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Reviews, Interviews & Photos featuring The Sonic Revolvers, Missing Andy, Shinobi Ninja, The Twin Dracula and much much more!
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CONTENTS So here we are again, another issue of the magazine, this issue we have talked to Flyleaf and how their new singer, Kristen is settling into the band. Also we had a very fun time meeting The Sonic Revolvers as well, what a lovely bunch of guys they are. We’ve also been very busy this past two months with giving the site a make over, also we have changed our logo, what are you thinking about it? Also we have one very bit of exciting news to talk about, yes our new compilation album of the best unsigned artists around! So far it’s sounding pretty darn good, so if you fancy being involved with it, send us an email to here: [email protected] Cheers, Sofee xxx
INTERVIEWS -‐ FLYLEAF
-‐ THE TWIN DRACULA -‐ MISSING ANDY -‐ SHINOBI NINJA -‐ PHONOLUX
MAIN FEATURE
-‐ THE SONIC REVOLVERS
REVIEWS -‐ THE TWIN DRACULA
-‐ ERIMHA -‐ DEAD RETINAS
-‐ THE BLACK CLOUDS
Flyleaf have opened a new chapter with new addition Kristen, opening doors for new fans and leaving the door wide open for the already die hard original fan base, with a new EP heading out to your ears soon we played a little game of question and answer with Sameer (energetic manic guitarist), talking about anything we could think of, from Pats acrobatic skills to their previous Co-‐headlining tour with Drowning pool, you won’t believe what he said. First Question, how is the new Album being perceived? From what we’ve seen and heard from fans on tour people are really connecting with the message of New Horizons. We all want a chance to start over, to become the persons we know we were meant to be. You guys have recently begun a new chapter with the band with the introduction of Kristen, how’s she fitting in? Kristen May has been a huge blessing to Flyleaf. She fits in like an old friend. Miracles are about timing. Flyleaf’s entire journey up to this point has been steered by a force beyond us. That our paths have crossed with Kristen’s at this crucial time is no less than another miracle. Over the years you guys have toured with some heavy bands, have any of them inspired you to go heavier? Absolutely. Bands like Korn, Deftones, and Stone Sour have inspired us to explore all different of approaches to our music. How’s the Co headlining tour with Drowning pool so far? The co-‐headliner with Drowning Pool was one of the most fun tours we had played in a long time. Drowning Pool and Star In Stereo are good folks. We’ve made some friends for life. Which has been your favourite city? It’s hard to say which has been my favorite city. They each have their own charm. I’ve had an amazing time in cities which would normally be considered mundane, and I’ve been bored in some of the world’s most “popular” cities. It all depends on the schedule that day, and if you take advantage of what the city has to offer. The people are amazing in most every place.
Pat is known for his crazy on stage antics, will we ever see him harnessed up and set flying around the venues? Haha. A long time ago, in a galaxy far away Pat used to swing from the ceiling on a rope and blow fire. True story. There’s a load of fan pages out there dedicated to you guys, how does it feel? And has there ever been info on there that you’ve thought ‘i never knew that about myself? I haven’t really delved into fan sites, but I’m sure there is lot of interesting information out there, whether it’s true or not. I know www.flyleafonline.com is a really good site. Very reliable. In the past you’ve been known for being on tour for years at a time, are you planning on having such manic tour schedules’ in the future? Now that we’re coming to that age where we’re starting families of our own I think we’ll only be touring for a span of months, but rest assured that doesn’t mean we’ll only tour for a couple of months out of the year. It just means we’ll tour of a couple of months take a few weeks off and then tour again. Will the UK be seeing you anytime soon? We don’t have UK/European plans just yet, unfortunately. So far we’re booked for South America, Asia, and a US tour. Hopefully we’ll be in the UK sooner rather than later! Do you have any exclusive news you can tell Intamission Music that fans can get pumped about? We are currently writing new songs and it sounds amazing. And finally what’s the plan for this year in terms of goals? Our goal this year is to tour, tour, tour, and release new music. Ciro Guadagno
