The 109s, Deliver White-Knuckle 12-Track Debut Album

Hampshire-based four-piece, The 109s, are here to put rock riffs back where they belong: loud and high in the mix, clawing and stomping their way through the speaker cones to grab listeners by the throat and pummel them into submission . . .

The 109s have taken everything good about Zeppelin, Sabbath, Royal Blood, AC/DC, Iron Maiden, MC5, The Stooges, Soundgarden and The Black Keys, and distilled from it a 100-percent-proof moonshine-mash that is all their own - a heady brew that kicks like a mule, burns like a mother, but has everyone asking for seconds . . .

 

The fantastic power of the band's music is led by vocalist Damian Shelley’s strong but nuanced delivery and impressive vocal harmonies, while lead guitarist, Matty Pritchard's short, high-octane solos reference everyone from Jimmy Page to J. Mascis.

Of course, none of this would be real rock if there wasn't a stunning rhythm section (Pete Smith, bass, and Steve Collings, drums) who deliver the precision-power and flair of legendary pairings such as John Bonham and John Paul Jones, or Keith Moon and John Entwistle.  

The band's song arrangements are always original and surprising, wringing every droplet of dynamism and groove from a single riff, before strutting seamlessly through a flurry of exciting changes that are strung together with the delicacy of dewdrops on a cobweb.

“High octane blues rock - very much my thing! Now I just need to see you do it live some time!” – Award winning crime novelist, Ian Rankin

A multi-talented artist, lead guitarist, Matty Pritchard, is also an author and member of the UK Crime Writers Association. He has published three novels in the UK to date - Scarecrow, Broken Arrow and Werewolf -  under the name Matthew Pritchard, and was nominated for the CWA's Gold Dagger Award.

The 109s' eponymous debut album is due out October 7th

Links:

https://www.facebook.com/the109s/home

https://twitter.com/the109s

https://soundcloud.com/the-109s/tracks

The Colossal Heads Prepare For Colossal New EP ‘Mammoths’

Revelling in the heavier side of indie rock, The Colossal Heads are a group on the rise who have been compared to artists such as Queens of the Stone Age, Incubus, Modest Mouse and Nirvana. These are not bands whose names should be taken lightly in terms of comparison – thankfully The Colossal Heads do them justice.

Those bands rose in the 90’s and early 2000’s due to a rock genre that had gone from being anti-establishment to part of the norm. In recent years the cycle has started again, and The Colossal Heads are here to shake things up once more. To offer further proof, check out the album lead track ‘Mammoths’.

https://soundcloud.com/colossalheads/mammoths-2015

Engineered by Louis Cressy, the EP (and single) are a timely reminder of the power that rock music can have.

Another vital part of any musical success is a propensity for hard work, an area in which The Colossal Heads excel almost as much as their song writing. In a prime example, they toured from New Orleans to California from May-June 2015, living out of their Toyota and sleeping on floors along the way. This grass roots approach carries over to their methods of promotion as well. Relying on Facebook, local radio and word of mouth, the band has continued to develop and grow their fan base as their music has become increasingly assured.

‘Mammoths’ is the final result of this evolution, an EP which steps outside of the box and shows how complacent rock music has become in recent times.

Check out The Colossal Heads performing on a heli pad in New Orleans on Balcony TV:

Links:

http://www.thecolossalheads.com/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDf8jR1fhtUhHqZStJ8JJ0g

https://www.facebook.com/TheColossalHeads

www.soundcloud.com/colossalheads

Instrumental Rock Project The Soft Shades Release Brand New Album ‘Keeper Of The Groove’

Album set for release on 22^nd April 2016

‘Keeper of the Groove’ is the second post rock album to be released under the prog rock instrumental project The Soft Shades. The musical project was put together by Dimitry Gubsky in 2011. 

Following on from the success of the 4 track EP released in November, The Soft Shades are now ready to release the full instrumental album and the end of April.

