Browsing Tag

Sleaze Rock

OCEANS OF TEARS have released their locked and loaded single, ‘Bullet in a Gun’.

Posted on 27 May 2021

Escape 2021 and catapult yourself back to the 80s with OCEANS OF TEARS semi-autobiographical rock opera single, ‘Bullet in a Gun’. If you need more music in your arsenal that speaks to you on an evocative level as well as an anthemic one, you will want to make Bullet in a Gun a playlist staple.

Their forbiddingly electrifying single starts with synth-driven discord that sets a B-movie-style macabre tone before the lyrics start to subversively find the parables between carrying around a loaded gun and drink-driving. While many rock acts rush to clamour about reckless hedonism, OCEANS OF TEARS artfully vent the broiling rage towards self-centric and self-destructive behaviour. That’s definitely a trend that I’m on board with.

Bullet in a Gun is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Fastride are taking us all the way to ‘Sin City’

Posted on 17 May 2021

Fastride cut their teeth on the USA’s East Coast, playing clubs and bars like the Whiskey and the Viper Room alongside such luminaries of the rock scene as Black Star Riders, Jake E Lee, Hookers & Blow, and Michael Graves (The Misfits); formed around lead guitarist Ty Asoudegan, an alumnus of Berkelee College of Music who’s been featured in Guitar Player Magazine and name-checked by none other than Guns n’ Roses’ Slash, new single ‘Sin City’ is down and dirty, gritty, no-frills rock n’ roll. Hard-riffing straight from the off, this is proper LA screaming vocals, overdriven guitars, and thundering drums. There’s touches of ‘Slave To The Grind’-era Seb Bach to the vocals, the obligatory rip-snorting guitar break – all pinched harmonics and staccato muted flurries, trills, and hammer-on/pull-off runs – and a shouty, gang-vocal chorus. It’s the essence of 1980’s debauchery – sleazy, trashy, swathed in bandanas and black leather, and reeking of Marlboro and Jack’n’Cokes. Rock and very much roll.

Check out ‘Sin City’ on YouTube; Find Fastride on Facebook.

Review by Alex Holmes

Orson’s Well delivered a smoky stormer with ‘Serve the Verve’.

Posted on 15 April 2021

Rather than serving up yet another archetypal slice of Sunset strip sleaze, USA’s Orson’s Well brought modernism to their raunchy grooves with their latest single, ‘Serve the Verve’.

With Blues weaving its way into the anthemic stormer, Serve the Verve comes with a guarantee that you’ll find yourself mesmerised by the scuzzy yet soaring guitar solos that affirm Orson’s Well are bringing the pinnacle of modern rock.

Serve the Verve is rooted in the past, but it taps into that contemporary need for abrasive smoky rock n roll orchestrated for the discerning rock fan in 2021. For any fans of Guns n’ Roses and Aerosmith, Orson’s Well is definitely worth a spot on your radar.

You can check out the official video to Serve the Verve via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Tyron Freeman’s raucous, indie-tinged rock – ‘Keep It Hid, Locked Away’

Posted on 10 April 2021

Like so many musicians during the last year or so, Tyron Freeman – a veteran of bands as a professional musician in the North West UK – found that the world shifted and skewed sideways at the beginning of the pandemic. Suddenly stranded, jobless and isolated in a studio flat in Germany, what does a creative musician do but call in his mates and put together a killer rock n’ roll track?

‘Keep It Hid, Locked Away’ is raucous, indie-tinged rock – think Goo Goo Dolls, Bush, a little of Royal Blood, and some Beatles-y sing-song sections. There’s influences of Fontaines and Tame Impala, the White Stripes, and Oasis, too, along with old-school rock in Zeppelin, Bowie, and the Stooges. Recorded at Liverpool’s Parr Studios, Chris Taylor’s production brings elements of the Lightning Seeds, Blossoms, and The Coral into the mix, giving the overall single a perfect mix of classic rock groove and North-East England indie-pop catchiness. This might be early days for Tyron Freeman’s solo career, but on the basis of ‘Keep It Hid, Locked Away’ he really, really needs to avoid his own advice; this needs to be shouted from the rooftops instead.

‘Keep It Hid, Locked Away’ is out now; check out Tyron Freeman on Facebook.

Review by Alex Holmes

Jade Moede gives garage rock a brand-new meaning with their single, ‘No More Lies’.

Posted on 2 April 2021

If you merged The Time Warp from The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Greased Lightnin’ from Grease and threw in a little Pink Floyd attitude, you’d be left with an aural crumble not all too different from Jade Moede’s vintage rock track, ‘No More Lies’.

The theatric hit will almost leave you wondering what rock the artist has been hiding behind since the early 90s, and that’s no criticism. Anyone who appreciates filthy riffs, minimal production and sleaze rock-style unfuckwithability will have plenty of fun getting acquainted with Jade Moede.

You can check out No More Lies for yourselves by heading over to Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Musicismost have unleashed their stormer of an alt-rock track ‘Pheromone Too (Hard Mix)’

Posted on 2 February 2021

Plenty of artists made their debut in 2020; but for London-based alt-rock artist, Musicismost, their debut was 40 years in the making.