There’s a new band a brewing in the deep blue Punk sea that are making a huge splash with their Debut EP “introducing”! The EP is creating waves left right and centre getting people wet and wanting more, so we had a chat with the guitarist and vocalist, Nick and this is what he had to said. Hey guys, what sparked the name The Twin Dracula? Hello! We came up with it somewhere in-‐between a misheard Clash Lyric and a Hammer Horror Film. You’ve been going since last year and have recently released an EP, how have the crowds been reacting to your songs without knowing your stuff? It’s been good. We’re not really a big ‘sing-‐a-‐long’ band, so i guess it’s hard to tell at times, but people seem to be enjoying what we’re doing and asking us if we’ll be playing certain songs before we play, so that’s always good! Has the EP had the reaction you wanted? Yeah, absolutely. It’s been out just under a month now. It’s been getting some radio play and people who’ve picked it up seem to be enjoying it. We never really announced when it was going to come out, so I think we’re going to be organising something a bit more official for a release show/party where we can celebrate it all a bit more. Your sound is very raw, do you think if that raw element wasn’t there you’d have the sound you have today? Thanks! That’s what we really love about playing live shows. there’s a real raw energy and aggression. I think that can definitely get lost somewhere along the way when it comes to recording, so i’m happy some of it made it’s way into the studio. If that rawness wasn’t there, I’d definitely question if we had any passion behind what we were playing. I think Rawness and passion go hand in hand for us. What inspired the vocal solo at the start of Guts? Good question. it wasn’t ever really meant to be a solo, it kind of happened by accident one night at a rehearsal and it ended up staying that way! Lyrically, I guess it’s just about setting a scene of how terrible the world looks at 2am in a city centre on student night.
Where can you see the band in a decade? Propping up a bar somewhere explaining to hangers-‐on how we squandered all of our major label advance on LEGO and signed pictures of Elvira. Best and worst gig as a band so far? We had a really great show at The Black Heart, Camden back in May. The sun was out, it was a nice sweaty venue, lots of nice people, we played a good show, and to to top it all off we went to a great BBQ Rib place for lunch. Our worst show was about 2 weeks before that. i don’t want to name and shame the venue or promoter, but needless to say, they weren’t good at their jobs! With the EP Being a being called “introducing” are your next EPs and albums going to be apart of huge punk saga? Like Part one of the take down or something? I was thinking about this earlier today. It’s a nice idea. I guess we’ll have to see where it goes. ‘Introducing’ isn’t a concept record or anything like that, it’s just a way of saying ‘Hey. This is us in all our angry bastard glory’, but it would be cool if the next record was like ‘continuing the conversation’ so to speak. So its summer time what track of yours would you say that best fits a bbq? Funny you should say that, a few weeks ago, all of our friends were back in town for the weekend so we all met up at a friend’s place for some beers and grilled meat. a few of them hadn’t heard the EP yet, so we popped it on, and we made it through all 4 tracks without anyone throwing anything, so that’s all good. I’d have to say ‘All The Fours’ would be the best fit for a BBQ though. It’s probably the best song to drink a beer to, and if you’ve got a burger in the other hand, you’re definitely doing it right. And finally what are your goals by the end of 2013? We want to play everywhere! We’ve just started writing, so we’ll hopefully be back in the studio around the autumn time ready for more stuff to be out by the end of the year, but other than that, we just want to get out on the road and play as much as possible to anyone who wants to hear us.
2nd August sees Missing Andy Releasing ‘Happy Place’ for a very special charity called Help Indie, so we decided to have a little chat with them about Help Indie, why they chose this charity and why you all should give to Help Indie. What single are you releasing for Help Indie and why? Happy Place, we'd planned to release that one next anyway. Its been going down well at gigs and we thought it was a song that people across the board would like, whatever you're into.
