Meet The Writers

With the new look and name of this project comes a new contributor. So we thought we'd take the opportunity to introduce you to ourselves. We've done a little question and answer for each other to give you a bit of insite into our musical journey.

You might not care, but we're doing it anyway. 

Jonathan (Jonny) Radley

The metalhead. Creator of Jonny's Heavy Metal Blogs and Reviews, the first incarnation of Behind the Beat music blog.

Q) Do you remember the first time you fell in love with music

A) Probably when my Dad took me to all the local rockabilly shows. We used to go to Horncastle every weekend and I'd buy a 7" vinyl single. I didn't know what I was buying but just picking one I looked the look of and that was enough for me. I was the only kid I knew with a record player in my room!

Q) Now I know you're an axe man but who was it that drove you to pick it up for the first time

A) One man, Hendrix.

Q) If you could 'make love/fuck' any song what would it be and why

A) I don't even know how to answer that.

Q) What's your fondest childhood memory 

A) Buying alcohol at 14.

Q)What would be your ultimate line up for a one night only gig (Dead or alive)

A) Hendrix

Pink Floyd

Led Zep

Co Headliners: original Skynyrd Line up and Pantera and Sabbath

Q) You have two beautiful daughters, who's sound are you introducing them to in this day an age.

A) Rose liked the Trooper by Maiden as a baby. It'd always settle her if she was upset. However she is still adamant, and has been for a few months, that Slabdragger's Rise of the Dawncrusher is her favourite CD. She also likes Adelle a lot and I can live with that, JUST.

Fleur likes Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Old McDonald. I mean each to their own, but that shit's just to heavy for me.

They have both heard the entire back catalogue of Crowbar and Orange Goblin and it did not impress them almost as much as it should have.

Q) Who gave you the best live experience?

A) For pure sound Black Label Society. For immense performance Lamb of God but I'd have to say for my own excitement and memories of fun times it's gotta be Down every time. 

Q) Who's your favourite Disney villain?

A) The fat octopus witch from Little Mermaid, devine evil hoebag.

Q)What makes you write about bands, what's the driving force behind it all?

A) It's a hobby. I like the aspect of hearing new music, discovering bands and learning about underground music. Also I like to think it occasionally helps the artists.

James (Jimmy) Tinsley

The Punk rocker. Based in Manchester. Has a passion for live music. The man with a tongue so silky you could weave a scarf. 

Q) Name and Rank?

A) Jimbletron the deceptercon

Q) Favourite band/musician? 

A) Blink 182/travis barker

Q) Why them?

A) They are the ultimate don't take yourself too seriously band which assists with my Peter Pan syndrome I've got going on! On a serious note though they're fun and they represent everything that I'm about! If you were to say 'yo jimmy, what's your personality' I'd just say 'American pie and blink 182, go work it out'

Q) How did you get heavily into music?

A) It all started for me with green day man, Jonny long cock (the very same man above) had this tape of Brain Stew/Jaded and I made my dad play it in the car on the ride home from his. I just fucking loved that sound it was like speaking to me on a whole new level! The next weekend I walked into Our Price and bought Insomniac with my pocket money! That album changed my life.

Q) If you walk out of a door without facing forward, do you hit your huge nose on the door frame?

A) Absolute lolz, rumour has it, yes.

Q) Music Dream?

A) Having a personal drum clinic with Travis 'mother fucking' Barker

Q) Music Nightmare?

A) Justin fucking Bieber

Q) What do you think is the best song ever written and why?

A) Pink Floyd 'Wish You Were Here' it's just a beautiful song that speaks to any listener.

Q) Which single musician inspires you most?

A) Travis Barker, he's just one sick dude.



Q) Best live experience.

A) Rancid circa 2003. I went in on such high hopes and they were just insane not a single boot wasn't giving the Roots Radicals.

We hope to bring you plenty of content covering multiple genres, with album, ep and single reviews, live reviews, inteeviews and introduction articles. 

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The Black Swamp - I Am (blown away)

It's been two years since Sludge metal outfit The Black Swamp released Foulness, an absolute belter of an Ep, and shortly after the sonic assault of single Cold Dead Hands. In my previous article about these guys, I was purring over what developments might be on the next release and I finally get to find out. 

Founded in 2012, this band are all about playing live and the recorded work up 'til now has been making me want to sell my home to pay for flights to witness it! These guys present such a party vibe, they've even had a beer named after them!

They will be unleashing the album I Am into your aural galaxy on 29 September. It can be pre ordered on bandcamp and will be available on all your normal download and streaming services.

I AM

Opening with the acoustically led Kin,  a moody track with a spoken peice that reminded me of Weedeater's Dave Collins, is not what I expected, but I liked it, I also knew it i was about to get smacked in the ears. 

And the aural smacks come in the form of Exhale and the first track to be released, Purge. Exhale is A heavy, no nonsense groove ridden track. Purge is an immensely heavy sludge stomper. Early signs show, as I'd hoped, that the vocal performance still has the range and nuances in delivery that make vocalist Stewart Wren a frontman with few peers.

Common Crows, with it's sublime southern sludge, touched by the hand of Skynyrd style is a triumph and an ode to the song writing capabilities of The Black Swamp as a group. 

Crawl opens with a dark lo-fi opening offset by Wren's growl. Musically, it soon catches up with the vocal. It is an interesting, mood driven track, and is probably the hardest track to access for the listener. It is a grower though and it's impossible not to be drawn in by the guitar work. 

Barricade and Ours are are short bursts of energy. Barricade stepped in hardcore delivery is high on impact, whereas Ours is a stomping sludgefest. Two hard hitting, to the point tracks.

