A famous actor in a famous film once said “Life is like a box of chocolates…you never know what you’re gonna’ get”…and when a group of classically trained Cellists from Finland decided to cover METALLICA for shits and giggles, I don’t think anyone could of expected the success story that is APOCALYPTICA. What started as a quirky tribute act has over the years seen the outfit (now consisting of Eicca Toppinen, Paavo Lötjönen, Perttu Kivilaakso and Miko Siren) go from strength to strength; emerging as one of Finland’s most revered and adored live acts. Now in 2015, we see the Finn’s release album number eight; “Shadowmaker”…let’s cast some light on this and see what they've orchestrated…

The first thing we need to take into account is collaborations. Now, being a group of cellists, they've relied on guest musicians and vocalists to help complete albums, with past outings featuring COREY TAYLOR, VILLE VALO and CHRISTINA SCABBIA to name but a few. Whereas the big name draws are impressive in their own right, each album has felt more like a project of sorts, so here we find them trying something new; sticking to one vocalist…former SCARS ON BROADWAY guitarist FRANKY PEREZ. After a brief intro; “I-III-V Seed Of Chaos”, we first hear him on “Cold Blood” and for all intents and purposes it’s a decent, catchy rock song. The instrumental ability of the Finn’s often means you forget they’re playing cellos and despite being an enjoyable listen, doesn't really feel like it’s an Apocalyptica track…it’s quite generic in that sense.

The title track offers up the more atmospheric, drawn-out style of play we've grown to love. At over seven minutes long, it’s a mixed bag of treats. You've got your slower, brooding portions of the song, the chorus is big, it’s bold, with a slight melancholic tinge allowing for a dynamic listen, and when the Finn’s let rip with their bows it’s simply majestic. Such a welcome return to your eardrums… “Slow Burn” and “Hole In My Soul” are again, pleasant listens too, allowing you get accustomed to Perez’ vocals all the more, especially the latter, a wonderfully sweet little song, before we’re hit with “Riot Lights”, an intense flurry of strings, incredibly frenetic, it’s the sound of instability and chaos and really wakes the album up.

Elsewhere tracks such as “Sea Song (You Waded Out)”, which oozes with sadness, and the blissfully morose closing track “Dead Man’s Eyes” continue with the albums overall feel of despair and inner torment, culminating in what is essentially a very emotional musical journey. It’s easy to say that this album doesn't have any big hits; there’s no “I’m Not Jesus” or “Life Burns!”…but it’s not an album that needs a big single. Apocalyptica gambled here with one vocalist and a new creative direction, and for the first time in their career, here, they actually sound like a band, as oppose to glorified session musicians. They've got the capability and the quality to make this line-up work…let’s just hope they settle and re-hone their craft, because this incarnation is a promising one. [7]

Tradition is a beautiful thing...especially when it brings people together, and few things epitomize this better than the annual EUROVISION SONG CONTEST. Now in its 60th year, the ESC is a celebration of music and culture like no other, with artists and musicians from all over Europe proudly representing their home nations, hoping that their song can win it for their country. For some it’s tongue-in-cheek, a bit cheesy and needs to be taken with a pinch of salt, for others, there is a huge sense of pride involved and credit to a lot of performers, it’s not easy to go out and sing live, giving it your all, for other countries to turn around and give you a low score…it’s artistically a very brave thing to do. Thanks to last year’s winner, CONCHITA WURST, the live final will be held in Vienna, Austria on May 23rd…let’s have a look at some of the entries…

We’ll start with Finland, who I always keep an eye out for since LORDI won it back in 2006 in emphatic style. Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät are this year’s representatives and once again they've done things a little differently for the song “Aina Mun Pitaa”. The 4-piece punk band upon first listen have submitted a short, rough, run-of-the-mill punk song, we’re talking old-school punk here, think early MISFITS rawness, that, doesn't really bode well if I’m honest…however…it turns out, the guys all have some form of learning disability which without trying to sound patronizing, when put into context, in the grand scheme of things, is remarkably inspirational, meaning these could easily score well and do Finland proud.

The United Kingdom…now, us Brit’s have a very 50/50 approach to the ESC, many of us take the stance that it’s all political, we never get any points, it’s embarrassing, why do we bother? To that I say shut up and just have some fun. Whereas yes, it’s true we rarely do any good with few countries ever sending points our way regardless of our entry, it’s always good to see ourselves being represented. This year ELECTRO VELVET were chosen to sing for the UK, with the song “Still In Love With You”. An early 1900’s inspired swing-song, with a modern twist…it’s catchy enough as a tune but realistically has zero chance of winning, it’s just not strong enough as a song.

