Rambles about the wonderful world of wrestling.
The ability to tell a story through music is an incredible thing. There are millions of bands on the planet, but the number who can sit down, play a song and take you on a journey is much smaller. It’s a talent that turns good songs into masterpieces. It allows you, as the listener, to connect with them in a way that a good riff just can’t do by itself. And it’s a talent that The Smith Street Band have.
Continue reading “The Smith Street Band – More Scared Of You Than You Are Of Me”
It’s not unfair to say that Body Count have always been a bit of a joke. Not in a ‘look how stupid they are’ way, but in the sense that in the past they’ve written songs about murdering your mum. Ice-T seemed to view his heavy metal side project as a chance to kick off his shoes and have a laugh. Yet, with the world seemingly intent on shooting itself in the guts for a slow and painful death, a politically fueled Body Count suddenly seems like a great idea. And they’ve delivered.
Bursting with punk rock exuberance and gothic theatricality Creeper’s rise over the last few years has been fascinating to watch. From disappearances to Peter Pan inspired tales they’ve found a way to grab the attention of an already fervent fanbase despite not having a full-length album to their name. Which is where the problem comes in. Will all that work fall apart if Eternity, In Your Arms isn’t good enough?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Ramblings About Wrestling 