probably be a bit few and far between in the immediate future.

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Upcoming gigs.

Just a quick post to let everyone know about some gigs coming up in the not too distant future.


I think in some post I mentioned an upcoming Kill 'em Dead Cowboy gig in another post? Well that's tonight, 13th, down in Portsmouth at the Wedgewood Rooms, any of you coming will surely see me there.


Headlining at the wedge tonight is Bare Your Scars, and it's Mikes last gig! I have no idea who Mike is and I've not seen Bare Your Scars before but I'm sure I'll find out tonight. Other bands playing the Wedge tonight are Real Estate, Prolong the Agony and Drowned By Oceans. None of whom I've seen before so tonight should be interesting.
Setlist copy pasted off the event page is thus:


Bare Your Scars 10.10 – 10.40
Kill 'Em Dead Cowboy 9.35 – 10.00
Drowned By Oceans – TBC 9.00 – 9.25
Prolong The Agony 8.25 – 8.50
Real Estate 7.50 – 8.15


Thursday night (16th Sept), is jam night down at the lounge bar in alton, bring your guitars down, drums and mics provided. Not sure if I'm brave enough to attend this one, as my talents as far as playing music go are best left unmentioned. But yeah if you feel brave or want to show off, or just want to chill out and jam in a good atmosphere then make your way down.


Ravenous are a Southampton based metal band who have been known to cover machine head and make it sound good, so they're definitely worth a watch. They're playing The Joiners in Southampton on the 17th other than Ravenous, Dukes of Agares, Ledlight are playing. Tickets are £5 Advance and £6 on the Door. Doors open at half seven.


Another gig that sounds interesting is Alzir on the 19th which is this coming Sunday. This is taking place somewhere called The Gaff, which sounds awesome. Address is The Gaff, 382 Holloway Road, London, N7 6PN. I couldn't find a setlist for this one, so I don't know who else is playing, but I'd happily go to a gig just for Alzir.


On the 23rd local death/technical death metal band Bloodshot Dawn, are playing in The Unicorn, Camden, London. If you fancy an evening of pretty brutal technical death metal then go check them out. It might be your last chance for a while, as soon after they are departing for Ireland and are playing some shows over there.


The day after on the 24th, TesseracT, Height, Entro-P and Arboretum are playing the Lounge Bar in Alton. Sounds like a good gig, get down there and check it out.


There are some shows in early October which I'll update you with soon such as Alzir in guildford on the first or second, Nervous Endings up in swindon in early October and some death metal in the lounge bar alton on the ninth.


If you're in a band and are playing a gig in September or early October that I've missed out please feel free to drop the details in the comments section and I'll add it to the main post. Additional information such as other bands playing the same gig or ticket price is always appreciated.
Ta. :)

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In Revelation launch! ACP @ Foggy's, Petersfield 10/9/2010

Well this is certainly a day that has been a while in coming to say the least. But it finally arrived and what a day it was, as we entered Foggy's we were greeted by a Hawaiian themed stage, which was a little odd, but by ACP standards fairly normal. As the time approached for ACP to take the stage Foggy's started to fill and by the time they appeared on stage clad in grass skirts, flower necklaces and clam shell bikinis, the venue was pretty packed. By the end of the night I was thinking the venue may have been a little small for the number of people there, but still, the turnout was great and the sound was remarkably good for such a small venue.

Their set began, or rather, their first set, began with the usual ACP explosion of music, movement and lights. In fact, they went so mental during their first song that they lost power to half the stage! Clearly the raw power of ACP was too much for mere electronics to handle. Once they were back up and running they continued with their set and let rip with tracks such as Graffiti Foetus, a thank you song for everyone that's supported them for the last dozen years; and Battle of the Broken. A raw, bleeding edge song including zombies and decimation! As always at an ACP gig, the atmosphere was a mixture of both expectancy and excitement. The crowd there just to listen to some great live music and celebrate a major milestone for a quality local band.

After about 40-50 minutes of pretty intense rocking out both from ACP and the crowd, they took a half hour break to chill out before they started their second set. The second set started out just as mental as the first, but minus the electrical failure. Throughout the second set the atmosphere only got better. With ACP playing previously unheard material off the new album everyone really went mental for it. As the evening built up to a climax and the final few songs approached typical ACP surprise was unleashed upon the unsuspecting crowd: A foam machine. Yes that's right, there was a pit covered in foam, and somehow, even though it doesn't seem a very 'metal' thing to have, ACP make it awesome.