Founder Dimitry, has been passionate about music his whole life, he started learning how to play the accordion when he was just 7 years old. He has gone onto play and tour in lots of different successful bands in Europe as well as being involved in lots of different musical projects in his home country of Ukraine.  In 2012 he played at Euroblast in Cologne with his previous band ‘Joncofy’. After being in lots of different bands,  Dimitry wanted to create a new style of prog & metal instrumental music where he was involved in every aspect of the project from creating the music, writing the scores to producing and recording it all together for the album. It is very much his project that he had wanted to create for a really long time but wasn’t able to in his bands previously.

Each track on the album is highly original and a reflection of a different experience and emotion. At times the music is very cinematic with an intense feeling that you are waiting in anticipation for what is next to come.

Dimitry has spoken about the different influences behind the album;

“Everyday mood is what influenced the album, the track titles on the album show in some way what exactly inspired me for each song and all personal to experiences in my life.”

Highlight tracks include ‘First September Weekend, Sky Flares and November Storms. Another popular album track is ‘When This Day Comes’. This song was created to reflect the feeling you might feel on a Monday morning and thinking about going back to work after a perfect weekend off. It is a melancholic song that Dimitry has portrayed beautifully to reflex this mood.

The whole album is an exploration into the immersive world of rock, metal and instrumental music. The atmosphere over the 11 tracks perfectly encapsulates Dimitry ’s idea of exploring moods and experiences he has had in his life. The tracks are so powerful in portraying a message and captivating the listener that there is absolutely no need for words. The tracks vary from big rock guitar riffs and drums to an industrial eerie sound on tracks like ‘November Storms’ and ‘The Fall’. This combination of tracks on the album using familiar musical elements in different ways proves to make a very powerful and enticing listen.

Listen to a selection of the album tracks here- 

Album track listing:

1 Mountain Dreaming  4:22

2 Keeper of the Groove  5:23

3 Ghosts on the Lake  4:18

4 Spring Castles  4:23

5 Sunshine on the Riverside  2:22

6 First September Weekend  2:58

7 The Fall  2:46

8 Skyflares  3:37

9 When This Day Comes  3:57

10 November Storms  4:08

11 Hectic Nightshades  3:15

TOTAL          41:30

Links:

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/thesoftshades/

Bandcamp - http://thesoftshades.bandcamp.com/

Orca Continue To Explore The Space Of Prog Rock With New Single ‘Aquarium’

Described as a “cracking band” and praised for their “excellent production values” by music blog Progrockmusictalk, UK-based alt-rockers Orca have proven to be on top of their game. As pioneers and creators of the mysterious domain of ‘space metal’, the five-piece is steadily stepping up to the music industry’s spotlight.

Their fascination with space and discovering the unknown has always been part of their own musical exploration. By fusing melodic experimentation with hard hitting metal riffs, their new single ‘Aquarium’ (taken from the album ‘Universe’) is a muscular track, effervescing with a forthright and speeding energy. As a follow up to the similarly metal infused guitar styles and contemplative vocals of their first single ‘Amber’, this tune is a sensational marvel of progressive rock.

Listen here:  

The song came about when singer Chris started exploring the emotions drawn from the cryptic and riddle-like rhythmic arrangement of a demo recording. ‘Aquarium’ is ultimately about desire, beauty, identity, sensuality, and connecting with the power of nature. The video for the single was shot in a real aquarium which the band describes as a “wonderful” and “entrancing” experience. The album is called ‘Universe’ as it was written while the band were travelling separately around the world, with each band member looking out to a different part of the night sky for inspiration.

With influences ranging from Deftones to Tool, the band has mastered the techniques of DIY and created a magnificent set of songs with little to no help from other producers. Their music touches upon the deeper questions in life. Orca describes their sound as being about “submission to the awe and power of the world, and the realization and self-actualization levels of awareness and consciousness.” Part of their musical diversity stems from the fact that Orca consists of a colourful mixture of different nationalities. Bassist Matt McGuinness is Irish, guitarist David Vezzoli from Italy, other guitarist Ben Murray-Smith from England but born in Brazil, drummer Kacper "Drum Kid" Stachowiak from Poland and singer Chris Edwards is British Armenian. Orca’s sound reflects this diversity and has been celebrated by radio stations such as KSCR in Los Angeles and Aaron Phillip’s Amazing Radio Rock Show here in the UK. Musically, they have also come from a variety of backgrounds ranging from psychedelic rock and jazz to heavy metal and synth-pop.

