"Yes, It's Fucking Political!" to quote Skunk Anasie and HAWXX are one of the most political bands of recent times, raging feminist, queer, counterculture punk metal that's inspired and disgusted by the state of the world all at once. With their debut full length they were mad, with album two, the trio are filled with an unbridled rage, which has manifested itself into these 10 songs of defiance.
Kicking off with Resistance Is Justified, HAWXX begin this next era with the crashing riffs and fierce vocals of Skunk Anasie as Annouli screams "Free Palestine" as part of their on going, long time opposition of what is taking place there, which lets be honest is a genocide.
Inspired by The Filton 24 which includes a friend of the band, it's definitely political but then so much music described as punk today is afraid to take these sort of stances, it's extremely pleasing to hear songs of true rebellion that are unafraid to take a stance.
Stripped back to really capture their live ferocity the band spent three weeks living at Middlefarm Studios in Devon with producer Pete Miles, recording all together simply and without much of technology that is so prominent in music, these days, the idea was for the music to be as organic as possible, this creative outlet the only true way to save souls broken by the horrors of everyday.
From resistance of tyranny, celebrations of queer love, rejections of Macho Bullshit, manifestations of pagan ritual, the destruction of the environment (We Are Nature), animal liberation (Arm The Animals) and more causes that the band proactively support The World Splits Open is catharsis for a band who care deeply about what they are writing.
Delivering it with ferocious performances all round as Annouli's impassioned, operatic vocals shout, scream, whisper and soar. Annoluli combines with Hannah, as part of the HAWXX guitar duo expanding the sonic assault with some incentive playing, kicking out the alt metal grooves meets punk rock aggression, throwing in industrial crunch to the riffage, on tracks such as the intense Bind.
No army marches without it's beat and with Jess they have the percussive heartbeat to their raging rituals, potent when going full battery on Arm The Animals, adding huge crashes to the colossal Be That Whore as well as bringing the complex beat to Sacred Water which has inspiration of Greek traditional music.
Yes, it's fucking political but it always has been for HAWXX, the world is horrible place right now and we need more bands who want conscientious catharsis over cancel culture, bands that are unafraid to speak their truth no matter the detriment that may come their way.
HAWXX's second full length is instilled with a set of beliefs that are resolute and should be fought for and shouted about, they've told us The World Splits Open but which side of history will you be on? 9/10
Still Remains - Spirit Breaker EP (Arson Theory)
It maybe over 10 years and only 5 songs but Michigan metalcore icons Still Remains finally drop some new material, their first since 2013's Ceasing To Breathe. One of the defining bands in that NWOAHM/metalcore explosion of the early 2000's Still Remains have a cult following that is still strong to this day.
Like bands such as contemporaries such as Bleeding Through and latter Betraying The Martyrs, Still Remains employ keys alongside their breakdown heavy metalcore assault to give them an extra dimension as a band. This use of synths has become pretty standard now in the genre and it's many offshoots, enforcing the importance Still Remains had and still has as a band.
Stripped back to really capture their live ferocity the band spent three weeks living at Middlefarm Studios in Devon with producer Pete Miles, recording all together simply and without much of technology that is so prominent in music, these days, the idea was for the music to be as organic as possible, this creative outlet the only true way to save souls broken by the horrors of everyday.
From resistance of tyranny, celebrations of queer love, rejections of Macho Bullshit, manifestations of pagan ritual, the destruction of the environment (We Are Nature), animal liberation (Arm The Animals) and more causes that the band proactively support The World Splits Open is catharsis for a band who care deeply about what they are writing.
Delivering it with ferocious performances all round as Annouli's impassioned, operatic vocals shout, scream, whisper and soar. Annoluli combines with Hannah, as part of the HAWXX guitar duo expanding the sonic assault with some incentive playing, kicking out the alt metal grooves meets punk rock aggression, throwing in industrial crunch to the riffage, on tracks such as the intense Bind.