Ballads are always a big thing every year, and this year is no exception. BOGGIE, representing Hungary with “Wars For Nothing”, KNEZ, performing “Adio” for Montenegro and VOLTAJ, with “De La Capat” for Romania, among several others, bring the slow jams to Vienna in abundance, with some, naturally, better than others. It’s easy to forget that it’s a song contest and people find themselves not liking songs because they aren't in English, and often, when a song is sung in a native language it can be hard to gauge, but there’s nothing unpleasant here.

This year’s bookies favourite is said to be Sweden’s entry, “Heroes” performed by Måns Zelmerlöw, which after starting with a somewhat western vibe, does actually turn into a massive tune. Whether or not it can match the success of Sweden’s last winner, LOREEN, with “Euphoria” in 2012 is yet to be seen. My money is on Serbia however, with BOJANA STAMENOV performing “Beauty Never Lies”…this has got winner written all over it, huge vocals and one hell of a climatic ending, I this doesn't make the top 3 there’s issues. Elsewhere there are strong entries from the likes of Germany, with ANN SOPHIE and “Black Smoke”, Georgia’s NINA SUBLATTI with “Warrior” and Belarus’s UZARI & MAIMUNA with “Time”. However, it’s early days yet; with two semi-finals to come, it’s still unclear who will perform in the live final…all we do know, is this is going to be an anniversary to remember. This year’s theme is “Building Bridges”…let’s come together as neighbors and have fun. It’s a friendly competition…let’s show it.

When a band is on the cusp of greatness; (going from a brilliant main stage performance at Download Festival, a hugely successful supporting slot on an arena tour with one of the UK’s biggest bands, and a superb album by the name “From Death To Destiny” for example…) the last thing you’d expect them to do would be to part ways. But that’s exactly what ASKING ALEXANDRIA did. Front-man Danny Worsnop suddenly uprooted from his vocal duties to concentrate on a brand new project…WE ARE HARLOT. Initially it was believed this was just a side project, but we soon learnt that in fact, this was receiving his 100% commitment, and that AA was no longer his concern. A risky gamble or was it the perfect timing? Let’s find out…

The album opens up with “Dancing On Nails”, which after a brief but exciting build up, reveals itself to be a really slick, dirty rock ‘n’ roll number. It’s sprinkled with simple piano to take the edge off ever so slightly, not unlike TURBONEGRO in places and as a whole is undeniably infectious; a very promising start. This is backed up with similar tracks such as “Denial”, “Love For The Night” and especially “Never Turn Back”, all of which match blow for blow with their blues inspired, gritty, snake-hipped charm…this is rock as It should be; fun and incredibly indulgent. Its clear everyone's enjoying themselves here; it shines through the music, through the playing. Gone are the breakdowns, the crunching riffs of AA and without taking anything away from his former band, honestly, you don’t miss them.

To further hammer that point home, the album also contains the nearest thing that’s ever come to a power ballad in the shape of “Someday”. It’s much softer in delivery and it’s a pleasure to hear this side of Worsnop; it’s very emotive, which can also be said for closing track “I Tried”…we’re talking AEROSMITH level balladry here; a perfect ending. Initially, there were doubters; the departure from the established band to dive right into a complete genre shift was rightly questioned, but it’s more than paid off. This self-titled album should silence any critic and if you take anything from this journey it should be this…always trust your gut instinct. YOU are harlot…WE are glad. [9]

Well I won't mess about... I loved this album

Right off the bat with the opening track "Satellite" your hit with quite a spacey blues feel which carries a clever message to set up what follows; it almost feels like an anthem for a man who can't catch a break...but provokes a sense of empowerment with its 'so what' attitude. But don't be fooled! This track is definitely not what this album sounds like as a whole. The next 3 tracks "Kicking And Screaming", "Something's Gotta Give" and "Kids In The Dark" come at you with a youthful punk/pop feel that took me back to 2005. These tracks seem to tell a story of a musician chasing his dreams but isn't getting anywhere fast. It's late adolescent tone transports you back to the days when you were young, spending Summer at the skate-park; great stuff. 

The next track "Runaways" is a clear breaking point tune...In terms of the feel of this album, this track feels more emo/punk in contrast to the pop/punk feel of the previous tracks, before suddenly your hit with a complete shift yet again... The only way to describe this track is if BARENAKED LADIES and GREENDAY had a baby, then "Missing You" would be it!
Then it's back to business with the next four tracks building the feel of a pop/punk/emo blend before we hit "Dancing With A Wolf" and "The Edge Of Tonight" which sees the culmination of all preceding sounds into very clean sounding anthem type songs which could do well in the charts...very mainstream...but great tunes none the less.

Finally and cleverly done the final track is the title track "Old Scars/Future Hearts"...First of all let me say this... TUNE!! It in no way sounds like any other track before it... It almost sounds like a different band and kinda makes you wanna whip out the old Budweiser spandex pants! I really enjoyed the journey this album took me on... You literally follow the progressive birth of mainstream American skater punk that phases in the rise of emo during the late noughties.

