Into Orbit, the instrumental masterminds from New Zealand, have this month released Unearthing. It comes with a fantastic bit of artwork by an artist called Nick Keller, which perfectly visually displays the impact this band are capable of creating through their music.
Like a heavy post rocking lasagne these two, Drummer Ian Moir and Guitarist Paul Stewart, build up layers of tasty delights with their seemingly limitless musical composition and performing abilities.
I was a massive fan of their first release, Caverns as you will see here, and Unearthing is no different. In fact it's better.
There is still the creation of these stunning musical landscapes in tracks like Stone Circles and the haunting brilliance of Scattering Light. These soundscapes can be breathtaking, inspiring and really set a mood and atmosphere.
But, they are packing more punch now. This was already evident as coming into their writing with the earlier release of Gilgamesh, which is on this album. But is also carried through the album in tracks like the opener Dark Matter and Caldera, my favourite track on the album, brimming with chugging heaviness and spacey lead lines.
What I do like is the varying length of tracks. This is not an album full of 10 minute self indulgent musical masturbation pieces. The tracks do what they need to do and end and are therefore full of impact. There are epic numbers, such as the fantastic Equilibrium, and there are shorter ones. There's not point where you think 'this is going on a bit'.
Into Orbit still create music you listen to in a dark room wanting to take a musical journey and feel nice and zoned out. But it's now also music you can listen to when driving a fast car or undertaking an epic, dangerous journey.
Both musicians put in a fine display of their very obvious talent for performance and composition. The drumming in the outro of The Archer is something which shows off Moir's range of styles and he brings as much to the table here as the stunningly creative layered guitar work of Stewart.
If progressive heavy post metal/rock and epic soundscapes is your thing, you really need to spend a few quid on this album. Here's a handy link for you to do so!
I always knew this was gonna be an easy gig to review, I've known Dave from Lacey for many, many years and when he gets his hands wrapped around those sticks magic just happens. The talented little fuck!
As I walked in I saw a sea/lake of teenage starstruck eyes walking around with sharpies getting autographs and every single band member on the bill really taking the time to make it happen. Every single band just happy to be there and humble as fuck, each band supporting each other as they played to the heart-aching crowd.
After a few introductions I took to my usual spot and waited for the first band to grace the stage.
A local band to Manchester I believe! It's a good start. Some atmospheric shit starts playing through the PA as the band start twiddling and soaking it all up. If I'm perfectly honest the vocalist didn't have the best vocal but fuck me he knew how to work a crowd and for the first band on that was amazing to witness! It takes a special kind of frontman to be able to do that. And then I noticed a female guitarist and a female bassist proving to the music industry that talent comes from both sexes in what appears to be an incredibly cock heavy industry!
I'm talking tasty licks you can only really get from a '99' and groves that the '70's' woulda got naked for.
On they come, another atmospheric sample as they get ready to go! Then holy shit did they go! These guys are so tight! I would love to see them on a much larger stage they were like caged animals making the best of the room they had. The vocals were unbelievable if you ever wondered what wanking off an angel would sound like then this is it! I heard on the grapevine that the lead guitarist was a new member, well what an awesome addition, it's been a long time since I've heard a lead not get all fret wanky but still be able to create the right tone! It's safe to say that big things are to come from these guys.
Genuinely 5 real talented guys, I mean I wouldn't recommend booking them for weddings but shit I'd watch these guys week in week out.
I'm just gonna start with saying it really wasn't their night! Technical error after error, touring really did a number on their equipment! They still went for it regardless, every single person in the room helping them through the set. Energy levels and smiles still high and a performance was still provided.
I will be catching these guys again as I don't believe that was a true representation of what they can do.
Imagine if Brand New and Taking Back Sunday never had a fall out and they made love, well this is what would have been produced. Every inch of a rock and roll band. You've got your standard 5 guys, pretty as hell I swear they had to mop the front row!
Such a powerful opening but with a tenderness of the Incredible Hulk petting a butterfly without even damaging a wing. I hear they're gonna be featuring on the next big high school romcom 😉 this definitely has a feel of girl next door, heartbreak and teenage angst with a twist of adulthood. Song for song I honestly couldn't help smiling from ear to ear. This is what I wanted to hear, my expectations were met, and some!
I was stood there believing every word that was being sung, every note that was being played and every beat. A five piece so tight that if they were a female you'd wanna break the hymen.
Out comes the solo acoustic, spotlight comes on and he plays away in a very stereotypical way which is fully recognised by himself. He makes a few jibes at himself and then plays away. For about 3 and a half minutes the world stopped turning for every teenage girl across the globe and diaries were opened! No other word than beautiful would describe what had just happened.
It's no secret that I'm the biggest blink 182 fan on the planet and when I hear a cover of a blink track I shudder and feel embarrassed for them because it's something only they can do.......until now, a cover of dammit! Like you've never heard it before. It was mature, turned into their own with their own sound and style put into it and if they had released it I can honestly say the lads themselves would have wished they'd released it like that! But it wasn't and the original still stands as an anthem!
"We're Still Young Just Older Now" really stood out for me, I don't know if it's because I felt a personal connection to the lyrics or what but whilst we're on the subject of anthems, that's the big one for me!
So to sum it all up this was a very well balanced line up, everyone seemed to fit and genuinely support each other. Everyone was humble there's wasn't one arrogant 'I'm a rock star' cock floating around just 4 bands, mates, hanging out and doing their thing and having a real good time whilst doing it and that reflected off the stage like the fucking North Star.
I feel like a lucky man today. A new pre-release to review, and it's IDLEWAR, a band I've been following for some time now, and it's really, really good.