The band has evolved from bassist Matt and guitarist Dave’s previous project called Martian Time Slip which focused more on a traditional darker kind of metal. After the break up of Martian Time Slip the two collaborators embarked upon new endeavours, forming Orca and searching for the perfect vocalist for the band. Chris approached the band with a style that was both unique and enigmatic. They were struck by his powerful voice and his ability to enrich the melodies with passion much like the late Jeff Buckley. Ben joined shortly afterwards while continuing to write songs for famous Vlogger Casey Neistat. The newest addition to the group is drummer Kacper who has had success with his symphonic power metal band Pathfinder.

The single ‘Aquarium’ is out on 4^th March from the album Universe out April 1st.

LINKS:

http://www.orcaband.com/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfc2c5RQ1oHYu8EmZ-TNSsQ/videos

https://twitter.com/orcabanduk

https://www.facebook.com/orcaband

https://soundcloud.com/orcaband

https://orcaband.bandcamp.com/

Upcoming gig dates for 2016:

March 20th – Cellar Bar, Bracknell

April 1st - Rigger Stoke-on-Trent

Apil 8th - Barfly, London

April 18th - Surya King's Cross, London

Nigel Thomas 'Fever' Review

Nigel Thomas found fame in cult indie pop band The Foxes in the back end of the Noughties. Now Nigel is making his own distinct brand of indie rock with nods to his old projects and seminal bands such as Stone Roses and Oasis.

‘Fever’ is his debut track and it is a heady mix of psychosis and rock n roll. The video itself is enough to send chills down your spine. I mean drugs, prostitutes, murder… what more do you want? Musicality wise the song is strong and with such an exciting video to accompany it I just couldn’t pass it up.

‘Fever’ is out November 9th

Check it out here: 

Find Nigel Thomas below:

https://soundcloud.com/nigelthomas

https://www.facebook.com/nigelsongs

https://twitter.com/Nigelsongs

Proud Honey – Single Review

Scottish foursome strikes out with new single ‘Weekend Millionaire’ on October 17^th.

Influenced by a credit card fueled stag do on which the band members went out on the town and spent ‘ridiculous amounts of money we didn’t have’, the song tells the tale of the high life which comes back to earth with a bang once reality kicks back in. Energetic and full of fun, it’s a track which deserves to launch Proud Honey to a new level in the industry.

When a band can make that kind of impact on first listen, you know you’re on to a winner. The debut single will be released by Sub Label recordings Ltd under management from their newly launched label 'Urban Pop Records'.

Check them out here:

http://www.proudhoney.com/

https://www.facebook.com/proudhoney

https://twitter.com/proudhoney

www.soundcloud.com/proudhoney

'Afro Chopin' By Don Laka - Review

Legendary jazz instrumentalist and vocalist Don Laka returns with an exciting release based around the works of Chopin. Don Laka is a seminal mover and shaker in the afro-jazz world and this exquisite take on one of classical music’s greats is both genre defying and interesting.

Laka has is own distinctive style entitled Kwaii Jazz, a heady mix of South African jazz  and the chord structures and rhythms of Marabi and Kwela. It is this fantastic mix that reiterates why Laka is such a brilliant artist.

The album as a whole is cohesive, well produced and instrumentality flawless. The standout track is easily Prelude No 20 (Izulu)" the harmonies and alternative take on a Chopin classic makes it just so listenable it’s hard to not listen to it.

With albums such as ‘Destiny’, ‘Supernova’ and ‘Pyramid’ under his belt this release is sure to have new and old fans alike begging for more

You can check Don Laka out here:

http://www.donlaka.co.za/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Don-Laka

http://twitter.com/Don_Laka

Vidal & Curma - 'On Another Plane' EP

Currently splitting time between their Northern Italian hometown of Padova and the UK’s capital, songwriters Vidal & Curma are a duo making a name for themselves on the London circuit. Playing in some of the most prestigious independent music venues in the city, their reputation has already won them a residency at the revered Proud Camden, where they were invited for repeat showings by popular demand thanks to the innate energy and sense of fun in their songs.