No army marches without it's beat and with Jess they have the percussive heartbeat to their raging rituals, potent when going full battery on Arm The Animals, adding huge crashes to the colossal Be That Whore as well as bringing the complex beat to Sacred Water which has inspiration of Greek traditional music.
Yes, it's fucking political but it always has been for HAWXX, the world is horrible place right now and we need more bands who want conscientious catharsis over cancel culture, bands that are unafraid to speak their truth no matter the detriment that may come their way.
HAWXX's second full length is instilled with a set of beliefs that are resolute and should be fought for and shouted about, they've told us The World Splits Open but which side of history will you be on? 9/10
Still Remains - Spirit Breaker EP (Arson Theory)
It maybe over 10 years and only 5 songs but Michigan metalcore icons Still Remains finally drop some new material, their first since 2013's Ceasing To Breathe. One of the defining bands in that NWOAHM/metalcore explosion of the early 2000's Still Remains have a cult following that is still strong to this day.
Like bands such as contemporaries such as Bleeding Through and latter Betraying The Martyrs, Still Remains employ keys alongside their breakdown heavy metalcore assault to give them an extra dimension as a band. This use of synths has become pretty standard now in the genre and it's many offshoots, enforcing the importance Still Remains had and still has as a band.
Produced by and co-writeen with Lee Albrecht, their influential nature is not lost on the band as vocalist T.J Miller says "we tried to stay true to the sound that our fans have grown to love, but also evolve a bit and add some more modern influences", so Spirit Breaker is the Still Remains of old but with the trappings that have become so engrained into metalcore today.
This intense and personal EP starts with The Wound And The Weapon, swirling synths, a guitar build and then it's off to the races from that first speedy riff and volatile scream, Guy Kozowyk of The Red Chord joins on vocals as the band bring those modern sounds on the EDM beats of the title track.
Two tracks in and those more recent changes in the metalcore are prominent but as the EP continues Eclipse and Waste Of Breath return to where Still Remains come from. What's notable is that both sides work together, so if these first new songs in over decade signal the way ahead then any new material will please fans new and old. 7/10
This intense and personal EP starts with The Wound And The Weapon, swirling synths, a guitar build and then it's off to the races from that first speedy riff and volatile scream, Guy Kozowyk of The Red Chord joins on vocals as the band bring those modern sounds on the EDM beats of the title track.
Two tracks in and those more recent changes in the metalcore are prominent but as the EP continues Eclipse and Waste Of Breath return to where Still Remains come from. What's notable is that both sides work together, so if these first new songs in over decade signal the way ahead then any new material will please fans new and old. 7/10
Arise From Worms - A Bleeding Tree Hanging Self Destruction (Church Road Records)
You can definitely call Arise From Worms a supergroup. Crested by guitarist Sonny Lombardozzi (ex-
You can definitely call Arise From Worms a supergroup. Crested by guitarist Sonny Lombardozzi (ex-
Incantation), he conceived it while on tour with Morbid Angel, telling MA frontman Steve Tucker about how he wanted to make a death metal album that pushes the boundaries of what the genre can be.
More extreme, more aggressive, more complex, Arise From Worms is a band not for the faint hearted, taking from Strapping Young Lad, Death, Cynic and any of the progressive extreme metal crowd, Lombardozzi and Tucker are joined by Flo Mounier (Cryptopsy) on drums and Derek Sherinian (ex-Dream Theater) on keys.
Their EP began this project as they meant to go on and now with this full length they bring a 34 minute assault to the ears where the guitars and keys duel for supremacy, the songs coming at you with intensity and energy, comprised of tonnes of start-stop riffs, technical guitar leads, keyboard/synth melodies, violin stabs, finger style bass and furious blast beats.
This is death metal inspired by jazz fusion, double harmonics and incredibly odd time signatures, the music as complex and volatile even without Tuckers snarls and growls, instrumentals such as Nine Walls and Laolongtou are just as extreme as any of the tracks with vocals, but also the closet ones to 'traditional' progressive metal.