The powerhouse first started jamming in the 80s, but it wasn’t until last year that they decided to let the world hear their high-energy approach to timeless rock. Judging by the phenomenal reception of their debut single, ‘Pheromone Too’, released on November 17th, the world was eager and waiting.

Just two months on from the debut, Pheromone Too had racked up over 100,000 streams on Spotify alone, and Musicismost has already left fans insatiable for their fresh, catchy and high-octane sound.

Before treating us to the second release from their forthcoming album, which will be released in full in Autumn 2021, they released ‘Pheromone Too (Hard Mix)’ which amplifies the over-driven energy contained in the original track which was mastered by multi-Grammy-award-winning producer, Howie Weinberg. With the producer responsible for Nirvana’s ‘Nevermind’ at their disposal, it comes as no surprise that Pheromone Too is a flawlessly radio-ready rock earworm.

Fans of 80s hair metal and modern alt-rock alike will want to delve into the sleazy track which holds fleeting reminiscences to Motley Crue, Poison, and Skid Row.

Pheromone Too (Hard Mix) was released on January 14th, 2021, it is now available to stream via Spotify.

Connect with Musicismost via Facebook, for more information, head over to their website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Amenazar smash through Rock archetypes with their dynamically provocative single “Lie to Me”

Posted on 27 October 2020

US Rock artist Amenazar saw their inception almost three decades ago but judging by the magnetism found in their latest single “Lie to Me” they’re just as valuable to the airwaves as they were when they made their debut.

The mark of any good artist is their ability to make you feel instead of listen. And my God, if any Rock artist had the capacity to tear my soul in two with the provocativeness of their sound, it’s Amenazar.

With Lie to Me, they found the perfect balance of sticky-sweet romantic sincerity and rock n roll intensity. But where they truly set themselves apart is through their ability to smash through classic rock archetypes. As great as Guns n Roses and Aerosmith are, we don’t need another act assimilating them. There was definitely no danger of Lie to Me resonating as assimilative with Amenazar’s tendency to pull influence from a wide array of influences, from Alt 90s, to Industrial Grunge to Classic Southern Rock, it’s all in there.

You can check out Lie to Me for yourselves by heading over to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Crown and the Doubt bring the salacious sleaze with latest single “Dirty Little Secret”

Posted on 19 September 2020
https://soundcloud.com/user-16226930-420367329/01-dirty-little-secret

Enough time has passed since The All-American Rejects’ iconic track “Dirty Little Secret”, so Alt-Rock faction Crown and the Doubt have paid their own ode to sordidness with their viscerally electric latest single.

As acclaimed as The All-American Rejects were/are, they don’t seem to possess a fraction of the talent which you will hear in the colossally tight heavy and sleazy Rock instrumentals. But it’s with the vocals where Crown and the Doubt really set themselves apart. They’d give Buckcherry a run for their money when it comes to salacious sleaze.

You can check out Dirty Little Secret for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Abakas – Runaway: Alchemically Anthemic Alt Rock

Posted on 24 June 2020

If you could use some grungy, raucous aural escapism, take a journey with Norwegian breaking artist Abakas’ high-octane debut single “Runaway”.

I don’t make Eddie Vedder vocal comparisons lightly, yet, Abakas vocalist achieved the very same evocative sing as Pearl Jam’s frontman as he projected the powerful imagery from the lyrics into the anthemic hit.

Instrumentally, Abakas are well and truly in a league of their own thanks to the eclectic array of influences weaved into the supersonic rhythmic hit. Anthemic Rock converges with Hard Rock and Sleaze to orchestrate an alchemic feat of Alt-Rock which you’ll want to give repeat attention.

Any fans of Black Sabbath, Pearl Jam Queens of the Stone Age and Iron Maiden will be just as enamoured with Runaway as we were.

You can check out Abakas’ single for yourselves by heading over to Spotify, where you’ll also be able to delve into the artist’s debut EP “Marauders”.

Keep up to date with the latest releases via Facebook.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

8udDha bl0od – 17’ll N3<3r 83 0<3r

Posted on 20 April 2020
https://soundcloud.com/william-orpen/itll-never-be-over-mdemo

There will never be another underground UK artist who will blow us away with their versatility the way in which Brighton-based Alternative artist 8udDha bl0od has.

Their aurally chameleonic releases share just a handful of commonalities. If we had to allude to the most tangible, we’d have to pick the kaleidoscopically mellifluous layers of Psych and their tendency to let their creative expression take the lead.

17’ll N3<3r 83 0<3r is one of 8udDha bl0od’s earlier releases which incorporates nuances of Funk and Sleaze Rock, Art Rock and Blues. You’ll pick up influences from Black Sabbath, Radiohead and even Bowie in the progressively magnetic soundscape. I think it’s safe to say that no artist has ever pulled off an influential infusion quite like that before.

You can check out 17’ll N3<3r 83 0<3r along with the artist’s latest releases for yourselves via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast