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Album ReviewReviews
April 25, 2023
Midnite Mitch

Enter Shikari – A Kiss For The Whole World

Its been 3 years since we ventured out into the great unknown with Rou and the gents from Enter Shikari. The Great Unknown can be an incredibly fickle thing, it can bring you to your destination quickly or you can wander, get lost and eventually rediscover yourself, which seems to be the path that Enter Shikari took. There were some doubts as to how long it could have been in between albums but with the brand-new album, A Kiss For The Whole World, a bright light has been cast in this current world of turmoil and uncertainty for everyone to look to for a piece of positivity in sound format.

Enter Shikari are one of the very few bands that I will try and listen to the lyrics before the music, being a little bit of a muso myself, I tend to gravitate to everything else first before lyrics, but these guys have always had incredible and inspiring lyrics, Rou’s messages are always worth a listen. The topics of choice for this album pass over, identities and Self-esteem or Self-worth, this is a very introspective album. Which makes sense, the time it was written was a solitary time for a lot of people, where else could you look but in?

With this record, they brought back a sense of DIY and freedom to their writing and recording process. Rou directed and produced the single video clips for (pls) set me on fire, It Hurts and Bloodshot and they went out to a farmhouse, powered off solar power, to try and rebuild themselves from the ground up. A Kiss For The Whole World is incredibly accessible to new fans, the music is light on the electronic aspect, incredibly catchy sing along choruses and rockin’ guitar riffs from start to finish. The album is only just over 30mins long, songs are straight to the point and with no real filler tracks, there are only 2 tracks that are the typical hardcore electro bounce that will be amazing in the live set for Rou to jump around to and they are the little outro filler track things they put in.

I couldn’t stop singing along after only a couple of listens of this album, all the choruses are catchy and have wicked hooks, my favourite track was Giant Pacific Octopus (I don’t know you anymore). It has such a catchy guitar and keys riff that got me right from the start. Lyrically it had me as well, dealing with the question of identity, go and check this one out! The singles for this album were a solid choice, (pls) set me on fire, It Hurts and Bloodshot, they show all the elements of the album and what to expect. Although they are great tracks, they aren’t the best off the album in my opinion, so that means you will enjoy the other songs more if you already liked them! Which is what I always hope when bands choose singles, don’t give away the best track straight up.

The new tracks from A Kiss For The Whole World will add more messages to the live performance, the introspective aspect is just another positive message for Rou to bring to the world. I was lucky enough to catch their gig at The Forum in Melbourne last year and their music translates live incredibly well, as well as their messages. The energy these guys bring out in their shows is incredibly positive and you can’t help but get into it. Stop doing your normal everyday routine, sit down, go get some sun and have a listen to this album. It pays to stop and think about something bigger than yourself from time to time and you’ve now got a perfect album to do that to.

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Gig ReviewsReviews
April 24, 2023
Tammy Walters

[Review] Daydream Festival @ Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne 22/04/2023

Review By Tammy Walters

Whilst the last minute cancellation from Slowdive bummed out a bunch of fans, it certainly didn’t dampen the events of Daydream. A reshuffle of the existing lineup and extension of sets meant we received more songs from the stellar music company consisting of Melbourne’s Majak Door, Cleveland’s Cloud Nothings, Brooklyn’s Beach Fossils, our city’s favourite rockers Tropical Fuckstorm and Washington-birthed, Portland-based Modest Mouse. 

Setting the score for the jam packed evening we’re local Lo-fi indie six piece Majak Door. As the masses drip fed into the Sidney Myer Music Bowl and cascaded down the stairs into the amphitheater, they were greeted by a sound reflecting the event title; dreamy surf rock waves crashing down on the stage. They swam through a set of songs from the self-titled album and dropped in their latest track ‘Borderline’, filling out a solid opening for the festival.

