I mentioned in my last post that I’d been contacted by a Stencil Magazine representative by the name of Andrew, and that he’d forwarded me a list of bands to check out. What struck me as interesting when I went through the list was that, despite being a UK based PR, the bands not only represented a wide variety of genres but a pretty varied range of nationalities too! Last time we found ourselves over in the US for a band called RUSTY SHIPP, this time we’re still across the pond but moving further north into Canada; allow me to introduce you SOUND DROWN. They too formed in 2014 after founding member Brandon Wiseman (Bass/lead vocals) went through a sort of, recruitment process for the songs he’d written, eventually settling on Drew Neathway (Drums), Nick Ryan (Lead guitar/vocals) and Justin Goss (Guitar/vocals). Initially a covers band while they found their feet, they soon began work on Wiseman’s material and back last year they released their debut EP; “Dino Droppings”…in memory of the late, great Ryan Dunn…let’s go poo diving…

We get the EP underway with “Living Song” and for all intents and purposes it’s a motivational speech; stand up and follow your dreams, live a little, don’t waste opportunities etc. The opening guitar tone is very much up-beat and firmly embedded within a pop-rock pigeonhole, with its melodic structure, but there also subtle breakdowns backing the track giving it an ever so slightly heavier edge, though its climax has a feeling of, they didn’t actually know how to round it up…it just plays on awkwardly, bringing it down ever so slightly. “(Bittersweet) Fault Line” follows up and again we’re met with that standard alternative pop-punk vibe, think NEW FOUND GLORY etc., it’s very much by numbers here in terms of tone and structure, not to say that it’s unpleasant by any means but, it is what it is. An interesting geographical take on relationships, likening the fragility and temperamental aspects of love to earthquakes…it’s…different.

The title track, the shortest piece here is an intense flurry of punk rock that’s best described as finding itself somewhere between BAD RELIGION and NOFX…it’s short and sharp and the solo is pretty damn infectious too by all accounts despite its blink and you’ll miss it feel; it’s fun and frankly you wish there were more of it! Speaking of fun…”M.E.G.I.A.L” is up next and initially you just know it stands for something but dread to think what…so when it turns out to mean “My ex-girlfriend is a lesbian” your inner-child can’t help but chuckle. The track itself is an acoustic gem and easily the EP’s highlight, you want to feel sorry for him but, really you have to point and laugh when he says “She took off with a she-Hulk”, it’s very self-depreciating, especially the line about the strap-on...absolutely brilliant. There’s no sympathy here really, no matter how unconventionally pretty the she-Hulk may or not be. The remaining tracks “Runaway” and “That One Song” are fine; the former returning to their pacey pop-punk formula, the latter having more of a progressive shoe-gaze tone to close the EP in dramatic fashion, but let’s be honest we’re still recovering from the she-Hulk…they peaked early I’m sorry. Pop-punk fans should embrace these as ones to watch as they have plenty of potential, but even in these formative years they’re clearly able to expand into other genres without creating a mess. They’d be more than welcome at SlamDunk, and someone should make that happen. [7]

A little while ago I was sent an email by a fellow named Andrew Dex and, he contacted me on behalf of Stencil, a UK PR team with their own publication in print. He said he was a fan of the blog and in turn forwarded me an eclectic mix of artists, submitting them for potential coverage on this here little blog. Flattered I of course gave them all a listen, but in the name of democracy I put the bands to a reader’s poll to see which of them you’d like given the GTGC treatment, and here we have the first lucky victim; let me introduce you to a band by the name of RUSTY SHIPP. Formed back in 2014 in Nashville Tennessee, consisting of bassist Michael Craft, drummer AJ Newton, lead guitarist Elijah Apperson and…I shit you not, vocalist Russ. T Shipp…that’s literally his name I’m not making that up and I really, really wish I was. As if that play on words wasn’t enough for you, you’ll also be interested to know that despite being totally landlocked, they are a nautical inspired band! Oh I do love a gimmick! Back last year they released their debut album; “Mortal Ghost”…and you voted, so let’s check it out.