What is Help Indie? For people unaware of it. Indie Smith is a little girl from Chelmsford that suffers from a rare condition called Atypical Haemolytic Uraemic Syndrome or (aHUS). It affects her red blood cells and would be fatal if she weren't currently having a breakthrough treatment, which is really working, however its incredibly expensive and her family are relying on charitable donations to help pay for her final year of treatment.
Why did you choose this charity specifically? I was first introduced to 'Help Indie' through a mutual friend who was doing a sponsored 10 mile run for the cause. I helped her get a few more sponsors in and just got caught up in it really. Missing Andy have done loads of gigs in the past for the bigger charities, but you came away never really feeling like you'd made a dent. With Indie I know the money is going directly to her life saving treatment, and once thats been paid for, into further research for the condition. Was the song a hidden gem or was it written specifically for Help Indie? Happy Place features as an acoustic track on our latest album release 'Guerrilla Invasion Pt.2'. So we already had it in the bank, but we've re recorded a special version for this release, rather than just acoustic and vocal like on the album
track.
What would you say to people to encourage them to give money to the charity? Your money is going straight to helping Indie get better, you're getting an exclusive, previously unreleased version of 'Happy Place' and for god sake its only 79p so there's really no excuse! :) You can find all the information about Help Indie by going to this site: www.helpindie.co.uk
All proceeds will go to Help Indie!
S h I n o b I n I n j a
So how did Power Strangers become a song you'd focus your attention on? Duke Sims -‐ It's that heavy out the gate hard ass joint you gotta smash through the door with. That first POW! How do you feel you guys have progressed since Rock hood? Baby G -‐ I think our sound is more defined. We still rock hard, but we want the message to be heard as well. I think we have a stronger sound now. Terminator Dave -‐ Rock Hood was pretty much written and recorded before we were a tight knit band. We made demos which were then recorded in our studio track by track. This time, we had 4 years of rocking together under our belt...we had more of a sound and worked on playing the songs live before we recorded every part. Our collective "heartbeat" is really in these new tracks. Axis Powers -‐ We have all improved our abilities and become more united as a band. It's hard to believe you’re not signed, was it hard to get to where you are today without a support of a label? Baby G -‐ I think it's hard to get to that next level without some kind of support from a label. It's hard, but at the same time, the music speaks for itself. Kid Shreddi -‐ It's very hard to exist on a level like this without proper label support from a giant office of music industry professionals and endless connections to sponsorships, lawyers, agents, etc. DIY takes on a whole new meaning when you get this far and there's parts about it that ARE super liberating, like not being told to sound like a vapid commodity that will be obsolete within a season or be shelved FOREVER. Anyway, if nobody's doing it for you, including yourself, you might as well go fuck yourself...but you're probably doing that already if you're sitting around waiting to get famous. Thanks in advance for staying out of our way. The couch looks good on you. Terminator Dave -‐ Yeah hell yeah it was hard! It’s basically the hardest I've worked on anything in my whole life....and its paying off. We want to be around for a long time and usually the major label route is fleeting, when you build it yourself, the music, the shows, the band's past, present, and future, are essentially yours.
If you could choose a song to go into battle with what would it be? Kid Shreddi -‐ I would probably choose Fucking Hostile by Pantera to go into battle. Let's be serious though, we need peace and everybody should be getting laid and smoking pot. Fuck war. Axis Powers -‐ Rock Hood. I still always get amped up when we play it. It gives me the feeling that we're going to win no matter what happens. Terminator Dave -‐ I'd rock "Seek and Destroy" by Metallica. I mean, what other song would pump you up to kill everything in sight?