Cloud Nothings hit the stage next. The three piece offered a twelve track set, with a focus of their 2012 standout, Attack on Memory. Wasting no time they launched in with ‘I’m Not Part of Me’ excluding a casual coolness prevalent in the indie rock identity. The high octane set of trim, quick-whip songs that are over in 3 minutes, was underpinned by animalistic drumming of Jayson Gerycz, elevating the energy on the stage. Whilst ‘Hey Cool Kid’ didn’t make the cut, subbed out for fellow Turning On mate, ‘Can’t Stay Awake’, the set was still a stellar run, ending in transcendental fashion with the nearly 9-minute building-block ‘Wasted Days’.

A whole decade since their last show, Beach Fossils knew they had to pull out all the stops for the Daydream debut. Though half the song selection of their Cleveland predecessors, Beach Fossils made double the impact for a set of old and new across their titular debut, Somersault, and their highly anticipated upcoming release Bunny. They launched in with double-d’s, ‘Down The Line’ and ‘Don’t Fade Away’ before hitting the triple on new tracks. “This is a BBCOne Triple J exclusive,” guitarist Tommy Davidson commented before ‘Be Nothing’, the final third debut live play of their set, with a shoutout given to the unruly boo-er in the crowd. More shoutouts were offered, multiple of which were directed at Anton Hochheim, Beach Fossils drummer, who was in Australia for the first time. Subbing out their originally intended manifested closer ‘May 1st’, they date they were due to fly home, for the equally appropriately related ‘Daydream’, Beach Fossils knew the assessment and delivered an A+.

Modest Mouse frontman Issac Brock said it during his set- “Tropical Fuck Storm are one of my top three favourite bands- they’re insanely good” and they are! There is no band like TFS; the explosive brainchild of Garrett Liddiard, Erica Dunn, Fiona Kitschin and Lauren Hammel. With albums Braindrops and A Laughing Death In Meatspace hailed as compositional genius by critics and crowds across the globe, the live translation is a ferocious full-bodied frenzy. Erratic drones of the guitar, feverish swirls of the keys, a gyrating body of beats and bass, and a primitive vocal power encased their seven song set. Inclusion of The Stooges song ‘Ann’ and Lost Animals ‘Lose You Baby’ went down a treat, becoming synonymous with their catalogue. There is a reason for countless Live Musician of The Year awards and the Daydream crowded witnessed it firsthand.

The piece de resistance of the festival came from indie figureheads Modest Mouse. 

From ‘The World At Large’ right through to ‘Trailer Trash’, the two-tiered positioned performers put on a show. ‘Dramamine’ made an early appearance coming in at 3rd place, with ‘3rd Planet’ shortly thereafter. Only months after the passing of mainstay drummer Jeremiah Green, the band came together for a full celebration of their career, touching on all of their albums. 

Though the set did not go without a hitch. Following the highlight of high-energy ‘Dashboard’, Brock took a tumble during a crowd interaction. He took it like a champ though commenting “Have you ever thought you were stepping onto something solid and it was just air? It was awesome,” turning to the audience member to joke, “I regret our interaction. A cautionary tale for any cell phone interaction. Write it on a napkin. That’s what God would have wanted.” No hard feelings as they continued through ‘Lace Your Shoes’, the mammoth ‘Float On’ and ‘Spitting Venom’ to close out the main set.

Minor technical issues throughout the set saw some guitar pedal confusion for Brock, making song transitions less than seamless and saw an extended wait between main set and encore where the crowd was divided between waiting patiently or make an early escape. Unfortunately a large number chose the latter option but to their own loss. Removed from the final set list were ‘Teeth Like God’s Shoeshine’, ‘Perfect Dis or Out of Gas’, ‘Whale Song’ and ‘Ground Walks’ – perhaps the stage fall was more serious and required medical attention. We’re not to know but what we do know is that the 19 track tally was epic in proportions with each song cementing the mastery of Modest Mouse. 