I loved "Future Hearts" and has made me want to revisit my youth with bands such as BLINK 182, BOWLING FOR SOUP, SUM 41 and FALL OUT BOY...this is a great 'Teenage Dirtbag' album and I will be adding it to my collection for sure! "Future Hearts" blends different styles really well, shows a real versatility and the subtle story line works well too. I would recommend this album for those summer garden parties we all know and love!! [8]

Words By John "Juice" Brown

It’s the 21st century but sadly, when it comes to people being judgmental and in many cases prejudiced, sometimes racist, we’re still decades behind the times. Whether you’re pop-star WILL YOUNG for example, or more recently actress ELLEN PAGE, 'coming out' is a big deal; it makes the news and, quite frankly it shouldn't. It’s an individual’s private and personal life, and they shouldn't be made to feel like coming out is a big thing, it’s really a shame that that’s the case because we’re all human at the end of the day and there’s enough judgement in the world already. One person who firmly gives little to no shit’s at all however, with his homosexuality and heart firmly on his sleeve, is New York based singer/song writer DEREK BISHOP. The 43 year old recently released his brand new album; “Bicycling In Quicksand”…let’s take a cheeky bite out of this big apple…

Opening up with “Backburning” you get an almost MIKA type feel musically, it’s a combination of 80’s inspired synth-pop with 70’s funk and for an introduction it’s a colourful one; full of character. “Automatic” follows suit but is considerably more up-beat and a delightfully positive, happy little song; the type of track you could enjoy listening to sat in your garden on a summer’s day, soaking up the sun with a glass of Pinot Grigio. Bishop’s vocals soft and melodic but he narrates his points well.

The album’s title track starts off with what’s really quite a dramatic tone, slightly dark as far as pop music is concerned, in a serious sense, and it becomes clear the title is a great metaphor for the difficulties of love, and one assumes it’s centered around his sexuality, but as a song it’s got a good rhythm, plus saxophones are always a welcome bonus. Lead single “Baggage” is big on pomp, big on the electro-pop and sounds like one of the good Eurovision entries, loads of fun this one and an infectious chorus to boot; great stuff. The rest of the album maintains the soulful synth-pop formula, carrying a slight retro vibe, and ultimately is a consistent enjoyable listen. As a recording artist, it’s doubtful he’ll make any dents in the UK charts with this album, it’s not quite the in-thing, but really that’s the point, he’s out…and proud, and more importantly, loving life. Give “…Quicksand” a listen, just watch your wheels don’t get stuck… [6]

Going back as far the 1970’s, the UK has always had a rich heritage when it comes to punk rock, with bands such as the SEX PISTOLS breaking down the conventional mainstream barriers, expressing not only themselves as musicians and their opinions on society and it’s flaws, but also lending a voice to a generation of frustrated youths who needed a sense of identity; a sense of purpose. Over time, punk itself has been accepted as mainstream, with artists such as GREENDAY achieving huge commercial success with their own brand of alternative pop-punk, somewhat defeating the object in essence, but, there are still bands that do it raw, and one of which is THE DEAD BETAS. Hailing from Torrington, Devon; the 5-piece are ready to drop their brand new EP; “Siren”…let’s answer their call…

The EP opens up with the title track and straight away you get the rough but simplistic approach that defines punk as a genre, vocally, the delivery is blunt and generally tuneless, but again, that’s standard, with the only real downside is that the track is quite sluggish, that is until a rather enjoyable climatic ending, fully utilizing the inclusion of synthesizers to give-off a slight ENTER SHIKARI vibe…it’s just all too brief. “A Night On The Town” steps it up a notch with the electro; for the most part is sounding like a PRODIGY B-side, before “15” frustratingly reminisces about wasted youth and opportunity; you only live once…have fun.

“Lotion” initially starts off with the potential to be a funky, bass driven number, but, soon descends into cheesy, cringe-worthy garbage in all honesty, with the lyrics being 100% at fault here. “Are we gonna’ fuck yeah? Are We gonna’ fuck? Coz’ if we don’t it will totally suck for you, coz’ I’m awesome…” is without a doubt a poetic masterpiece, before we finish up on “Ego Song”. It’s a slight improvement but, literally only slight, it’s got a good backing track and the rapped bit is an interesting inclusion, and, that’s about it. To summarize, they describe themselves as messy electro-punk and credit to them they've got that spot-on, because really that’s all this is. [4]

What happens when you throw a little bit of New Zealand into London? No I’m not talking about the traditional mauling of the England rugby team by the All Blacks at Twickenham; I’m talking about rock ‘n’ roll and a particular band by the name of RIVAL STATE. The 5-piece (consisting of vocalist Luke, guitarists Nimal and Jo, bassist Stefan and drummer Valdi) who have spent the past couple of years perfecting their melodic blend of post-grunge rock, dropped an EP called “Youth Tax” not too long ago…let’s see if we should pay up…