Their music boasts a loose, anarchic freshness without compromising on quality, giving an acoustic twist on the indie likes of The Libertines, The Strokes, Mac Demarco, and Velvet Underground to name a few. But perhaps their closest comparison is less well known – both Vidal and Curma are huge fans of  Django Reinhardt, a gypsy guitarist  from Belgium who was active from the 30s to the 50s. Reinhardt single-handedly invented the gypsy-jazz genre, and both band members consider him the best guitarist of all time.

His brilliance has clearly rubbed off, and the new three track EP ‘Another Plane’ is a real, offbeat, acoustic treat.

See Vidal & Curma in action with this live Tradiio session: 

Specialising in writing songs about everyday problems faced by many, song themes vary from the difficulty of maintaining relationships nowadays, where everyone travels and moves a lot (‘Another Plane’), to everyday situations that can lead to deep contemplation (‘Tonight’). The final track, ‘Never Say Again’, is about the unpredictability of meeting someone special in a massive city like London.

This is the first release on Tradiio Recordings, a new record label set up to release the best performing artists on Tradiio, a music discovery app for iOS, Android and Web. 

Vidal & Curma Links: 

https://facebook.com/VidalCurma

https://twitter.com/vidalcurma

http://tradiio.com/vidal-curma-1

All This Noise – ‘Seven Billion Like You’ Single Review

“Seven Billion Like You” is the latest offering from West London outfit All This Noise. The track is a perfect mix of 80s synthesised majesty and chugging alternative rock guitar. The sound can only be described as a cacophony of different influences inspired by the likes of Radiohead, Depeche Mode and The Verve.

One of the most streamline releases you will hear this year, “Seven Billion Like You” manages to appear complex and simple at the same time. Jagged drum beat rhythms and sparse guitars interweave through anthemic synths to create something very original and a pleasure to listen too.

The b-side ‘The Return’ adheres to the pigeon-holed genres of the previous but track manages to establish itself as its own separate entity with monotonous drones and squealing guitars bouncing off thundering drums and ripping bass playing.

This single is a textbook example of musical mastery and originality. “Seven Billion Like You” is out now.

Check them out here:

Website -   http://allthisnoise.co.uk/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AllThisNoisemusic

Twitter: https://twitter.com/allthsnoise

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/allthisnoise

Videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC17KrcJyaSBOLHBIfaX2A1w

Glass Hammer Unveil Ode To Echo

Martin Kielty at 03:13pm January 20 2014

Glass Hammer are preparing to release their 14th studio album Ode To Echo – and leading light Steve Babb has told Prog the material focuses on “some very dark ideas.” View a teaser trailer below.

Jon Davison, who also fronts Yes, has laid down vocal tracks alongside returned live singer Carl Groves and former member Susie Bogdanowicz. Guest musician include Rob Reed of Magenta, David Ragsdale of Kansas and Randy Jackson of Zebra.

And the album marks Glass Hammer’s first-ever collaboration with an outside lyricist in the track Crowbone, penned by British historical fiction novelist Robert Low.

Babb tells Prog: “We turned a corner last year when Carl rejoined to fill in for Jon, who was touring with what we call ‘the other band.’ We knew it wasn’t a good thing to have Carl only front us on stage, but we’d always said how much we would love to have him in the studio, as well as Susie – so, back she came as well In our minds, they’d never really left.

“Jon hasn’t quit just because he’s working with Yes, so Ode To Echo features all three of these singers, and even a couple of others from years gone by.

“Lyrically we’re dealing with mythology, using it to call attention to some very dark ideas. Narcissus is seen on the cover; fans can expect to hear our thoughts on narcissism. Ozymandias, I Am I and the oddly-titled Misantrog are three tracks that deal with narcissism specifically.”