I managed to pick up a copy of the album, titled 'In Revelation' as well that night and I've had a quick listen to it. It's comprised of a few old classics that everyone loves but are missing from their ep (see Red Rust, Damn Blues) and some totally new tracks such as My Aching Bones and Battle of the Broken as well as the title track In Revelation. I've not had a chance to listen to the album all the way through yet, but I've heard a good amount of it and my initial opinion is that this is very much classic ACP. Metal and rock influenced tracks are abound, but all the tracks have something interesting as well, whether that be a blues twist as in some of their older tracks or the more brutal or shred heavy sections of some of the tracks on the new album. The end result is that it's an album that won't get boring and in usual ACP fashion has something for everyone and the vast majority of ACP fans will love every track. I know I did. Favourite songs off the album? For me Red Rust is still a classic, but I love Battle of the Broken and My Aching Bones, oh and Crog. 

There's still the ACP element of fun present though, for example "The Happy Dingus Song" and their semi-surrealist lyrics. There's no question of their stage presence and charisma having disappeared from their live shows. Live they're just as insane and intense as they always have been and, in my opinion, always will be.

So today I thought I'd end on a question, so tell me guys. Was there blood in the drinking water, or on the money?

MP leaves DT

Well this a day that I certainly never saw coming, and one I had hoped never to see at all. The legend that is Mike Portnoy has quit Dream Theater 25 years after founding it as Majesty in 1985.


Undoubtedly, one of the finest progressive/metal bands ever has been rocked by this event, certainly a great loss both to the band and their fans. Portnoy wrote on his website that this was a day that he had hoped would never come and that DT had been his baby for 25 years. He commented that he had felt like DT was "burning him out" and that he had enjoyed playing with other bands such as Avenged Sevenfold more than DT over the past year.


This does beg the question however, what will Portnoy do next? Is there some new band in the works? Just waiting for the touch of Portnoy's percussive genius?


I guess we'll just have to wait and see.


On an unrelated note, I do have stuff incoming for this page about Day of Rockening, it's just such a wall of text at the moment that I need some time to revise it then you'll start to see some appearing. Thanks for your patience.


Again on another note, get yourselves down to Foggy's tomorrow for ACP's album launch and then down to the Wedgewood rooms on Monday night for Kill 'em Dear Cowboy. I'll update with info on more gigs as I get it.

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ACP @ The Boileroom, Guildford, 28/8/2010

So, last Saturday night me and some mates had a jaunt down to the Boileroomin guildford to see the awesome Alternative Carpark also known as ACP. For those of you who don't know the Boileroom it's not too far from the station, easily within staggering distance, and up round the left of the friary from the station on York Road. Was the first time I'd been to the Boileroom and have to say that for a small venue it's nice. The stage is on the small side, the five piece bands looked cramped and god knows what would have happened ifthere'd been a six piece set up. There's a nice atmosphere though, and a garden large enough to accommodate all five bands as well as everyone who came to see them.

Lineup was as follows, Ikari on first, followed by Warbound, then Castodium, then Nervous Endings and lastly ACP.

I'd seen Ikari before and this gig left me feeling confused, much the same as their other gigs. All of their songs felt schizophrenic and mismatched, each section breaking into something totally different. And not in a good way. The most notable changes in style mid song were from grunge/stoner metal to styles reminiscent of Opeth and Sikth. All in all very progressive but there's a line. Here's a hint: When it stops sounding good you've gone too far. This shows even in their music classification on facebook it's a mouthful and here it is: Noise-prog-black-jazz-death-core.

With the constant style changes the songs lacked structure and proper pacing. There was a change from screaming to singing and back again from the vocalist and this could just be me, but in my opinion, he really couldn't sing, don't get me wrong though the screaming was good. That's without even mentioning the guitar tone, it squealed but not in the right way, I think it was probably a by-product of all the different styles of music combined, one tone not being right for the mish-mash of music. However, that does lead onto a more positive note, the guitars played in just the right sort of slightly out of tune note that cut through the noise of the band nicely and compensated for the lack of proper tone. And the drummer was fantastic, a very talented and versatile drummer easily and smoothly switching styles from fast double kick through to calm tom-heavy sections and back. 

Maybe I'm being ignorant and I just didn't 'get' their music but I didn't enjoy their set and at the end of the day that's what counts right?

