Finding a box to place Can’t Swim in is not easy. On their debut album, Fail You Again, you can hear the sneer of pop-punk, the emotion of Jimmy Eat World and the soul of The Wonder Years. It’s clear they are in that world but what part of it is truly their home is for you to decide.
Suicide Silence – Suicide Silence
There are Tibetan monks living on top of mountains in total silence who will have heard the winds of Storm Doris coming through, by which I don’t mean the gusty weather we’ve been getting in the UK. No, Suicide Silence have a new album, and my God have they pissed people off.
Dool – Here Now, There Then
Dark, melodic and at times undeniably sexy Dool are one of those bands that you want to know nothing about. Much like Ghost, their dark pop is intriguing in its mystery, and if you discovered it was Bob and Sandra from down the road putting it together, you’d be pretty disappointed. Thankfully, that’s not the case, and these former members of The Devil’s Blood and Gold suit their own mystique nicely.
Xibalba – Diablo, Con Amor.. Adios
Xibalba is the name of the K’iche’ Maya underworld and apparently has a nice river of scorpions flowing nearby. I don’t actually know if a river of scorpions would flow, it would maybe be more of a scuttle. It’s also the name of a Californian hardcore band who have just released their EP, Diablo, Con Amor.. Adios. A name that pretty much covers all the bases seeing as it is literally the titles of the three tracks on it.
Danny Worsnop – The Long Road Home
Despite the internet’s protestations, it’s not actually the end of the world when a musician moves away from rock or metal. In fact, musical experimentation should be encouraged. I imagine disgruntled fans were moaning ‘that’s not blues rock’ at Black Sabbath back in the day, but things turned out alright for them.
Blackfield – Blackfield V
Steven Wilson intimidates me. Not in the physical sense – I’ve never met the guy – but in the intellectual. I’m aware of his music but whether it’s Porcupine Tree or his solo material I always feel like it’s too smart for me; like the musical canvases he creates can’t possibly compute with my tiny brain. It’s a weird inferiority to have, but there you go.
The Menzingers – After The Party
Everyone has their weaknesses. The things that make them go all wobbly at the knees no matter the quality. I adore coming of age films and teenagers being cut up, and if you write an album about packing up and hitting the road with Springsteen, the odds are I’ll be right there with you. If you do it to an exceptional standard, then I’ll be putty in your hands.
Betraying The Martyrs – The Resilient
While doing a metal version of ‘Let It Go’ might get you plenty of those internet clicks it is unlikely to gain you much in the way of metal cred. A problem that Betraying The Martyrs must surely be aware of. In essence a deathcore band (this being the type of core which means modern metalcore rather than anything related to hardcore) they have at times struggled due to their own ambition; their big sweeping sound bringing equal parts praise and derision.
The Drip – The Haunting Fear of Inevitability
If you like your music to sound like it has dragged itself out of the sewer with the sole ambition of punching you in the face until you are nothing but a bloody and unattractive stain on the concrete, then do we have the band for you.
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Chasing Safety – Nomad
The hardest albums to review aren’t those so catastrophically bad that you want to slap the band round the face with the CD. Nor are they the technical masterclasses, albums so full of intricacies that ten years later you still hear something new. No, the real fucking buggers are the ones that are just alright. Not too bad, not too good. What the hell are you meant to say about that?
Ramblings About Wrestling 