I have previously reviewed music by The Survival Code, and I am always eager to hear more from them. This one is, yet again, a great track that does not disappoint. But let me remind you who The Survival Code is.
The Survival Code are a London-based rock duo comprising of Gary McGuinness on guitar and vocals and Simon Hartop on drums and vocals. The band has been around in many different formats since 2012 but it was in 2018 that they found their final line up and sound.
Haunted By Myself is their latest single and was released on 14/07/2023.
And what a track it is! I was impressed by previous releases by this duo but this one has got to be my favourite so far!
Erupting into life as soon as it starts, the guitars are heavy and pounding, slight distortion giving a fuzzy feel to them but at the same time there are melodies and hooks that really pull you into the music. The drumming is, once again, really energetic, and hard hitting and with plenty of crashing cymbals, there is a rawness and attitude to it.
The vocals are gritty and powerful, and the backing vocals really give the track depth and dimension. With a nostalgic nod back to alternative rock and emo rock of the late 90’s, the band also manages to maintain a freshness and modernness to the song that keeps their sound up to date.
I loved this track, and I listened to it three or four times, and the thing that always amazes me about The Survival Code is just how big a sound they manage to achieve with just the two of them! Just sheer talent, musicianship, and hard work.
Well done The Survival Code! Another top-notch tracks that should be on everybody’s playlists!
Void Pleasantries is an alternative rock / grunge rock band from Scotland, comprising of members John and Ross McKellar, Thomas Shaw, George Paterson, and Connor Kyle and When In Rome is their latest album and was released on13/07/2023.
The band class the album as “the sound of us growing up,” and is a new record made up of old songs and features the best of their first two EPs plus some previously unreleased songs.
The album kicks off with the track Tedious Lie and this is a great starter for what goes on to be a fantastic album. The track is upbeat, loud, and thunderous, a token of what the rest of the album is about.
It is hard to define which genre this belongs to, so I am not going to try but there are obvious influences from alternative rock and the distortion used on the guitars and the vocals at certain points throughout the album really give a direct nod to the grunge genre.
The guitars are melodious yet heavy with riffs and hooks galore that really do pull you into the music. As previously mentioned, distortion gives them a fuzzy feel, and this makes for a really great sound. The drumming energetic and the meaty basslines shining through really do hold it all together.
The vocals are very reminiscent of the 90’s alternative rock / grunge sound and with backups in much the same vein, there is great depth to the tracks. The singer’s voice is strong and powerful yet there is a gentle grittiness to it too that really makes him stand out with a charisma that really takes us back in time.
The album, as a whole, is a nostalgic trip back to 90’s alternative rock and grunge and is an album that shows the genres are still alive and kicking, as Void Pleasantries have added a modern twist that keeps their music fresh and up to date.
The album is very upbeat and should certainly get listeners jumping around the living room when they hear it as faster tracks far outweigh the slower ones.
For all intents and purposes, this is the band’s debut LP, and one that should set them on the road to much bigger things. Fantastic album and I certainly look forward to much more from Void Pleasantries in the very near future.
Track Listing: 1) Tedious Lie 2) No Good Reason 3) I Will Name It 4) Be The Hunted 5) What Did You Say? 6) Retract 7) Emerald 8) Lose My Mind 9) The Meddler (live) 10) What You Want
Apeiron Bound is an extreme progressive metal band from Tampa in Florida and Multiplicity is the bands debut album that was released back in August 2022, and there are a whole host of guest musicians, session musicians and guest vocalists that feature on this epic album.
The album talks about themes such as the sociopolitical climate, abuse, escapism, narcissism, and the battle between good and evil and these are all themes that can be related to by anyone, the album’s concept being one of Zen (the light side of humanity) and Chaos (the dark side).
With twelve tracks in total, the album lasts just over an hour and really is a masterpiece in progressive metal, with a little bit of just about everything else thrown in for good measure.
The guitar work ranges from intricate solos to full-on riffs being thrown at the listener from all angles and this contrast really makes for some interesting listening. Likewise, the drumming is energetic and frenetic when it needs to be but more laid back and serene at other times and the basslines, which are meaty, really add another dimension to the tracks.
The band uses other instruments, such as the piano, to add a bit of atmosphere to the album, and this is done really well, the music really creating some haunting imagery to the sounds. This is then blown wide open when the guitars totally erupt, heavy and brutal, and the symphonic elements of the album really kick in.