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Gig ReviewsReviews
April 22, 2023
Raelee Atkinson

[Review] Helmet @ Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle 20/04/2023

Review By Raelee Atkinson

Helmet have been described as the East Coast version of Seattle-based Soundgarden. They hit the scene at a time when music was changing and Grunge was on the cusp of being “the next big thing”. Formed by Page Hamilton in 1989, Oregon-born Hamilton was living in New York studying jazz, and wanted to form a band with then “unusual tunings” like drop D, and use jazz-influenced time signatures and harmonies. This all seems like the norm now, and we have Page Hamilton to thank for introducing us to these ideas. Helmet are considered to be alternative metal/post hardcore. They have that punk-y style of writing short 3 minute songs bursting full of energy and attitude with a grunge undertone. They have recorded and released eight full-length albums and been featured on several movie soundtracks, most notably The Crow and Judgement Night, a popular soundtrack with an unorthodox mash up of hard rock and rap, performing with Irish rappers, House Of Pain on the popular track, Just Another Victim.

This tour was originally due to happen back in May 2020 – well, covid put an immediate stop to that, and they are finally here, three years later. 

First night of the Australian tour, Helmet played at The Cambridge Hotel in my hometown, Newcastle.

Upon arriving at the Cambo, I was met with a sea of bald heads, grey beards and black t-shirts. Yep, looks like the right place and I thought, Helmet fans are loyal to the end, my next thought was, GenX is in the house, this should be an interesting night. All these middle-aged men were youngsters when they discovered this band and have continued to love them all this time. To me, that speaks volumes to the impact and influence of an artist or band, and Helmet was certainly influential in many ways. 

8PM doors opened and the room filled quickly, an impressive turn out for a “school night”, and everyone braced themselves for the show. No support band, it's all about Helmet tonight. Just after 9PM Helmet entered the stage and went straight into one of their popular songs from their 1992 Meantime album, Role Model, followed by Iron Head during which he flipped his middle finger for someone up the front taking photos, then by Give It, the crowd were warmed up and bouncing and nodding together. Then it was time for Rollo, up the front a fight broke out during Speechless, continuing through So Long, and while they played from the Dead To The World album, Drunk In The Afternoon, security finally dragged one guy out leaving the other guy to continue by punching someone else during the Strap It On opening track, Repetition, I chuckled to myself and remembered similar nights back in the ‘90’s and early 2000’s, back before moshpits became friendly and respectful and were more like a night at fight club. Then a guest guitarist came on to play on the Betty album track, Wilma's Rainbow. 

Nine songs deep and Hamilton had not spoken to the crowd, and when he finally did, it was to announce that upon arriving in Newcastle, he'd stepped in vomit, which is kind of the Newy version of having a bird poop on you, so he should consider it a good luck sign. Hamilton continued his repartee by describing the scent of the Cambridge as “what is that? butt?”. Then he introduced guest guitarist Chris Haskett, best known for playing in The Henry Rollins Band as an “old friend who he’d toured with way back in 1994, before you were born”. I wondered if Hamilton was joking, does he not know his fanbase? Surely he can see that we have all grown older with him. I scanned the crowd quickly and guessed that 99% of the audience were born between 1970 and 1985. After the brief chit-chat, where Hamilton also mentioned that they were working on a new album, it was back to the music and the band went straight into their 2010 album Seeing Eye Dog track,  Welcome To Algiers, followed by rocker Better, moving straight into FBLA II, then slow grunger Overrated, followed by Vaccination, and at last the much-loved massive hit, Unsung. I looked around and everyone was dancing, nodding and singing along. As the band finished, someone yelled out, “play it again” before Hamilton stopped to chat with the audience again. He introduced each member of the band and then drummer Kyle Stevenson led the band into I Know, followed by 2016’s Life Or Death, then Tic, and rounding the set out with the Betty album and The Crow soundtrack hit, MilqueToast.

Helmet walked off stage leaving a guitar playing a distorted feedback sounding note and the audience waited patiently for about 3 minutes and then Helmet reammerged to play the encore set of Sam Hell, Turned Out and ended the show with In The Meantime which had the whole audience singing along. Helmet left the stage as quietly and unassuming as they entered, and the show was over… just like that!

