If Danny Dyer loved beatdown driven hardcore then he'd have probably formed Pintglass. However Pintglass already exist and if Danny Dyer wanted to join they'd probably kick the shit out of him for being a mug! This is Geeza-Core. Crushingly heavy hardcore/deathcore with shouted vocals and lyrics about being a geeza.
Expect copious cans of Stella, pulling 'birds', shoving a full English down your throat and getting your hands on bags of powder. Of course you do this all while away on a construction job clad in your Hi-Vis. It's grubby, blue collar, lad culture metal that anyone who has spent any time on a construction site will recognise.
I guess I have to say that Pintglass are a tongue in cheek band, playing with stereotypes for humour, it's light hearted and if you're British then there's lots here that will bring a smile to your face, especially for an engineer like me, who has spent countless hours on building sites. However Pintglass is comprised on veterans of the UK hardcore scene so their music is ferocious and packed with skill.
I didn't think the live energy, brutality and hilarity of Pintglass would reflect on record but it really does on this record, every song hits like a scaffolding pole to the bonce, grab your Hi-Vis, play loud and stop being a f*cking tart! 9/10
Various Artists - The Downward Spiral Redux/Best Of Nine Inch Nail Redux (Magnetic Eye Records) [Rich Piva]
I absolutely love the Redux series that Magnetic Eye Records has been putting out over the last few years. The idea is that one classic album is covered end to end by different heavy underground artists paired with a second volume of a “greatest hits” of covers of that pairs with the classic record. The Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, Ramones, and AC/DC editions, just to name a few, are all worth your time and have some killer covers and reinterpretations of some classics.
The next part in the Redux series is for one of my all time favourites, Nine Inch Nails, with The Downward Spiral being the album covered end to end with the accompanying hits record alongside it. NIN is a special band to me, so this should be super fun. Trent’s music as heavy stoner/doom/psych? Yes please, indeed.
Let’s start with The Downward Spiral Redux. I am more of a Pretty Hate Machine guy, but TDS obviously rules too, blowing minds in the early 90s even if it was a bit bloated. Black Tusk taking the opener, Mr. Self Destruct is so perfect. Their sludge punk version is just top shelf stuff. Sandrider doing March Of The Pigs is a perfect fit too, with them making the song somehow more frantic than the original. The other tracks that I keep returning to are High Tone Son Of A Bitch’s version of Ruiner, which just rules, Abrams doing Eraser, which given their 90s leanings is a perfect fit, and Between The Buried And Me’s version of Hurt, one of the heaviest songs of all time, done pretty much in the frame of the original but with their vibe incorporated perfectly.
Moving onto the Best Of Nine Inch Nail Redux, we start to get some tracks from my favourite NIN record, with Blue Heron’s heavy as hell (of course) reinterpretation of the classic Head Like A Hole. It’s almost unrecognizable in the best possible way. The opener, Snakemother’s doomy psych take on Sin, is a whole new way to hear a Trent composition, and it is killer. The Ocean’s take on Even Deeper is exactly what you would expect from The Ocean with vocals that kind of sound like Mr. Reznor too. My other favourites include Marissa Nadler’s spooky minimalist take of The First Below, Thou’s crazy and perfect version of what is actually a cover of Pigface’s Suck, and Gainesville, Florida’s Orbiter take on Pretty Hate Machine’s Terrible Lie, which is the track I have gone back to the most. All of the covers here are worth your time and none of these bands take any kind of easy way out on these versions of classics.
Magnetic Eye, please continue with the Redux series. People reading this, participate in the Kickstarters they do for this stuff, because hearing these classics done by our favourite heavy underground (and other) bands is so much fun and an excellent way to re-experience these classic records and songs. The NIN series is no exception. 8/10
Black Magic Tree - Terra (Majestic Mountain Records) [Rich Piva]
Black Magic Tree is back with a high energy, rock and roll ripper with album number two, Terra. The Berlin, Germany band have dialled up the energy, catchiness, and shininess on their new record, unleashing a heavy blues/heavy psych party for anyone ready to jump in.
Do you like bands like La Chinga (You should)? Well then you will probably dig Terra. The record rips from end to end, always leaning more towards heavy blues than stoner, but it is fun for all who enjoy the guitar driven heavy rock. Just check out the opener, Time Parrots (Hit Me Up!), for your first example. I love the addition of the piano when the song starts to rip. Think GnR if they went backwards or at least stayed the same path after Appetite instead of the big, gigantic, bloated Use Your Illusion records. I also hear bands like The Hives, bringing a sort of punk/garage vibe, like on Popcorn & Coke.
Let’s start with The Downward Spiral Redux. I am more of a Pretty Hate Machine guy, but TDS obviously rules too, blowing minds in the early 90s even if it was a bit bloated. Black Tusk taking the opener, Mr. Self Destruct is so perfect. Their sludge punk version is just top shelf stuff. Sandrider doing March Of The Pigs is a perfect fit too, with them making the song somehow more frantic than the original. The other tracks that I keep returning to are High Tone Son Of A Bitch’s version of Ruiner, which just rules, Abrams doing Eraser, which given their 90s leanings is a perfect fit, and Between The Buried And Me’s version of Hurt, one of the heaviest songs of all time, done pretty much in the frame of the original but with their vibe incorporated perfectly.