How different is the new album compared to the last? Baby G -‐ We hustling harder than ever, so we have a story to tell. This album has a lot of songs that people can relate with. The last album we were having fun screaming, "We don't care" & this album we singing "One time for the radio". We have a lot to say this time around. What have you done differently this time? Axis Powers -‐ The songs are deeper and musicianship better. You all had different jobs with the music industry before you formed Shinobi, do you miss them days? Duke Sims -‐ I miss the shedding. The pressure was low and the drinks were free but nah, being a rockstar is the best job I can think of. Baby G -‐ It's funny you ask this, because I do miss my dancing days! I mean I still got it, lol, but I miss taking class & performing as a dancer. Axis Powers -‐ I still DJ clubs, mainly at my residency at Gallery Bar in NYC. I love rocking a crowd. That moment when I drop the perfect song at the perfect time, and the crowd pops, it’s a feeling only performers can understand. It feels fantastic. You've been on an NBA game but what other game would you love to be on? Kid Shreddi -‐ I want Shinobi Ninja to get on GTA, or Need For Speed, or some extreme sports game. Our music is for the kids that want to get wild. You can really do some wild shit in a video game these days and the best part is that nobody gets hurt. Go video games! Terminator Dave -‐ I want to be on NBA 2K14. Last time we were part of this franchise, the game sold 5 Million + copies!!! Super awesome opportunity for us. Duke Sims -‐ If they come out with the super dope drugged out game that’s the total opposite of them warfare games. Where you take acid and you warp between worlds and our songs play. If you could choose one super hero power what would it be and why? Kid Shreddi -‐ I would probably like to have Wolverine's situation, you know, like immortality, super fast healing powers, and an adamantium skeleton with killer claws and a bad attitude. Yeah, that's all one superpower. Axis Powers -‐ Ironman's suit is pretty awesome. Tony Stark uses it to save the world in the Avengers movie. Terminator Dave -‐ Super Hero power??? I'd want to be Tony Stark. Basically because his power is centered around being "The Man"...ahahahhah! Duke Sims -‐ Hulk all day. You already knew that though.
Your sound is very organic, is that an element you guys intended on? We play very much in the moment. We try not to put too many bells and whistles on the recordings as far as production goes; for the most part anyway. You've got loads of influences from The Beatles to Elton John and many others but who inspires you the most? I don't think any of us could individually pin one lone influence down as the most inspirational in an artistic sense, let alone get all of us to agree on one. Names that do come to mind are Charles Bradley, Stevie Wonder, Pat Wilson and John Lennon. As a band collectively it's hard to say Phonolux has one overall main influence. Have you ever written a song or a riff that you were so excited about but when you played it in rehearsals you forgot about? At one point this was common place but a few years back we started recording our rehearsals so we don't lose as many great ideas anymore. Individually we all have our own techniques for remembering a riff or tune. They say everything's bigger in Texas, so what's your biggest achievement as a band? Staying a band and being able to evolve musically. What song off the new EP has been getting the best response? Hurricane How have you and your sound developed since the release of your debut album? Musically we are always striving to move forward. To think differently then we did a day ago or a week ago let alone a few years ago. We are still developing our sound and hopefully we always will be. The music we are making now packs more of a punch and is more up tempo then our previous material.
What does your new bass player bring to the band that's different to the last bass player? Mando kind of plays the bass like a guitar in a lot of ways. During rehearsals I hear him slide up the neck to play little leads in between lyrics and whatnot. It's definitely a different dynamic and he's integrated well with the band, both personally and musically. His overall presence helped breathe new life into the band and the things he does technically take a simple song into new territory. I read that you all direct and produce all your videos, so do you think of the video or the song first when doing song writing? Always the song first. Worst and best show you've ever played? Miguel Romero: Our first show was the worst and our CD release show last year was the best. Dave Novak: Worst show was at a venue which is now Endless Music but before it was called Endless Music it was a place where bands with haircuts played (not sure what it was called). Best show was either of our CD Release shows Mando Mora: I've only played one show with Phonolux so that would have to be my best show (but personally I played with a previous band at X Games in California with Lit) and worst show was a house party where the power kept going out Buddy Calvo: The best show for me was at this small venue called G.I.G. and one night I remember these people coming in off the street and loving our sound and it really made an impression on me. Worst show was that Endless Music show Dave mentioned.