Well that was a bloodbath, lets move on. Warbound were on next, I like these guys, they have a very thrashy sound that takes obvious inspiration from the old school thrash bands like Metallica, whilst still containing a lot of growl more reminiscent of heavier bands like Machine Head. When their songs kick in, they're always fast paced and hectic with slower verses, and a big noise, which I like. Whilst being heavy, there's still plenty of shredding which breaks things up nicely while remaining in the same vein as the rest of the song. In short, these guys know what they want to sound like and know how to do it. Particular favourites of mine in the band are their guitarists and their vocalist, the guitarists are great technical players and they get to show it off and I just like the sound of their vocalist.

I liked the Warbound set on Saturday night, but they always remind me of another band and I've never been able to put my finger on quite who. It's frustrating because I've seen them play a number of times now both better and worse than last Saturday, but all in all it was a good set and one they should be proud of.

After Warbound, came Castodium, and I find it hard to decide whether I like them or not. I can see what they're shooting for, I just think there are a few obstacles they need to overcome. First off, I really do think they're vocalist is great, he could actually sing as well as growl which improved their sound and there's nothing worse than a growler who then tries to sing and can't. Several of their songs sounded a little strange, they would be pretty standard death metal, then there's a breakdown into a calm section that doesn't fit well with the rest of the song then there's a really contrived guitar riff to bring it back to the rest of the song. Even if there isn't a weird breakdown, then it's a weird intro. Confused the hell out of me. 

The songs themselves when they weren't going off on a tangent were actually alright, not the best I've heard, but from a young band they were good. I'd say Castodium need to sit down and take some time and write some songs, and yes these things take a while, but I think it would make them a better band in the long run. The only thing that really annoyed me during the Castodium set was their guitarist, yeah he was a pretty standard guitarist, maybe even a little better than average, but he didn't seem to be taking it seriously. Yeah you can have a laugh and a joke but it got to the point of annoying, and I thought that was a shame, considering that with a little time and effort these guys could be a decent band. 

After that, Nervous Endings burst onto the stage with their new guitarist Jake, this is the first time I've seen Jake play with Nervous Endings, and I have to say he was fantastic. Nervous Endings are first and foremost a hardcore metal band and a great one. They had great stage presence and really got the crowd going. As a hardcore metal band, even a good one, the lack of a second guitarist to beef out their sound was detrimental to them, but now with that much needed added guitar they can go back to playing solos and some great shredding. I can't emphasise enough how much the extra member improves their sound, it changes them from an above average local hardcore metal band to a really awesome balls-to-the-wall hardcore metal band. They had great charisma on stage and got everyone's heads banging. Something I particularly enjoyed was some of their older songs coming out, which can't be played without a second guitarist, notably a song called Last Gasp. If you see these guys live, and I recommend you do, listen out for this one.

Nervous Endings' set on Saturday was a good one some great music was played, great audience participation, especially on 'Dead Eyes' which is a personal favourite of mine. As a band they got great reception from everyone and they had a much more brutal sound now that they have a full line-up and a welcome return to the solo's in their songs. This isn't to say their set was perfect, I don't know if it was just me, but I thought the vocals were very quiet and I really couldn't hear them very well at all. This might be because I was actually behind the speakers as I was right at the front for their set. But other than that it was fantastic. 

If you want to see Nervous Endings, and you should, get down to The Royal Oak, Hollywater on the 4th of September for Day of Rockening 12 hours of live music starting at noon. 

Last up were ACP, now these guys always get a great reception whenever they come on stage and Saturday was no different. They always seem to create a great atmosphere as soon as they appear on stage. They announced that they have finally finished and are releasing their long awaited album! Which is pretty fantastic news for everyone on the metal scene, if you want a copy of it on release, there's an album launch gig happening in Petersfield on the 10th of September which is a Friday night. Venue is Foggy's bar, get there if you can! 

ACP's style is one I always enjoy, it takes influence from both rock and metal and adds a little blues and it seems to really give the music a distinctive sound. It has enough bite to satisfy metalheads and enough riff to make it enjoyable for anyone who's more of a rocker than a metalhead. All ACP's songs have pretty good lyrics and are always performed with such energy that everyone will want to get involved. Their show on Saturday was a great one as well, they played all their classic songs that everyone knows, (see The Carnival is Over Now), and also a song entitled My Aching Bones from their new album. Judging purely from that one track, the new album is set to take the ACP sound make it a little more brutal with more shredding.


Well that's finally all written.
Till next time. :)

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