With time and pace changes being a key element of the album, the direction the band takes the music is constantly changing. One minute we are being battered with death metal growls and pounding riffs and drums and the next we are being lulled with soft piano work, and even electronic elements are thrown in to give an almost futuristic feel at times throughout the album.
The vocals are immense, ranging from the death metal growls as mentioned above, to black metal screams to classic heavy metal melodic, clean singing and the backups that complement the leads really add depth to the tracks.
This is an album that the listener could never get bored listening to. There is so much going on, creating something that sounds likes organized chaos, you really need more than one listen through to really hear all that this album has to offer!
If I were asked to compare this band to another, I really wouldn’t be able to do it, as these guys have really made a sound that is unique to them. BUT, if you could imagine throwing Dream Theater, Dimmu Borgir, and Arch Enemy into a pot, mixing it around for a bit and then adding some Cradle Of Filth and Threshold, then you would be halfway to what these guys sound like.
The band has a BIG BIG sound and for their debut album, this is simply phenomenal. I mentioned the word epic at the start of the review and that is just what this album is. A true epic masterpiece and I am already looking forward to what else these guys can come up with!
So, if you are a fan of just about any genre of metal, then please check this band and their album Multiplicity out. You really will not be disappointed!
Track Listing: 1) Astral Projection 2) Thought & Memory 3) Eleutheromania 4) Melancholic Zen 5) My Sweet Stockholm 6) Firmament 7) Precocious Tribalism 8) Emotive Servitude 9) Absent Familiarity 10) Chaotic Fervor 11) Astral Reflection 12) Era In Fenim // Novis Iniitis
DCxPC is a collaboration that books and releases music from live shows for multiple bands and they have one goal and that is to release music by bands they love. “No contracts, no record deals, just a faith in the punk rock community.” The collaboration has already released fourteen recordings, with many more in the pipeline.
Live & Dead is a new format for DCxPC, with live recordings on one side (of the vinyl) and dead (studio) on the other and this release for Moat Cobra is the first released in this format.
So now we know a bit about the team behind the release, what about the band it is showcasing? Moat Cobra is a sludge metal, hardcore band from Orlando in Fl, consisting of members Brett Beavers on vocals, Dave Moreno on guitar, Al Serrano on drums and Roberto Oppenheimer on bass, and was formed in 2013.
The first half of the album (the live part) is raw and energetic, just like any live show should be. The guitars are heavy, and the drumming is energetic and the vocals, complete with screams and growl, are totally awesome. The energy and passion for the music that the band has is clearly heard in the live part of this album and this would also be heard by the audience at the time of recording.
The “dead” part of the album, the studio recordings, is just as fantastic as the live part, and really shows the talent that these guys have. Not quite as raw as the live t performance, there is still a grittiness about the recordings that really makes them stand out.
The guitars are pounding, riffs really hitting you in the stomach and the drumming is hard and frantic, once again showing how energetic and vigorous the music really is. Meaty basslines show through more on the “dead” part of the recording, adding an extra groove that is perhaps missing from the “live” part, but showing that this band really is a force to be reckoned with.
The lyrics are more audible in the dead parts of the album, although this is to be expected due to the nature of live and recorded performances, but the vocals are just as strong on both the live and dead parts.
Releasing both live and recorded songs on one release is a great way to introduce a band to the listening public and I think it is a system that really works, as the listener has the advantage of hearing the band in both settings.
Another great release by DCxPC and by a band that is now firmly on my radar. Great band, great production, great album! Be sure to check out both Moat Cobra AND DCxPC for other releases and recordings!
Sylvatic Black are Christopher Labi Rance and Miriam de Silva from Sweden and together they are going to create melodic metal songs to tell dark stories about vampires, witches, mythological creatures and much more.
Deadly Kiss, about a female vampire, is their debut single and was released on 03/07/2023. This is a great track that fuses a multitude of genres together to create a sound that is unique to the band.
With a hard rock foundation, the track also reaches out into the glam rock genre as well as having metal and gothic influences too.
With heavy guitars that are melodic and full of hooks and riffs that really will captivate you and draw you into the song, the drumming is energetic and the meaty basslines also give the track a slight swagger that really finishes it off. The guitar solos are clean and perfectly carried out, giving an almost haunting vibe to the track.
The vocals are a mixture of both male and female and the contrast is great to hear, and the backing vocals have fantastic harmonisation with the leads, really creating a depth and dynamism to the track.
There is big sound that comes from this pair and I, for one, really can’t wait to hear more from them.
Metal Planet Media 