PHONOLUX
THE SONIC REVOLVERS
So you were originally a 2 piece, do you think if you were still a 2 piece you’d be as big as you are today? -‐ There’d be less of us so we wouldn’t be as big haha but yeah. -‐ Well we started off as me and Darrell forming the band originally, but then once we sort of finished recording the initial demos we said well we want to go out and play live so that’s when we started looking around looking for other local musicians, so Phil and Mike answered our calling and that’s how we formed as a 4 piece, but for a little while it was just me and Darrell. -‐ I never thought personally when we started out that it would excel to something like this today, so for me personally I didn’t think it would be as big as it is. When you play live does it matter how full the crowed is? -‐NO! -‐Just matters how into it they are really…. -‐To be fair my job as the front man, its his job to play drums, his the bass and his the guitar, my jobs the crowed, now I sing, whether there’s two people in front of me or there’s 800 people in front of me we do the same performance weather there’s 2 or 800. So it doesn’t knock your confidence? -‐ The energy is still there weather its 2 or 800. -‐ It doesn’t effect our performance, doesn’t effect how we come off stage you know, some bands might think oh it wasn’t great cos the crowed wasn’t there but if you play really well and you play your best and the people enjoy it then…. -‐ Even when there’s less you feel more need to give them more for the reason that them 3,4,5, 6 people you might of played to which every band that’s starting off has done, play to the bar staff, play to the other band that’s on the bill that night you’ve got to give it your all because they might go away and say “Wow they were pretty good” where as if there’s 800 people there and you just do your normal set you haven’t got to do that extra bit cos their all there and start bouncing off each other. You’ve recently signed to Freaky Pug, how does that compare to being unsigned? -‐ Its better, they give you that knowledge and support and can take you places that you might not of got when it was just the four of us by ourselves. -‐It’s a good guide because before you make big decisions you run it by them, they say how about this way how about that way so it just helps and stops you from putting your foot in the puddle. Does it help because they’re a new and you’re new? -‐ Its like a journey for us really, because they’re new with the record label so they’re still finding their way of things and what ideas they’ve got. -‐And I think personally they’ve got years of experience before starting the label any way. -‐ Although the labels new the experience is 25 years plus in music so it can only benefit us. What song would best work in a film like Mission Impossible or any other action film? -‐ I think personally, Fever Glass because it would work more coming towards the end of the scene where they slowly sink beneath the bottom of the sea and then you got Fever Glass playing in the background, that's just me personally that would fit in my type of film. -‐ But then you got like a gun chase of a car chase and put Gun Shot in the background. -‐ If it were opening credits then Gun Shot would definitely get people motivated for the film. If you could choose a film to have one of your songs in what film would it be?
-‐ James Bond! -‐ I think that would be pretty cool that! -‐ It's one of the big massive British films. How do you see your guys sound progressing in the future? -‐ The sounds just going to get bigger and bigger. -‐ Yeah I think we're definitely going to look for more bigger production techniques and you know other little bits of technology, we've already discussed things like keyboards and a bit of piano, so there's already little ideas creeping in so my point has sort of been one of the primary song writers just seeing what Ideas the other guys can bounce off the songs and that so I think future ideas might sound a little bit different to what we got now but still in that rock mold I think definitely. Are you guys excited for the gig In Runcorn tonight? -‐ Massively excited yeah it's going to be fantastic! What are you most excited to doing after you come off tour? Away from the music. -‐ Just resting and having a little bit of a break for a few weeks before we go “Right, what do we want to do now?”