Browsing Tag

soundgarden

Update your alt-rock playlists with The Soundwave Club’s latest single, The Letter, featuring Dirty Picks

Posted on 3 July 2021

If Chris Cornell picked up a few more pop-punk sensibilities for Soundgarden’s single, ‘Rusty Cage’, it would have run in the same vein as The Soundwave Club’s sophomore single, The Letter, featuring Dirty Picks.

With infectiously melodic hooks that are sharp enough to catch in your throat and the 00s-style alt-rock vocals that are reminiscent of Shinedown, Breaking Benjamin, Creed and Three Days Grace, The Letter carries all of the hallmarks of an anthemic alt-rock playlist staple.

The Soundwave Club formed in 2020 during the pandemic when the life-long Santiago-hailing friends Erick Molina and Irene Rodriguez jammed and started to write and release their own material with the help of session musicians.

The Letter is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Godzukey warn us about ‘The Wrath To Come’

Posted on 4 March 2021

When, back in November, we reviewed Godzukey’s last single ‘Alibi’, we said that Portland, Oregon, might have just spawned a new baby monster. On the basis of ‘The Wrath To Come’, that monster’s now hitting the angry teenage years, slamming its bedroom door, and refusing to come out except for snacks and video games.

Written about deceitful friends and still peppered with beautifully tasteful harmonics and bluesy shredding from guitar noisenik Conrad Bylsma, ‘The Wrath To Come’ is a glorious, grungy, doomy, melodic, stomp through sludgy stoner-rock (that’s a thing) in an old-school lazy vocal and fuzzed-up guitars kind of way. There’s large elements of some absolute classics in here – Alice In Chains, Soundgarden, Mother Love Bone, with a definite nod to the Foos, Nirvana, and J Mascis/Dinosaur Jr. especially around the laconic vocal delivery and effects.

‘The Wrath To Come’ is the 8th track from Godzukey’s demo mini-album ‘Lake Mammalian’, and a precursor to their debut online gig ‘Bridge City Sessions: Godzukey’, which can be viewed via YouTube and Facebook on March 2nd this year.

In the meantime, you can hear ‘The Wrath To Come’ on Spotify, and follow Godzukey on Facebook and Instagram.

Review by Alex Holmes

Apollo’s Army – Drive: Infectiously Feisty Indie Alt Rock

Posted on 13 August 2020

If you could imagine what it would sound like if The Black Keys threw nuances of raucous Punk and Grunge into their rhythmically spellbinding singles, you’ll get an idea of what will hit you when you hit play on Apollo’s Army’s single “Drive”.

Drive is just one of the super-charged singles which you will find on the US-based artist’s debut album Welcome to the Army which was a decade in the making. Which means that Welcome to the Army is a rare record which offers the teen angst that initially inspired the record performed by an indisputable powerhouse of musicians.

Drive is packed with anthemic appeal thanks to the massive infectious choruses, enigmatic vocals, and then there’s the riffs, my God the riffs. While I’ll roll my eyes at most showy shredding, there’s something infinitely absorbing about Wah-soaked sonic blazing solo work in Drive.

You can check out Apollo’s Army’s single along with the rest of their 2020 album by heading over to Spotify or their official website where you’ll find more ways to stream their snarling Alt Indie hit.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Crisis King – Tonight – If You Thought That Extreme Music Could Not Be Eclectic, Think Again!

Posted on 3 November 2017

Crisis King is an artist with a fondness for hard-hitting metal, post-hardcore and industrial tones. His recent studio work, Tonight, is an EP that features 6 original songs. The artist’s music explores genres as diverse as hardcore, industrial, new-metal and more, going for an eclectic, yet direct sound. Opening number, “Die Easy”, is an extremely powerful wall of sound that feels like a stampede of vikings, crushing and burning everything in their path. The song has powerful drums and loud guitar riffs that are down-tuned and aggressive, perfectly matching the vocals.

The dark lyrical themes on the songs of the EP are also a great match with the album’s production aesthetics, but there is also room for melodies here and there.

“The Tides” highlights the group’s most melodic side, yet it still features hard-hitting drums, loud guitar walls and serendipitous changes. Throughout the span of these 6 tracks, Crisis King really stand out for the diverse approach they are able to bring to the table, exploring different sides of their musicianship and offering up an EP that feels eclectic, yet extremely direct, just as you would expect from a band such as Crisis King!

Mystic Tears single “Shine” is haunting and beautiful

Posted on 20 August 2017

Mystic Tears makes music that is as enigmatic as the project’s name. Their single, “Shine” is haunting and beautiful – a melancholic ballad that makes me think of the quieter moments of artists such as Soundgarden or Nine Inch Nails, just to mention a few. The drums have a floating groove that really fits with the sparse, gentle guitars and with the sultry vocal performances. The track has a nice, sustained feel throughout its duration, but it definitely opens up to a stunning climax towards its end. The playing gets more intense, and new layers of tone seamlessly bring something new to the mix. The beautiful lead guitar work and stunning vocal solos make me think of timeless acts such as Pink Floyd, but re-imagined in a refreshing modern way.

In conclusion, this track feels like a musical journey: its arrangement its deceptively simple and direct, but the song’s emotional impact is huge. This is one of those tracks that really compel you to focus and listen, stopping whatever else you were doing at the moment and solely concentrate on the music!

Jakob’s Tier Release Rocking Track ‘Society’s Child’

Posted on 24 July 2017

Jakob’s Tier is a music project with a truly unique approach to rock and roll music and with a truly special approach on songwriting.

Recent single release, “Society’s Child” is actually featured within a full-length album release titled “Ernie”. This album features 19 tracks and it is actually a conceptual release where all the songs have a common underlying theme threading them together seamlessly around the character of Ernie, a lifer who has been suddenly granted a reversal of his sentence and is suddenly stuck with a cellmate for the very first time.

The song is particularly striking for its massive guitar riffs and pounding drums. This is an in-your-face rock and roll number that echoes the massive stadium-sized appeal of 80s Heavy Metal, but at the same time, it has the honest grit of punk and alternative rock. Think Guns’N’Roses jamming with Soundgarden.

The lyrics are thought-provoking and insightful, seamlessly tying in with the concept of the whole album. The song is a gateway to a story of society, but also about love, loss, and growth.

Find out more about the artist and listen to the music:
http://www.youngernie.com/