Babb became a fan of Low’s books after reading his Oathsworn series, which deals with a group of Vikings as they battle their way across Europe in the tenth century. He explains: “Rob’s work is very gritty and down to earth, but he doesn’t shy away from the supernatural; and he does an outstanding job of putting you into the action. You can smell the fear, the sweat and blood of battle.

“With Rob I did something I very rarely do: I emailed him as a fan. To my surprise he replied and confessed to being a Glass Hammer fan. He sent me a poem he’d written for his novel Crowbone that he hadn’t used. He recently heard a rough mix of the track, and seems genuinely thrilled with the direction it has taken.”

And the experience has been a positive one for Babb: “Rob and other authors are absolutely welcome to send me verses or poems. There’s a very good chance we would do this again. Hawkwind had Michael Moorcock – Glass Hammer could have Rob Low. But anyone who has a spare bit of poetry lying around that wouldn’t mind having it ‘progged up’ should send me something soon!”

A firm release date hasn’t been set for Ode To Echo, but it’s due in the coming weeks. Babb reports: “Expect an album that sounds nothing like the last three or four, and yet sounds precisely like Glass Hammer. That seems like a contradiction, but will make much more sense to fans once they’ve heard the album.”

Source Link: http://www.progrockmag.com/news/glass-hammer-unveil-ode-to-echo/

Glass Hammer Unveil Ode To Echo

Martin Kielty at 03:13pm January 20 2014

Glass Hammer are preparing to release their 14th studio album Ode To Echo – and leading light Steve Babb has told Prog the material focuses on “some very dark ideas.” View a teaser trailer below.

Jon Davison, who also fronts Yes, has laid down vocal tracks alongside returned live singer Carl Groves and former member Susie Bogdanowicz. Guest musician include Rob Reed of Magenta, David Ragsdale of Kansas and Randy Jackson of Zebra.

And the album marks Glass Hammer’s first-ever collaboration with an outside lyricist in the track Crowbone, penned by British historical fiction novelist Robert Low.

Babb tells Prog: “We turned a corner last year when Carl rejoined to fill in for Jon, who was touring with what we call ‘the other band.’ We knew it wasn’t a good thing to have Carl only front us on stage, but we’d always said how much we would love to have him in the studio, as well as Susie – so, back she came as well In our minds, they’d never really left.

“Jon hasn’t quit just because he’s working with Yes, so Ode To Echo features all three of these singers, and even a couple of others from years gone by.

“Lyrically we’re dealing with mythology, using it to call attention to some very dark ideas. Narcissus is seen on the cover; fans can expect to hear our thoughts on narcissism. Ozymandias, I Am I and the oddly-titled Misantrog are three tracks that deal with narcissism specifically.”

Babb became a fan of Low’s books after reading his Oathsworn series, which deals with a group of Vikings as they battle their way across Europe in the tenth century. He explains: “Rob’s work is very gritty and down to earth, but he doesn’t shy away from the supernatural; and he does an outstanding job of putting you into the action. You can smell the fear, the sweat and blood of battle.

“With Rob I did something I very rarely do: I emailed him as a fan. To my surprise he replied and confessed to being a Glass Hammer fan. He sent me a poem he’d written for his novel Crowbone that he hadn’t used. He recently heard a rough mix of the track, and seems genuinely thrilled with the direction it has taken.”

And the experience has been a positive one for Babb: “Rob and other authors are absolutely welcome to send me verses or poems. There’s a very good chance we would do this again. Hawkwind had Michael Moorcock – Glass Hammer could have Rob Low. But anyone who has a spare bit of poetry lying around that wouldn’t mind having it ‘progged up’ should send me something soon!”

A firm release date hasn’t been set for Ode To Echo, but it’s due in the coming weeks. Babb reports: “Expect an album that sounds nothing like the last three or four, and yet sounds precisely like Glass Hammer. That seems like a contradiction, but will make much more sense to fans once they’ve heard the album.”

Source Link: http://www.progrockmag.com/news/glass-hammer-unveil-ode-to-echo/