Step through the Portal once again into the world of the Puzzle Tree. The South Wales based band made a big impression on me with their debut album, be it the proggy guitar soundscapes, the heavy riffs or the powerful vocals, everything just worked and I fell head over heels for their heavy rock sound.
So when I heard the band were hard at work on a second album I was full of anticipation for what they could create this time. Well with Kingdom they have written a record that is built around a loose concept that combines everything, but it's meant to be a puzzle, a menagerie of influences making you guess at any sort of link between them. The album cover too hints at mystery, a golden mandala that glistens and glimmers with the majesty inside of it.
So it's through the Portal, an intro that features acoustics and strings, setting the scene but quickly shifting into Writhe. The first track proper, it's hooked on a heavy 90's alt rock riff but beneath it is a hypnotic Middle Eastern melody that also reminds me a lot of Tool in the fat throb of Jamie Roberts' huge bass lines.
I'd say we're already on to a winner with the first track on Kingdom but this is just the beginning (obviously) as Puzzle Tree have set their collective minds to creating the most diverse record they can, the prog influence is much stronger than it was on the debut, just check out all the facets of the mid-album title track suite, with more Eastern mysticism, it shifts and changes between several different styles letting both vocalists impress (more on that later.)
Much of Puzzle Tree's uniqueness comes from the counterpoint guitars of Matt John and Matthew Alexander Powell, they make for expansive melodies and muscle bound riffs, both coming on I Am Gone and Helpless, but elsewhere there is switching between union and opposition, while one plays big open chords the other is giving a fluid harmony behind or on top. All the songs here though have a familiarity behind the kit as they are all anchored by the impressive drumming from Tony Jones, his percussive persuasion, catching you off guard as one of the many things on this record that reveals itself as you listen more.
Rachel Thomas' vocals though are immediate, more than immediate. Immense and captivating, she's the dictionary definition of a powerhouse. I honestly think she's one of the best singers in the UK scene, adept at fully belting on the massive heavy rock choruses of Deadfall but also on the emotionally driven and quite beautiful Surrender or the restrained, American Radio Rock of Lost Another Day where we also get Matthew Alexander Powell showcasing his lead vocal skills too.
That complexity I talked about is always there but initially it's the big choruses and grungy, modern heavy rock sound that you'll hold on to. Only with repetition the many layers start to uncover, from alt rock, to heavy metal, goth, to prog, grunge to even pop, Kingdom has moments of all of these. Choruses full of hooks, mountainous riffs, dual vocal harmonies, blissful atmospheres and plenty of non-linear prog, you will find something you will love on Kingdom no matter what genre you subscribe to most.
A singer with the delivery and power of Skin or Amy Lee, a band that takes from Tool, Soundgarden and Alter Bridge, accommodating and spacious production from Lee Howells and Matthew Powell and a second album that reaches further than the debut, that is full of references for you to find. Puzzle Tree have become monarchs of their domain with Kingdom. 10/10
House Of Hosts - Reckoning EP (Self Released)
Straight out of Swansea it's modern metal machine House Of Hosts formed by Daniel Foley-Griffiths (vocals), Jack Hunt (bass), Beth Goodwin (drums) and guitarists James Russell and Ross Davies, they are a band who are influenced by the likes of Avenged Sevenfold, Trivium, Killswitch Engage along with bands such as Sylosis, in the more technical moments.
Featuring four brand new cuts, opening with the swaggering Through My Eyes, the big riffs and melodic leads of James and Ross in union, as they merge metalcore/thrash/power metal together against the massive vocals from Daniel, his clean versus harsh dynamics are powerful and distinctive especially on Darkest Days which also showcases the massive rhythm section of Jack and Beth.
With Pedestal they slow things down as the bottom end, adding some acoustically driven emotion, as they dwell down into the darkest reaches of their collective souls, a track like this showcases the "theme of hope and rebirth" as does the final track Confession which is where the Trivium influence is the strongest, in the dual solo section specifically.