Arise From Worms' debut is a supergroup with superhuman ability performing progressive death metal that genre fanatics can get all nerdy over! 8/10
Winter In Eden - Never Untold (Self Released)
Formed by Vicky (vocals) and Steve (keys) Johnson, Winter In Eden have been making progressive, symphonic rock for a while now evolving a little with each release and now there duo are joined by a new line up for their fifth record Never Untold.
Album five features Owen Alec on drums and Arun Kamath on guitar, this new dynamic allowing them to play with their sound a bit more expanding, evolving and generally adding to their overall approach as a band, as they have a definitive influence from Within Temptation, Epica and After Forever.
Ruud Jolie of Within Temptation adds guitar to four tracks while mixing comes from Jos Driessen and Joost van den Broek who are both veterans of the symphonic Dutch scene, so you can sort of guess what Winter In Eden sound like even if you haven't heard any of their previous four albums.
Kicking off with the three part Sleepwalk, Winter In Eden set out their stall quickly, dramatic orchestrations, big modern riffs and those powerful vocals as these three opening tracks combine into one piece to get this record off to a fine but perhaps unexpected start, before they dial up the drama with Nobody and My Imagination, both with huge orchestral manoeuvres.
You can hear the experience of this band coming through on Never Untold, a UK band with all the mastery over the symphonic genre that the European counterparts have. Progressive, heavy and atmospheric, Winter In Eden continue to impress. 8/10
More extreme, more aggressive, more complex, Arise From Worms is a band not for the faint hearted, taking from Strapping Young Lad, Death, Cynic and any of the progressive extreme metal crowd, Lombardozzi and Tucker are joined by Flo Mounier (Cryptopsy) on drums and Derek Sherinian (ex-Dream Theater) on keys.
Their EP began this project as they meant to go on and now with this full length they bring a 34 minute assault to the ears where the guitars and keys duel for supremacy, the songs coming at you with intensity and energy, comprised of tonnes of start-stop riffs, technical guitar leads, keyboard/synth melodies, violin stabs, finger style bass and furious blast beats.
This is death metal inspired by jazz fusion, double harmonics and incredibly odd time signatures, the music as complex and volatile even without Tuckers snarls and growls, instrumentals such as Nine Walls and Laolongtou are just as extreme as any of the tracks with vocals, but also the closet ones to 'traditional' progressive metal.
Arise From Worms' debut is a supergroup with superhuman ability performing progressive death metal that genre fanatics can get all nerdy over! 8/10
Winter In Eden - Never Untold (Self Released)
Formed by Vicky (vocals) and Steve (keys) Johnson, Winter In Eden have been making progressive, symphonic rock for a while now evolving a little with each release and now there duo are joined by a new line up for their fifth record Never Untold.
Album five features Owen Alec on drums and Arun Kamath on guitar, this new dynamic allowing them to play with their sound a bit more expanding, evolving and generally adding to their overall approach as a band, as they have a definitive influence from Within Temptation, Epica and After Forever.
Ruud Jolie of Within Temptation adds guitar to four tracks while mixing comes from Jos Driessen and Joost van den Broek who are both veterans of the symphonic Dutch scene, so you can sort of guess what Winter In Eden sound like even if you haven't heard any of their previous four albums.
Kicking off with the three part Sleepwalk, Winter In Eden set out their stall quickly, dramatic orchestrations, big modern riffs and those powerful vocals as these three opening tracks combine into one piece to get this record off to a fine but perhaps unexpected start, before they dial up the drama with Nobody and My Imagination, both with huge orchestral manoeuvres.
You can hear the experience of this band coming through on Never Untold, a UK band with all the mastery over the symphonic genre that the European counterparts have. Progressive, heavy and atmospheric, Winter In Eden continue to impress. 8/10
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