Metallica are one of the greatest bands of all time. Some people would call that an opinion, but they would be wrong. It is fact. Few bands have rewritten the rulebook as many times as James Hetfield and co. Go back and listen to Kill ‘Em All and then throw on Justice For All… and tell me that sounds like the same band. You can then mosey on down to the Black Album and hear something completely different.
The Wonder Years w/ Laura Stevenson and Maycomb
I’ve been to countless arena shows over the years, and some of them have been truly spectacular. It doesn’t matter how many I do, though, not one has ever beaten the feeling of packing into a tiny little sweatbox and seeing a great band smash out a fantastic set. Which is why tours like the one The Wonder Years have just finished up round the UK are so special.
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Nails
While 2016 is setting itself up to be an outstanding year for music, it is also refusing to allow us those dollops of joy without giving us a few swift kicks to the nads as well. From the death of David Bowie to the breaking up of brilliant bands like The Defiled music hasn’t been neglected by the curse of 2016. The latest high-profile casualty appears to be Nails.
Ginger Wildheart w/ Ryan Hamilton and Massive Wagons in Glasgow and Aberdeen
There’s something special about a Ginger Wildheart tour and his most recent run around the country feels more special than most. Having had to cancel the Hey! Hello! tour twice, once because of Ginger going into the hospital due to his battles with depression and once because of Hollis leaving the band, it is a pleasure to see the great man on stage enjoying himself after a while away. Throw in the reunions that have happened with Danny McCormack at a couple of the shows and the whole thing has an even bigger party vibe than usual.
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Get In The Ring
We can all claim maturity, but it doesn’t matter how old you are, everyone loves a good fight. It’s why UFC is worth $4 billion, and Brock Lesnar is a motherfucking hero. It’s also why watching two bands bicker will also be entertaining. Whether it’s Guns ‘N’ Roses and Nirvana or Slipknot and Mushroomhead seeing two groups trade barbed comments through the media (or as is the case now, social media) is just fun.
Letlive
Sitting down to write about letlive is a tough thing to do. Since the release of their debut album Fake History, they have established themselves as a bands who continually defy expectation. It is a trend that has continued with the fantastic If I’m the Devil… an album which shows them upping the soul side of their soul-punk sound.
Prophets of Rage
“We’re doing to demonstrate what it means to be anti-establishment. We’re going to demonstrate what it really means to rage against the machine. It’s a locomotive-like fury.”
The words of a certain Tom Morello, a man you may have heard of. He is, of course, talking about the newly formed Prophets of Rage. An amalgamation of Rage Against the Machine men Morello, Brad Wilk, Tim Commerfield, Chuck D of Public Enemy and B-Real of Cypress Hill. But are Prophets of Rage the best the music industry can do?
Obsessed With The Past
I’m a gluten for punishment me and that’s why far too regularly I find myself browsing through the comments of the latest Metal Hammer Facebook post. It’s a horrible dark place where the very worst sections of our world reside, and it inevitably leads to me wanting to chew my laptop with frustration. It does, however, give me a constant supply of ideas for stuff to write about. So that’s something.
PUP -The Dream Is Over
Opening an album with a song called ‘If This Tour Doesn’t Kill You, Then I Will’ might feel like the most comprehensive way possible to announce that things aren’t quite right in a band’s camp. Yet for PUP, it almost seems par for the course. Their second album, The Dream Is Over, is packed to the brim with self-deprecating humour which suggests that they might not be quite as close to self-destruction as that song suggests.
Kvelertak – Nattesferd
There is something wonderfully unhinged about Kvelertak. Their first two albums took that combination of punk rock, rock and roll and black metal and created a unique concoction of controlled chaos. It was wild and dirty, but most importantly it was fucking fun. Therefore, it’s weird that Nattesferd has slipt out without much fanfare. Surely a band like this should be getting lauded by all comers?
Ramblings About Wrestling 