Opening track “Sea Sentinels” gets things underway and as is tradition it’s a brief intro, initially utilising subtle, haunting tones but transitioning quickly into a grunge-inspired riff-heavy affair, musically finding itself somewhere between ROYAL BLOOD and QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE. As I said it’s brief but it’s at least an indicator of the style to come. First track proper “Treading Water” follows and what’s immediately noticeable is the complete change of tempo; still with a rich grunge influence, and vocally in places you can hear Kurt Cobain being channelled through Russ, it takes on a ballsy, up-beat garage rock tone and its rawness allows for an honestly enjoyable listen. The solo is decent too, couple that with some smooth key changes, we have an early album highlight; a good start. “Devil Jonah” is an interesting take on the old Bible tale of Jonah And The Whale; a classic story of repent, rebuttal and defiance leading to punishment and consequence…here we go more into Jonah’s psyche as opposed to anywhere near any colossal marine mammals, though the deep rumblings of the bass-heavy approach are fitting regardless.

In keeping with their nautical theme we have “SS Naronic” which is a chilling precursor to the legendary Titanic…the true story of the ill-fated Naronic, which on February 11th, 1893 had left Liverpool to cross the Atlantic to New York, only to mysteriously sink, taking with it the lives of all 74 people on board. Inspired by letters in bottles from the crew, it’s a despairing song of hopelessness and the distorted guitar qualities add to the sense of mess and struggle that the crew and those on board faced as they ultimately awaited death. Elsewhere we have “Song Of The Storms”, a brief interlude of gentle acoustic harmonies; a musical interpretation of sailing upon smooth seas, the idea of calm before the storm and it’s slotted in nicely here. There are naturally some clichés too such as “The Lighthouse” and closing track “Davy Jones” which are staples in maritime song content, but the rogue wave so to speak comes courtesy of “Caligynephobia”. The recognised irrational fear of beautiful women, here Russ sings and shouts of former young Disney starlets over an intense punk-rock backdrop and it’s utterly bizarre…I mean I’ve learnt a new word but, other than that…why? Essentially what we have here is a gritty, grunge-fuelled concept album and if you like that sort of thing, you’ll likely find something of value here but personally, I had my heart set on being jolly rogered by some ALESTORM-esque pirate rock and more naval innuendos than a Captain Pugwash marathon. Why is all the rum gone? Because I bloody drank it all…disappointed, by a severe lack of swashbuckling. [5]

Sugar and spice and all things nice; that’s what little girls are made of…but by contrast, banter, pub crawls and the occasional cheeky Nando’s…there my friend, you have the lads; the bro’s, and what bigger bunch of bro’s, than DON BROCO? The boys from Bedford formed back in 2008 and in the ten years that have passed since; they’ve become one of the UK’s most established home grown talents, on a continual ascension with each and every album and tour…from headlining the Kerrang! Tour in 2015, from slowly creeping higher up the charts with each album, and last year they played their biggest headline show to date at Alexandra Palace…2018 sees them continue on their run with their brand new album “Technology”…let’s see how up to date they actually are…

The album opens up with the title track and we’re met with a brief but subtle, percussion led electronic sample, but it bursts into this bass-heavy barrage of riffs…it’s deep, it’s got some weight behind it and it’s an interesting way to kick things off. Vocally it’s as you’d expect; clean with a mixture of harmony and swagger as is their style, blending alternative rock with indie-pop charm making for a catchy, rhythmic chorus…it’s a decent opener. The same can be said for the single “T-Shirt Song”…it’s big…it’s bold and it utilises a similar approach to our opener, mixing bass heavy riffs with powerful, melodic hooks allowing for another strong chorus, while the rest of the track balances groove and delicacy well. This is the promising sign of Don Broco on form, as is also proven elsewhere on tracks such as “¥” which follows a similar formula again, delivering a simple but infectious pop-rock master-class riddled with groove…that is until the tracks climax…which descends into a distorted breakdown and despite being brief, it can’t help but bring the track down. The exchange rate for those Yen just plummeted…

