Although Biffy Clyro are a common reference point for the UK’s current surging wave of rock bands, Axis Of completely avoid succumbing to the siren call of the pastiche. Instead, while The Mid Brae Inn does borrow from Biffy’s taste in anthemic, pounding post-hardcore, it really feels more like Read more…
Sharp, snappy, and serious, Cheltenham-based post-hardcore up-and-comers I, The Lion really nail things down on Run. Fat riffs, some cheeky Whammy pedal squeals, gritty guitar tones, gut-busting drums, wicked tapping sections – all of the above and more can be found just in first track Hold Strong! Fans of Biffy Clyro, Reuben, Arcane Roots and Read more…
Sometimes, an EP is so good that you can’t quite get your head around it. So Read more…
Biffy vibes, buckets of energy, raging outro riffs, and one of the most random videos I’ve seen this side of Baby Godzilla’s YouTube channel. All of my yes is being given to Fish Tank right now. Definitely a band to watch out for in 2015. Read more…
What do you get if you cross Brandon Boyd’s lyricism, an idiosyncratic yet familiarly contemporary male pop vocal, a touch of Biffy Clyro’s more commercially-oriented song structures, and a little Jon Gomm-esque acoustic work? Well…this. Into Color manage to take so many disparate parts and fuse them into something appealing in a pop sense, yet sufficiently inventive to attract the praise of the most hard-bitten muso. Once again, they deserve massive respect for another solid step in the right – and a fresh and exciting – new direction. Read more…
Now this was a real rock show. TMMP favourites In Dynamics got things off to a wicked start, performing flawlessly to an already-rammed Boileroom and running through epic tunes old and new. Immense alt-rock crackers like Waking Life and personal favourite The House sound extra fierce live, while In Dynamics’ freshest songs hint at a slightly heavier djent-influenced direction spiced up with even more delicate clean sections. In Dynamics are slowly carving out their own niche somewhere between Biffy Clyro and Arcane Roots, showing promise, progress, and some real reasons to get excited about their future. Read more…
When it comes to math-rock, ‘control’ is a key word. When odd time signatures, super-syncopated riffs, and all manner of other rhythmic tricks come into play, the results inevitably become difficult to suss out. In other words, the music feels unpredictable. Hyperactively labyrinthine. Out of control. Read more…
Their name might evoke images of seedy backstreet Chinatown massage parlours, but Dragons That Make Love To Pandas offer much more than just happy endings. Every moment on Roundabouts is masterfully tuned to elicit maximum pleasure of a different sort – the kind of excitement that comes from having one’s auditory cortex stimulated by a unique combination of stylistic elements. DTMLTP drop ska, math, guitar-pop and more into the musical equivalent of CERN’s Large Hadron Collider, and what emerges is appropriately awe-inspiring. Read more…
A combination of Dream Theater folk-prog vibes and some Biffy Clyro-esque harmonies, all kicked off with some Imogen Heap atmospherics and John Mayer-style acoustic pop mastery. That’s one way to describe this track – but it would be far more accurate to describe it as something uniquely and distinctively Into Color. Read more…
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There are three kinds of bands: Those who sound good on record, those who sound good live, and those who do both. Ideally, every band would fit the third mould – but even if that were the case, Black Peaks would still stand out by a dozen country miles. Read more…