The EP kicks off with “Sleep Talker” and we’re subject to an instant dose of almost post-punk riff-work; it’s an up-beat track generally but the chorus is something else, it’s huge, Luke’s vocals in places carry an ever so slight rawness, combined with the music gives faint resemblances to the likes of ZICO CHAIN in style, a really good start. “Aces” and “Four Leaf Clover” keep the EP ticking along, sounding decent but as a whole nothing overly special, before we’re hit with a double dose of brilliance. “Taking Our Time” is first up and is incredibly infectious; a proper foot tapper of a track. It’s got a great rhythm and another big chorus…imagine AMERICAN HI-FI grew some balls and you’ll get the right idea.

Next, we easily have the stand-out track of the EP; “Fall From The Sky”. It’s a beautifully melodic soft-rock song, on the verge of anthem status; it’s brilliantly catchy and makes you want to hit the repeat button as soon as it’s over, such a great hook to this one, before we finish up on “Scatter Brains”, another up-beat punk-inspired number ending things on a pleasant and positive note, despite the abrupt ending. With “Youth Tax” this multinational group of musicians have shown they are more than capable of penning huge tunes and can fly the flag for real rock ‘n’ roll for years to come should they stick at it, this is one tax you should be happy for! [8]

Originally born in the Czech Republic, young singer-songwriter Lucie Niemelä spent much of her time growing up indoors, at home, learning to play the piano in the block of flats her family lived in. She came from a rough, hard-working mining town, but with a love of FREDDY MERCURY, she found escape and solace in her music, before eventually, after falling in love with the Finnish language through watching something on television, relocated to Helsinki to study in the University of Jyväskylä. An interesting back story indeed, but it’s here in Finland, where she met and befriended several talented musicians and began writing and recording original music. Lucie has just completed her newest album; “Untangling”…quoted as ”untangling the knots of darkness, reaching emancipation and light”…it sounds very deep and personal, let’s untangle this album and see what she’s all about…

We start off with “Eardrums”, which after a peculiar little intro, blissfully meanders through your speakers with a gentle piano and percussion led melody. The use of the guitar is subtle but provides ample depth to the track, whilst Lucie’s voice itself is clear and sweet, with very well-spoken English. Lead single “Getaway” is structured fairly similarly with regards to the songs core sound but with the additional string sections it’s a beautiful sounding track; very easy on the ears and a very relaxing piece of music, a genuinely nice song, while the title track of sorts; “Tangled”, is stripped back even further, as far as being soulful for the most part, a really mellow listen with the emphasis very much on Lucie’s vocals.

Elsewhere songs such as “Pandora’s Box”, “Familial” and “You Fade” maintain the soft, classical-pop vibe of the album; it’s all rather grandiose in its own way, before we finish up on “Two Ancient Apple Trees”, a largely ballad driven song which to some extent would appeal to fans of TARJA TURUNEN. As a whole, the album is a pleasant listen and her story telling throughout each song adds a certain sentiment to the already emotional musical backdrop, showcasing her natural talent for song writing, worth the listen. [6]

If we look back over the last couple of years, Cardiff’s RECLUSE were one of the brightest prospects South Wales had to offer; gigging relentlessly around the local bars and clubs, playing numerous smaller UK festivals and of course, releasing their fine debut that was “Crooked Heart”. It was a well-blended combination of blues inspired hard rock ‘n’ roll, with tracks such as “Passing Cars” and “Heartjacker” cementing their status as an enjoyable and reliable band, always delivering, no matter what size the venue or crowd. It’s about time then, that 2015 see’s the band (consisting of guitarist/vocalist Britt, bassist Tom and drummer Alex) release their hotly anticipated follow-up; “The Quiet Hours”. There have been many of them, was it worth the wait?

We open up with “Horrible Beautiful” and we are far from quiet…instantly you’re hit with some of the hardest and dirtiest riffs the band has ever played and it’s quite the wake-up-call. It softens momentarily, allowing the listener time to gather their senses but as a whole, it’s a very gritty, visceral track… sludgy guitars and a certain strain to Britt’s vocals allowing for a very raw delivery. “Move Me” is less intense and has a really great melody to it whilst managing to retain the rough around the edges feel of the music, resulting in an enjoyable listen and an early album highlight, great stuff here. “Temper” and other tracks such as “Now You’re Gone” and “Cherry” carry with them a rich grunge inspired tone giving the album an almost retro feel, especially the latter, while lighter tracks, “Bury Us Separately” being the perfect example, balance things out beautifully.

It may have taken them a few years to deliver album number two but the lengthy silence has been justified. “The Quiet Hours” is a fine return and shows a band evolving their sound with positive effect. Patience is a virtue, especially when you’re dealing with a band as reclusive as this. [7]