As you will know if you read my previous article, I was a fan of the E.P Dig In and thus a fan of the band. Dig In is a great release, with strong songs but it also sign posted what Idlewar could achieve moving forward.
So its very satisfying when you hear Impulse, and it shows a clear development in song writing whilst keeping the raw qualities that drew me to them in the first place.
What they retain is the strong vocal performances, emphasis on rockin' riffs and groove. What they add is even more accomplished songwriting, a slightly heavier feel in parts, (that's always gonna go down well with me), and the overall delivery has more thump, due to the strength and impact of the tracks, a great production and some mastering by Brian Lucey, who has worked with the likes of the Arctic Monkeys and Ghost.
Impulse
In this LP, Idlewar give you bluesy, groove laden heavy rock from start to finish. The opener, Stone In My Heel typifies this. A stomping opening riff, accentuated by a rolling drum beat heavy on crash cymbals really gets the party started in style. The track is a straight out rocker from start to finish, driven by heavy groove.
And there's so many stone cold rockers on the album to talk about. Innocent is quick and straight to the point with one of the best solos on the album. Burn is full of rock intent and has a great melody in the vocal. Criminal, the first single, can be listened to below. It is brilliant and it speaks for itself.
Whilst it's a heavy rock tour de force, there are tracks with other soundscapes on display.
Soul a heavy and mechanical track uses Zeppelin-esque chords in the verse which introduces and interesting element. The bridge is a moment of pure brilliance leading into a strong solo. All That I Got made me reminisce about Live, circa The Distance Here, as it's strong on vocal performance and musically atmospheric. Damage is pacey, with a swingy, not swinger, sound, it's one to get up and move to.
Glory is glorious (see what I did there, sometimes I astound myself). It has my favourite vocal on the album, it has a fantastically heavy feel and almost a Rage Against The Machine vibe, minus the political rantings of course.
Apathy, a rather ironic name given the drive in the track, carries on where Glory leaves off, propelled by a driving riff and rythm section. The bridge and solo throws in a nice surprise in terms of guitar tone which adds a great layer of interest in the track.
On Our Knees closes out the album in great style. It keeps your head nodding from start to finish and takes you back to the balls out Rock 'n' Roll style Idlewar do so well.
Overall
A couple of reviews I read of Dig In said Idlewar aren't reinventing the wheel. This critique of bands is a tired old cliche and example of lazy journalism. Fart down a microphone and call it FlatuCore and they might be happy.
Idlewar have never tried to claim they're here to re-invent hard rock and why should they? They produce well written, rocking tunes that are infectious and enjoyable. Impulse does however, provide some delightful twists and turns and unexpected moments adding to the enjoy-ability of the album.
Impulse is a great platform from which Idlewar can launch themselves to the next level. They've already gained the support of Planet Rock radio and are finishing off their UK tour by playing Plant Rock's sold out festival. They have been described as "immense" by classic rock magazine. It's time to believe the hype. Impulse will be here 30th September and it's going to blow your balls off!
Idlewar are James Blake on vocals and bass, Rick Graham on guitar and Pete Pagonis on drums.
I don't know what a Goatbox is or why a Goatbox may be rebellious. I can imagine a goat in a box might be quite the rebel having been kept in a box rather than in a field or on a hill. However, ultimately this is unimportant as I am writing about a band, not a goat's quality of life. So here are a new band I've been lucky enough get some music from...
When listening to the EP "Let Us Bleed Integrity" I thought the best way I can describe this sound is dirty, bluesy hard rock with a punk like delivery at times. The general sound is heavy enough but also tuneful and catchy enough to be accessible to fans of multiple genres.
They are made up of Ivan Westley on Vocals and Guitars, Nate Anton on Drums and Colin James Gibson on Bass. Whilst originally from Montreal they are based in Toronto, which is good for me as I can now have a positive association with the place rather than the memory of visiting the CN tower as a child and my Dad forcing me to walk across the glass floor whilst I was shitting myself and blubbering.
Let Us Bleed Integrity
Let Us Bleed Integrity is book ended with two tracks that are brilliant for different reasons. The opener Black Tooth Grin, is a balls out party track. Pantera fans may find themselves harking back to the Vulgar Videos with the songs subject, as I did. It's fast paced with a catchy riff, some fantastic, almost psychotic, drum fills and the bass parts have plenty to add to the rhythm of the track.
The last track, Icarus, offers more stylistically than anything else on the E.P. Seamlessly and fluidly it travels from a proggy intro into the catchy dirty rock riffs they seem to do so well, capturing some metal influenced breakdowns along the way, with a great and not overdone solo to boot.
So whats the filling in this sandwich of fuzzy rock brilliance?
No Love Lost is an all out assault, fast paced and aggressive. It carries more of a punk/hardcore vibe than the rest of the tracks but manages to stay firmly in the heavy blues rock scope. Punchy and to the point with a chorus made for group participation, it's a track that should go down well with a live audience.
Opium Dozer, like No Love Lost, is another brilliant kick in the teeth of raw rock and attack. It has a sublime Doomy outro which is a direction I'd like to hear these guys expand on as they clearly have an ear for it, but I'm bound to say that, being a Doom head.
What I like about the E.P other than the music is the mix and production. It manages to keep a raw live, but at the same time you can clearly hear every instruments input. It's so good to here the nuances of the bass playing for instance, which is played brilliantly throughout. Whilst being raw and dirty in delivery, all the musical input sounds great from all three performers.
Overall this is a great release with 4 very strong offerings, two of which slightly edge it for me into the realm of excellence.
You can it here through Bandcamp, who as my readers know, I feel is a great place to purchase music and support artists. If you like what you've read/heard give it a spin and also follow them on Facebook or Twitter. Cor more info about them and their live shows check out their website.