With their Reckoning EP, House Of Hosts deliver modern heavy metal with plenty heart and soul within it. 8/10
Freefall. - Fire EP (Self Released)
We don't get a lot of Indie/Alt Rock coming through these pages but in the habit of supporting South Wales bands, I thought it was worth giving Fire, the debut EP from Swansea band Freefall. a listen as they've been making waves on the local scene, across the UK and internationally including praise from BBC Introducing, plays from over 100 countries and even a gig at the iconic The 02 Academy, Islington.
The band claim to draw influence from The Clash, Fontaines DC and Red Hot Chilli Peppers, and while one of those bands are my least favourite band of all time ever, it only seems that the bass heavy title track has that influence. The rest of Fire has more of the other two, thankfully, the politically charged blues of Changing, the social commentary of Deano as this four piece fuse the chaos of punk with the melody of indie.
Both guitarists playing jangly leads on Heads Underwater and Keep You Waiting, the former is a ballad that features some introspection and deft drumming while the latter is a bouncy pop punker that even adds a bit of ska. Usually a band like Freefall. wouldn't even come across my radar but they made a lot of noise and got my attention and while I can't condone anything to do with RHCP, Freefall. deliver some great indie rock on Fire. 7/10
Hateful Dread - Facecrawler (Demons Doors Recordings)
Six tracks and nearly 30 minutes of glacial doom from South Wales noisemakers Hateful Dread now as they want to hurt you with Facecrawler. The soundtrack to the end of the world, they put together the claustrophobic doom of Electric Wizard with the sludge of Crowbar and ramp up the fuzz and feedback of noise bands to with their debut EP.
Recorded over a weekend of no sleep and excess, the raw, unfiltered sound of this band will appeal to anyone who likes their doom filled with abject misery and anguish. The riffs come low and slow, bass and guitar both distorted to all hell. The only time you can tell them apart is when the guitars shift into a (dis) harmony rhythm, lead break or solo like on Dark Heathen Forces, where the phaser brings some psychedelic headaches.
Other than that though both bass and guitar are happy to sling riffs, the drumming keeping the pace between a head nodding crawl of a cut like Black Door and a Sabbath-like groove of War Prophet, no matter the riffs beneath though the vocals never start from being grizzled howls into the abyss.
Facecrawler puts down a stamp for Hateful Dread, this is doom to have a crisis to, abrasive, angry and all consuming, play it loud! 7/10
So when I heard the band were hard at work on a second album I was full of anticipation for what they could create this time. Well with Kingdom they have written a record that is built around a loose concept that combines everything, but it's meant to be a puzzle, a menagerie of influences making you guess at any sort of link between them. The album cover too hints at mystery, a golden mandala that glistens and glimmers with the majesty inside of it.
So it's through the Portal, an intro that features acoustics and strings, setting the scene but quickly shifting into Writhe. The first track proper, it's hooked on a heavy 90's alt rock riff but beneath it is a hypnotic Middle Eastern melody that also reminds me a lot of Tool in the fat throb of Jamie Roberts' huge bass lines.
I'd say we're already on to a winner with the first track on Kingdom but this is just the beginning (obviously) as Puzzle Tree have set their collective minds to creating the most diverse record they can, the prog influence is much stronger than it was on the debut, just check out all the facets of the mid-album title track suite, with more Eastern mysticism, it shifts and changes between several different styles letting both vocalists impress (more on that later.)
Much of Puzzle Tree's uniqueness comes from the counterpoint guitars of Matt John and Matthew Alexander Powell, they make for expansive melodies and muscle bound riffs, both coming on I Am Gone and Helpless, but elsewhere there is switching between union and opposition, while one plays big open chords the other is giving a fluid harmony behind or on top. All the songs here though have a familiarity behind the kit as they are all anchored by the impressive drumming from Tony Jones, his percussive persuasion, catching you off guard as one of the many things on this record that reveals itself as you listen more.
Rachel Thomas' vocals though are immediate, more than immediate. Immense and captivating, she's the dictionary definition of a powerhouse. I honestly think she's one of the best singers in the UK scene, adept at fully belting on the massive heavy rock choruses of Deadfall but also on the emotionally driven and quite beautiful Surrender or the restrained, American Radio Rock of Lost Another Day where we also get Matthew Alexander Powell showcasing his lead vocal skills too.