…. -‐ We get pretty board when we’re not doing music. -‐Just even like saying can we practice this week? , do some rehearsal time and look at what songs we got. How did you know that you were on to a “Win” with “Song to the Revolution”? -‐ Well it was the first song that we recorded as a four piece, me and Darrell did all the demos and we had this one song left then when Mike and Phil joined we rehearsed it, got it sounding how we wanted it then recorded it, and it was just something in the studio that we thought, its got a big chorus and all these little bits in it that we could just envision it being at Glastonbury or the Leeds and Reading where everyone would be dancing and singing along to it, so I think that was the one song we knew we were on to the right track. -‐Its because its so simple, its such a simple song and the lyrics are so easy and pretty catchy (in our opinion) that it seems to have spread because when you say to some one in a new venue “ oh have you heard our song, Song for the Revolution?” they go oh yeah I’ve that song yeah, I don’t know where I’ve heard it but I’ve heard it, its one of them weird ones you know? Have you had any singing along to your stuff? -‐Yeah! How did that feel? -‐ Awesome, I think it was at one of the first gigs we did, it was a local gig and the people who obviously heard about us and heard some of the songs, they started signing it back to us and we just looked at each other like… -‐ (Darrell) I took a step back and looked at Richard like “Wow”! Was that when you were unsigned? Yeah it was our 3rd or 4th gig I think, its’ those little things that spear you on, its what makes you get up the next day and think “we can do this”. What new songs are you excited for your fans to hear and why? -‐ We’ve got: Out Of My Life, Soldiers of July, Bullet Heart, it’s a different sound again we moved on. -‐I’m excited for Solders of July because it’s the first time I’ve used double base pedal in that. -‐ We are progressing as a band, our music seems to be getting personally I thing tighter, it’s growing with us so you know there’s more of a theme.
-‐ When we made that EP the last one I thought, I don’t know what else we can do because this is really good, but we’ve been in practise since then and played a couple songs that Richie’s wrote and I actually think wow that’s actually better, I didn’t think it was going to be better but it has turned out actually better than what we had? -‐ We made the decision not to rush the next album or the next EP we sort of really wanted to push what we’ve got now so its really given me time to work on some new stuff but then we’ve had that extra little bit of time in the rehearsal room to actually see what can Mike come out with on drums this time, what can Phil add to the bass parts that he might not of thought about a year ago and Darrell’s Melodies are really coming through now I think lyrically we’re slowing things down a little bit so we’re not rushing through the verses and choruses which probably in the early days we did but now with Darrel witting some lyrics he’s also getting a feel for the Melodies as well and things like that which takes a lot of pressure off me in a way of trying to find something new, I’ve got three other guys who are helping adding some stuff to it. So who helps with the song writing? -‐ Well I come with the initial idea and work through a structure and how it should sound and then I’ll always have an idea in my head for drums and bass to a point but I’ll never intervene on these guys and say right you need to play like this so you sort of come up with all the ideas. Then I’ll go to Daz with an idea of a melody and because he’s a singer he knows what fits in so… -‐ It’s a coalition. Interview: Ciro Guadagno Photographs: Sofee Bryan
Feverglass Out Now
On itunes
EP REVIEW: THE TWIN DRACULA -‐ INTRODUCING Storming out the starting blocks like a swarm of bees The Twin Dracula have released their “Introducing” EP for the world to feast up on, like delicious honey the EP drips raw punk vibes with a side helping of badass that helps as a boost to the energetic fast paced, rhythmic tunes that are responsible for many busted eardrums. No matter how many times I hear the EP I can’t help but seeing myself in a bar, checking them out for the first time and thinking mate these are sick! There lies a bonus to the band (well if you’re in the UK anyway) you’ll hopefully be able to witness The Twin Dracula ripping up a local stage near you very soon. The sounds are very similar to that of Dead Hearts, with the aggressive vocals that act as the gunpowder to the shotgun sound of the instruments. As well as being an introduction to the band this EP is a great introduction to the world of
punk for all the kids that are just discovering that there is a life past MTV and it does rock ten times harder, the proof is in the pudding so go and check out The Twin Dracula and their new EP NOW!!!