This tour was originally advertised as “30 Years, 30 Songs over 2 massive hours of unrelenting guitar rock nirvana”. Well, it's been tweaked a little since covid’s interruption, to 23 songs, but it's still a massive, unrelenting rock show of hits and much-loved songs, and clocks in at around one hour 45 mins. 

Helmet play a high octane set that chugs along mostly with tracks from the Meantime and Betty albums. It is a grunge-y, rock-y, kinda punk-y retrospective that takes the audience back to their heyday in the mid to late 1990’s. However, there's a whole chunk of their discography that gets surpassed with only one track from 2010 and two tracks from their last album, released in 2016 being added to the retro-strong playlist. This tour seems to be aimed at the OG fanbase and it is a great night out if you were around “back in the day” and want to re-live the “good ole times”. As long as you avoid that one angry drunk monkey, the crowd is mostly middle aged men and the odd wifey and they are all just there for the tunes and the memories. My brother and I enjoyed the show thoroughly and recommend checking out the Helmet tour to anyone who loves that 90s grunge rock sound.

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Gig ReviewsReviews
April 22, 2023
Suze Blacketer

[Review] Escape The Fate @ The Gov, Adelaide 20/04/2023

Review By Suze Blacketer

Thursday night saw me heading to The Gov to watch one of my favourite bands, The Beautiful Monument, support a couple of legendary international bands in Escape The Fate and Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows (D.R.U.G.S)

Intense and captivating, The Beautiful Monument open up the evening drawing the crowd in. Vocalist Lizi tells the crowd it’s been a while, but they are very glad to be back. Bewitching us with her moves, which flit from sultry goddess to smackdown queen, we are mesmerized at the same time with the raw and emotive lyrics that TBM are known for.  Adam, Amy and Alex provide impressive musicianship and great chemistry for fan favourite tunes. Opening with Deceiver and following it up with songs like Stay and Invisible, the crowd sing along.  We also go to hear their new metal/electro single Hellbound, which absolutely slapped. The Beautiful Monument delivered an amazing performance that left the audience wanting more.

Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows prove that live is always better!! This band absolutely slayed. Frontman Craig Owens was an absolute delight to watch, his energy never wavering for the entire set. Hyping up the crowd he demanded that we raise our hands, clap and to get ‘your f$#king feet off the floor’.  The band played a mix of their hits and their newer songs, and every single one was executed flawlessly. Starting with If You Think This Song Is About You, It Probably fans quickly worked themselves into a frenzy, amongst a sea of smiles and sweat. Mr. Owl Ate My Metal Worm, DESTINY, The Longest Road, GOLD and Laminated E.T Animal blasted our ears. The vocals and instruments blended together perfectly, and the energy level and connection between the band and the crowd was off the charts. What an amazing set.

By the time the intro had played out and the band had hit the stage there was a sea of moving bodies in the pit. Escape The Fate had arrived. The first notes of Choose Your Fate ring out and set the tone for the next hour. The energy was palpable, with every person in the room amped up and ready. Craig Mabbitt is a thankful man, telling us how great it is to be touring again. Originally this tour was to celebrate 10 years of their self-titled album but due to circumstances we celebrated 13 years of the album instead!! Passionate in his vocal delivery, balancing the melodic vocals and screams, it is obvious we are here to celebrate. Escape The Fate were on a mission, the mission was to make this the best damn gig ever. Drummer Robert Ortiz played like a man possessed, breaking drumsticks early in the set, while Erik Jensen and Matti Hoffman blew our minds with their guitar prowess. Massacre, Issues, City of Sin, Prepare Your Weapon were played with such fervor, the fans reciprocated with voices and bodies raised. Finishing with Aftermath and then leaving the stage the crowd starts to chant for an encore. Returning to the stage to cheers, the crowd wait to see what the encore will deliver to us. What an encore it was!! Hearing their newest single Low in a live setting was a highlight for me. H8 Myself, Lightning Strike, a mind-blowing guitar solo by Matti and finishing with One For The Money.

Looking around at a sea of grinning faces makes you realise just how powerful music really is. An amazing night, celebrating an amazing album.