That complexity I talked about is always there but initially it's the big choruses and grungy, modern heavy rock sound that you'll hold on to. Only with repetition the many layers start to uncover, from alt rock, to heavy metal, goth, to prog, grunge to even pop, Kingdom has moments of all of these. Choruses full of hooks, mountainous riffs, dual vocal harmonies, blissful atmospheres and plenty of non-linear prog, you will find something you will love on Kingdom no matter what genre you subscribe to most.
A singer with the delivery and power of Skin or Amy Lee, a band that takes from Tool, Soundgarden and Alter Bridge, accommodating and spacious production from Lee Howells and Matthew Powell and a second album that reaches further than the debut, that is full of references for you to find. Puzzle Tree have become monarchs of their domain with Kingdom. 10/10
House Of Hosts - Reckoning EP (Self Released)
Straight out of Swansea it's modern metal machine House Of Hosts formed by Daniel Foley-Griffiths (vocals), Jack Hunt (bass), Beth Goodwin (drums) and guitarists James Russell and Ross Davies, they are a band who are influenced by the likes of Avenged Sevenfold, Trivium, Killswitch Engage along with bands such as Sylosis, in the more technical moments.
Featuring four brand new cuts, opening with the swaggering Through My Eyes, the big riffs and melodic leads of James and Ross in union, as they merge metalcore/thrash/power metal together against the massive vocals from Daniel, his clean versus harsh dynamics are powerful and distinctive especially on Darkest Days which also showcases the massive rhythm section of Jack and Beth.
With Pedestal they slow things down as the bottom end, adding some acoustically driven emotion, as they dwell down into the darkest reaches of their collective souls, a track like this showcases the "theme of hope and rebirth" as does the final track Confession which is where the Trivium influence is the strongest, in the dual solo section specifically.
With their Reckoning EP, House Of Hosts deliver modern heavy metal with plenty heart and soul within it. 8/10
Freefall. - Fire EP (Self Released)
We don't get a lot of Indie/Alt Rock coming through these pages but in the habit of supporting South Wales bands, I thought it was worth giving Fire, the debut EP from Swansea band Freefall. a listen as they've been making waves on the local scene, across the UK and internationally including praise from BBC Introducing, plays from over 100 countries and even a gig at the iconic The 02 Academy, Islington.
The band claim to draw influence from The Clash, Fontaines DC and Red Hot Chilli Peppers, and while one of those bands are my least favourite band of all time ever, it only seems that the bass heavy title track has that influence. The rest of Fire has more of the other two, thankfully, the politically charged blues of Changing, the social commentary of Deano as this four piece fuse the chaos of punk with the melody of indie.
Both guitarists playing jangly leads on Heads Underwater and Keep You Waiting, the former is a ballad that features some introspection and deft drumming while the latter is a bouncy pop punker that even adds a bit of ska. Usually a band like Freefall. wouldn't even come across my radar but they made a lot of noise and got my attention and while I can't condone anything to do with RHCP, Freefall. deliver some great indie rock on Fire. 7/10
Hateful Dread - Facecrawler (Demons Doors Recordings)
Six tracks and nearly 30 minutes of glacial doom from South Wales noisemakers Hateful Dread now as they want to hurt you with Facecrawler. The soundtrack to the end of the world, they put together the claustrophobic doom of Electric Wizard with the sludge of Crowbar and ramp up the fuzz and feedback of noise bands to with their debut EP.
Recorded over a weekend of no sleep and excess, the raw, unfiltered sound of this band will appeal to anyone who likes their doom filled with abject misery and anguish. The riffs come low and slow, bass and guitar both distorted to all hell. The only time you can tell them apart is when the guitars shift into a (dis) harmony rhythm, lead break or solo like on Dark Heathen Forces, where the phaser brings some psychedelic headaches.
Other than that though both bass and guitar are happy to sling riffs, the drumming keeping the pace between a head nodding crawl of a cut like Black Door and a Sabbath-like groove of War Prophet, no matter the riffs beneath though the vocals never start from being grizzled howls into the abyss.
Facecrawler puts down a stamp for Hateful Dread, this is doom to have a crisis to, abrasive, angry and all consuming, play it loud! 7/10
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