The rest of the album however…over the course of its total 16 track run time gradually loses both momentum and point…while there are glimmers of potential found in tracks such as “Everybody”, which sticks strongly to an indie-inspired core sound, slightly funk-driven and rhythmic…there’s “Tightrope” with its sweet vocal delivery and “Got To Be You” which utilises a dramatic, echoed tone to the guitars and an emotive narrative, they are sadly lost among the annoying level of filler found bulking this album up. “Come Out To LA” has a fucking awful hip-hop / R’n’B structure to it which really negates the quality of the song, like it doesn’t know what it wants to be…”Porkies” has vocalist Rob shouting his way through the track and truthfully it doesn’t suit him at all, with the track as a result just sounding off. “Something To Drink” makes you want to drink in its own right with a predominantly dull display…Don Broco aiming for Dom Perignon but reaching white wine vinegar…before closing track “Potty Mouth” which has an annoyingly abrupt ending which is bad enough after what can only be described as a discarded GORILLAZ cut, followed by what is arguably one of the worst hidden tracks ever put to record. It’s a bit of a mess frankly…so to summarise, they could have easily taken a good six tracks off of this album and condensed it down into a simple, manageable listen as strong playlist, but they opted for quantity over quality where in reality less would have definitely been more. The good thing about technology is that, if you opt to buy “Technology” on iTunes you can buy individual tracks and not have to listen to the whole thing. If you have it on CD then you’d better be prepared to smash that skip button. [5]

Back last year you may remember I covered not one but two SAXON compilations courtesy of two special collectors sets; ”Decade Of The Eagle”, a sort of best-of comprising of the band’s first ten years together…and “The Solid Book Of Rock”, a collection specifically covering the bands work from 1991 all the way through to 2009…by the end of it, having listened to nearly 40 years of work, I felt like I’d gone through more Saxon history than an entire season of fucking Time Team…I was literally THIS close to going on a crusade…nevertheless I got through it and I could finally put down my sword and shield, or so I thought. 2018 see’s the heavy metal veteran’s return yet again with their 22nd studio album “Thunderbolt”…let’s check it out.

We open up with “Olympus Rising” and like its name suggests we’re met with an ominous, foreboding intro…the home of the gods, the slow build of the guitar and subtle percussion layered over some almost ritualistic chanting sets a serious tone…something big is coming and it’s all very dramatic as we lead into the album’s title track. The guitars kick in with some hefty riffs before it settles into their trademark, classic metal inspired sound. Biff still has a decent voice on him despite his aging years, singing of Hades and Greek mythological history and they have substantial weight behind them, sounding just like they did decades ago, just with better production quality, although there is a brief guitar solo that sounds really off, tarnishing an otherwise decent metal track.

​Highlights here include “They Played Rock And Roll”, which with its fast paced delivery and appropriately thrash-based intensity is dedicated to MOTORHEAD following the deaths of Lemmy, Fast Eddie and Philthy Animal Taylor, and it’s a touching inclusion, showing solidarity in metal. “The Secret Of Flight” is rich in groove-led guitar melody, while “Nosferatu (The Vampire’s Waltz)” captures the essence of the 1922 silent horror wonderfully, on par with BLUE OYSTER CULT in fact, re-telling the story over some symphonic inspired metal. There are some sub-par moments here sadly however, which makes for an album of two halves, with it starting really strong and ending on a somewhat flat note…”Speed Merchants” and “Roadie’s Song” in particular bring the album down with their poor, almost clichéd lyrical content, especially the latter…and there’s a raw cut of “Nosferatu…” which serves no purpose being there, too much time in the sun that one. There is an interesting collaboration with AMON AMARTH front-man Johan Hegg for the track “Predator” but his death metal growls are a little too much for Saxon’s style of play if you ask me and it sounds a little disjointed. Other than that it’s a decent metal album and you have to applaud any band that has such longevity. [6]