Moving onto the Best Of Nine Inch Nail Redux, we start to get some tracks from my favourite NIN record, with Blue Heron’s heavy as hell (of course) reinterpretation of the classic Head Like A Hole. It’s almost unrecognizable in the best possible way. The opener, Snakemother’s doomy psych take on Sin, is a whole new way to hear a Trent composition, and it is killer. The Ocean’s take on Even Deeper is exactly what you would expect from The Ocean with vocals that kind of sound like Mr. Reznor too. My other favourites include Marissa Nadler’s spooky minimalist take of The First Below, Thou’s crazy and perfect version of what is actually a cover of Pigface’s Suck, and Gainesville, Florida’s Orbiter take on Pretty Hate Machine’s Terrible Lie, which is the track I have gone back to the most. All of the covers here are worth your time and none of these bands take any kind of easy way out on these versions of classics.
Magnetic Eye, please continue with the Redux series. People reading this, participate in the Kickstarters they do for this stuff, because hearing these classics done by our favourite heavy underground (and other) bands is so much fun and an excellent way to re-experience these classic records and songs. The NIN series is no exception. 8/10
Black Magic Tree - Terra (Majestic Mountain Records) [Rich Piva]
Black Magic Tree is back with a high energy, rock and roll ripper with album number two, Terra. The Berlin, Germany band have dialled up the energy, catchiness, and shininess on their new record, unleashing a heavy blues/heavy psych party for anyone ready to jump in.
Do you like bands like La Chinga (You should)? Well then you will probably dig Terra. The record rips from end to end, always leaning more towards heavy blues than stoner, but it is fun for all who enjoy the guitar driven heavy rock. Just check out the opener, Time Parrots (Hit Me Up!), for your first example. I love the addition of the piano when the song starts to rip. Think GnR if they went backwards or at least stayed the same path after Appetite instead of the big, gigantic, bloated Use Your Illusion records. I also hear bands like The Hives, bringing a sort of punk/garage vibe, like on Popcorn & Coke.
I pick on Buckcherry a lot, and I should, but these guys do it so much better than what those guys have been putting out. The psych leaning guitar work on this one is great. The chorus of the up-tempo ripper Pagos is so catchy. This one may be my favourite on the record filled with very cool songs. The pace slows with the bass-led Grace, which turns up the psych blues tendencies of the band with excellent results. I love when this one gets loud, and the call and respond vocals kick in. Killer stuff.
A kind of Jack White riff kicks off Chasing The Light, and doubles down on the garage side of Black Magic Tree, while Love & Doubt sounds like a track off of the amazing Brown Acid series of lost 70s rock gems. The guys know how to get the party going too with a track like Summer, which has some 80s hard rock/metal tendencies added to the equation. The record closes with the one-two punch of huge sounding anthem of Roadway and adrenaline dripping Veleno that leaves you laying on the floor of the club trying to catch your breath after the 36 minute rock and roll assault.
Black Magic Tree brings a lot of different elements to the equation on Terra, but it all blends together perfectly. The result is a killer heavy rock record that has something for everyone. Great stuff and a nice step forward for the band. 8/10
The Vice - The Red Tape Sessions (Noble Demon) [Matt Bladen]
Dark metal? Yeah me neither, but that's what The Vice call themselves. It's basically black n roll, combining with gothic metal and 90's rock.
It's the genre tag if choice from Stockholm based band The Vice who have three full lengths and a few EP's under their belt, their latest is The Red Tape Sessions, which features three grimy blackened metal tracks.
The opener is the sneering, snarling Cardinal Tropes which take a bit of Avatar, while the more Avant Garde style comes on the choppy Lilies Of The Field where the goth influence is strong on this one, closing the EP with the woozy Waltz De Anima, I'm not really sure what The Red Tape Sessions is supposed to be.
Maybe it will work on a full length but there was very little that excited me on The Red Tape Sessions, it's all a it dreary. 5/10
Black Magic Tree brings a lot of different elements to the equation on Terra, but it all blends together perfectly. The result is a killer heavy rock record that has something for everyone. Great stuff and a nice step forward for the band. 8/10
The Vice - The Red Tape Sessions (Noble Demon) [Matt Bladen]
Dark metal? Yeah me neither, but that's what The Vice call themselves. It's basically black n roll, combining with gothic metal and 90's rock.
It's the genre tag if choice from Stockholm based band The Vice who have three full lengths and a few EP's under their belt, their latest is The Red Tape Sessions, which features three grimy blackened metal tracks.
The opener is the sneering, snarling Cardinal Tropes which take a bit of Avatar, while the more Avant Garde style comes on the choppy Lilies Of The Field where the goth influence is strong on this one, closing the EP with the woozy Waltz De Anima, I'm not really sure what The Red Tape Sessions is supposed to be.
Maybe it will work on a full length but there was very little that excited me on The Red Tape Sessions, it's all a it dreary. 5/10
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