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Album ReviewReviews
April 14, 2023
Casper

Overkill – Scorched

Prepare thyself world for the post ‘shitdemic’ riff ridden savagery of Overkill at their very, very finest…EVER.  

The news of an Overkill album has always been most welcome in my world, but with the coming of the twentieth offering, one feels somewhat justified in expecting something special.  What was not reasonable to expect at this stage of their career and well-established signature sound, was a groundbreaking collection of metal magnificence that sets an entirely new standard for used of the term triumphant.

From the opening solo on the title track, and the sheer brilliance that follows, the hairs elevate on the back of the neck, goosebumps appear on the epidermis, your breath is held for a moment and your heart skips a beat as the excitement of Overkill at their very best becomes apparent.

Every single element of the incredible track is sensational and delivered with all the masterful command one would expect from a four decade partnership and twenty album catalogue, but with such a delightful twist.  A blending of genres and development of the Overkill staple sound that is made manifest in a kaleidoscope of absolute metal appeal.  Goin Home takes that appeal to the next level before the placement of first single The Surgeon in the sequence reveals the true magic of this incredible album.  A beacon of delight to the Overkill faithful and a killer track in its own right but the song takes on an entirely new ‘personality’ when slicing its way in sequence through this this killer collection.  I remarked in a recent interview to Bobby that the constant success and righteous reign of Overkill as kings of thrash is testament to his masterful approach to both music and the inherent nature of the business, but with a riff ridden Overkill archetypal track The Surgeon being released as the assurance to the faithful that Overkill are as, if not more, brilliant than ever was a stroke of genius.  I still think I understated the appeal of the song.

But the same can be said of Wicked Place as the second single released from the album. Magnificent in its own right, complete with huge groove and the tow and raw, massive musical appeal establishing that Overkill is not only creating killer signature offerings, but also exploring and adventuring with diversity and sound development.  This track is brilliantly placed following the malevolent magic or Twist of the Wick it again takes on new appeal in album sequence.

Then Won’t Be Coming Back takes you in a completely new direction but firmly within the ‘feel’ of this epic metal journey, before Fever takes you gently into the realm’s melodic harmony…right up until the one minute mark when Overkill demonstrate that there will be a ebb and flow to this track. Just when you think you are comfortable the song morphs into something different again. What a groove.

Harder They Fall presents exactly as the writhing and thrashing offering you would expect from Bobby and the gang with a track of that title. Relentless and unforgiving. Expect MNS (mosh neck syndrome) from this beauty.

Know Her Name is another reminder of the vast experience and mastery of Overkill staples Bobby Blitz and DD Verni, illustrating their tremendous success in molding every band member to their characteristic sound whilst investing in the skill of each craftsman as contributing to the development of the groups never ending and tremendous appeal.  

It’s about now that you consider that with Colin Richardson mixing Scorched, just as he did for From the Underground and Below, Necroshine, Bloodletting and Killbox 13 there was a special significance to the bond reignited between Colin and Overkill.

Bag O Bones completes the collection to perfection and has one reflecting that with all the bad times that came from COVID lockdowns, the sound of Overkill was certainly not a casualty.  With time to create and recreate, perfect, and sculpt their twentieth offering, Scorched launches triumphantly from the ashes of pandemic destruction and soars gloriously and a true masterpiece, well worth the wait. 

All considered and in reflection of Overkill being the true masters of thrash, this album carries all the hallmarks of what fans of the band hold near and dear, but with so much more that is undeniably magnificent and will appeal to a wider audience than ever before.

The Overkill journey from 1980 – 2023 had culminated into the creation of a true metal masterwork as their 20th offering and a collection that should be represented in every music collection in the world. Let the glorious riffage and thrashing brilliance of Overkill spread like wildfire and scorch all in its path. 

As a parting note on cover art, it must be said that Travis Smith has done this album absolute justice and hit it out of the park yet again.

Bravura all contributors. Scorched is a monumental triumph and a thoroughly rewarding experience in every conceivable way. Ever home should have one as testament that not even COVID could stop the mighty Overkill.

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