It's then that The Black Swamp take us to epicville with Mountain (I Am). And it's a track that has everything. Again Wren shows his vocal range with switching from scream to clean. Musically is heavy and melodic with a great solo and there's even a lovely warm backing vocal display from Caity Solca and a flute section by Melanie Woodley. It is not hard to see why their upcoming tour was named after this rangy, stylish, masterful track. 

Hollowed returns us to firm heavy sludge territory. With riffs it's impossible not to move too it's a guaranteed crowd pleaser.

The album ends with the journey that is Bleed Mother. A performance full of emotion vocally and musically, it is 9 and a half minutes of imagination capturing brilliance and a simply stunning way to close an album.

You sometimes hear albums where the first 4 tracks are amazing and the rest are good but not great, and you call it a good album. This is NOT that album. It ends on higher note than it left with and is overflowing with great tracks. 

I said in my first review that they display a variance of styles and perform them all well. They still have this element, however the delivery is more focused and it is a clear step up for the band from the already excellent Foulness EP. Musically, it is incredibly well performed and written throughout and has one of the best heavy vocal performances I've heard in some time. 

Conclusion

If you're already a fan of The Black Swamp, they're about to become your favourite band. If you haven't really heard them yet there's no better introduction than I Am.  

Even havin heard it, it is impossible not to get excited about the release of I Am. 

Score 5 out of 5

Stand Out Tracks: Common Crows, Mountain (I Am), Mother Bleed

Follow Them: Facebook/Twitter/Instagram

Preorder here

The Black Swamp are:
Stewart Wren - Vocals
Jesse Kenny -Guitar
Grant Scott - Guitar
Rohan Downs - Bass 
Brendan Woodley - Drums. 

Article by Jonathan Radley

Photo Credits: K.C Ward

Tour: Australia Only (wipe those tears from the floor bitch)

Horehound - Self Titled Album Review

Horehound

Horehound are signed to Blackseed Recordings, they are a Doom/Stoner band who on 20 April this year released their debut self titled album. When I listened to this album and started talking to band member Brendan, I got more and more excited about this album and the prospects of this band, and I think you'll see why.

Named after a plant which is an important ingredient in Witchcraft folklore, and not a dog selling it's body to pay the bills, I expected a heavy but haunting experience. I was not to be disappointed. First, a bit about the people...

Lineup

Since recording the album I have been listening too, they have seen some changes.

The lineup on the album is as follows:
Mike Altopiedi – Guitar, Vocals
JD Dauer – Drums
Shy Kennedy – Vocals
Brendan Parrish – Guitar
David “Wes” Westfall - Bass

Unfortunately Mike had to move away so David "Wes" Westfall has moved to axe duties and Nick Kopco has been recruited on bass.

The Album

What Horehound give you on this record are heavy, catchy, head banging riffs, coupled with a spectral, delay and reverb laden vocal, which is a triumph of a performance from Shy in my eyes. The guitars occasionally bring a welcome melodic element with some of the guitar work which adds a great dynamic to some of the songs.

Speaking to Brendan about this he told me "Settling on one genre is always difficult, but... we (do) fall in the Doom/Stoner Metal spectrum. The guitar melodies were something I’ve always wanted to do, and something that Wes brought to the table. ... We write based on what we want to hear, and if that reminds someone of a certain style of music, all the better."

The classic Doom style tracks on offer include World to Come, a fantastically eerie slow heavy riff, almost Slayer-esque in its intro, with a stoner vibe for the breakdown which works very well.

The Dead Don't Lie is a simple but effective track. A strong, satisfyingly heavy fuzzy, seeped in Sabbath, riff, with a spacey feedback effect in parts which offsets the vocal style particularly well, creating a dark ambience.

Tracks such a Sangreal and Crowns and Thrones and Myope up the pace, but somehow manage to still feel like immensely heavy Doom fare. Sangreal I particularly enjoyed. It's heavy with pace and a storming riff, but it's true greatness can be heard in a sublime breakdown where vocal melody twins with guitar brilliantly.

Waters of Lethe see's Horehound showing off their range, with a progressive number, which has soft and heavy elements and a really nice bluesy solo seeing it out before the album closes on Waking Time, which gives us the first glimpse of a heavy vocal, and it works well and adds a great new dimension to finish the album making you want to hear more.

The general vibe of the album is a very authentic sounding live feel and it comes across very well, Brendan tells me " The method of recording was very intentional. We wanted to really emulate how we sound live on this recording, and I think Matt Schor (our recording engineer) definitely captured that. The guitar, bass, and drums you hear on the album are pretty much as they were recorded. Matt did a wonderful job of adjusting the levels to get the sound where we all wanted it to be."

The Future

Although it is clear from speaking to Brendan that Mike's contribution will be sorely missed, there is a sense amongst the band that there is so much more to come, and I for one will be looking forward to hearing it.

"Mike has since moved... With the absence of Mike, who contributed greatly to our sound, we have an exciting new lineup and are actively working on new material. We’re coming together even stronger sonically with a diverse blend of musical influences that will definitely please the masses once they get a taste. We have locked in on our sound, and have some exciting things coming for 2017."

If the band continue on an upward trajectory then the album "Horehound" may be considered in their history as a "classic line up" release or even as a precursor album to a sonic progression. Either way it's worth getting on board and giving this album a spin. Visit Bandcamp to buy it here.

Album Score

4 out of 5 - Great Doom album with sublime vocal performance, well worth a listen with some brilliant highlights. 

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Writer: Jonathan Radley