ALBUM REVIEW: ERIMHA – REIGN THROUGH IMMORTALITY There’s a lot of new bands being signed at the minute and many of them sound the same and lack the impact needed to create a powerful work of art, Erimha are one of the few bands that have managed to break away from that re occurring miss hap and instead make a dark, melodic and monstrously wonderful composition that ‘Reigns through Immortality’ as the album name suggests. The album is like walking through a medieval church and having all the spirits scream at you as you run through the halls so terrified until all of a sudden you hear a chilling guitar instrumental that makes you realize that these guys mean business, having worked with The Agonist’s front woman Alissa White-‐Gluz the band clearly have a strong future in front of them. The level of emotion, blood, sweat and tears poured out into the “Reign through Immortality” is one of the major ingredients on display here, in the spirit of the album I can only add that I f*cking love this album. Truly immortal!
EP REVIEW: DEAD RETINAS – GANG OF WOLVES There’s no other EP that I’ve been looking forward to getting my hands on more than Dead Retinas. With the addition of a new lead singer the band have a new identity and an even heavier sound that knocks 7 shades out of you, cranking up the volume to INSANE and then adding a whole new level of aggression that has transformed the band into wolves ready to devour and rip away any part of you that doesn’t want to nod your head to this collection of glorious bastard punk tracks. Dead Retinas have gone higher and beyond here with a gritty opener ‘Snow’ that acts as an intro that allows for great imagery of Husky’s running through a snow filled forest surrounded by the bone crushing violent vocal melodies of bassist CJ that’s backed by one of the best instrumentals I’ve ever heard setting the tone for the rest of the EP, what lays at the end of the EP will certainly leave you wanting more, 3 words GANG OF WOLVES! Gang of Wolves features re-‐recorded songs from previous EPs such as LSD and Pure Gold,
tracks that have developed an attitude and make them sound so much better than the previous recording. Some times change is for the better and with new vocalist Will this is definitely the case in my view. What you hear in the EP is what your hear live, including the tasty guitar riffs and solo’s that make for exciting listening when songs like LSD start. Nothing can stop this Gang of Wolves in their new beginning, so strap in and blast it up!
As soon as I heard the words DIY band, I instantly imagined New Jersey’s “The Black Clouds” stood huddled over a microphone in a make shift shed. Having funded all their own tours and albums, the newest release “Better Days” brings a sound so rock & roll I’m struggling not to throw my computer out of the window. The album opens with gentle instrumental piece “Prelude” which instantly sets the tone for the entire album. The simple guitar riffs are reminiscent of an old school style rock, throwing you back to the days of jamming in the 1980s. The first song “No Reason” lets each talent in the band stand out, from Gary Moses’ distinct bass line and the husky vocals of singer Dan Matthews, who employs a ruff tone to create his own unique voice. This is a powerful driving song and paves the way for the rest of the album. Instead of employing the same sounding vocals, Dan changes his sound throughout each of the songs while still maintaining his style. The haunting singing during “Breathing “then blended with his raw screams shows me what to expect when seeing them live. The fact that I can hear his emotion pour into the chorus sends goose bumps on my arms. A couple of the songs are lost amongst the album having similar guitar riffs and vocals, however they easily flow into the next track, creating laid back listening. There are definitely a couple of standout tracks on this album. “Fray” changes the intro with clean guitar and softer vocals. The extremely catchy chorus allows for the vocal range of Dan to really stand out accompanied by prominent harmonies. Both “Blue Blocker” and “Rid of Me” contain great guitar riffs, whilst “Rid of Me” draws inspiration from Nirvana in the intro, “Blue Blocker” lets the guitar rip through the solo. Title track “Seen Better Days” is the big song on this album. The dissonant tones and bends are different the other tracks and during the chorus you can really hear the anger and emotion in his voice. “The Black Clouds” know their style and its clear when hearing this album. While the music isn’t out of the ordinary, what’s missing from the rock scene at the moment is good old fashion rock & roll and “Better Days” have filled that gap. What you hear on this album is what you expect when seeing them live. If you like raw and powerful vocals, driving guitars riffs then this is the album for you. The only rule I have is when listening to it, is to blast it out as loud as possible.
