Garland Kelley is an artist and music producer who “combines a love of classic rock with a distinctly modern point of view to create his signature sound.” His music explores themes such as mortality, individualism, mental health, and philosophy and is a veteran of Nashville’s live music scene.
A Mind Of Your Own is his latest single and was released on 06/01/2023.
A mix of alternative rock and classic rock, this track has distinctive 90’s sound, taking the listener on a nostalgic trip back in time, but there is also a modern twist there too.
The track is upbeat with bouncy drumming and classic guitar riffs and funky basslines pop up throughout the track too. Musically, this track should have you tapping your foot at the very least and the guitar solo towards the end of the track reminds me very much of a solo that Saxon would do!
The vocals on this track are amazing, Garland easily swapping from gentle vocals to a full on rock voice. His voice is strong and commanding and he easily takes full control of the song. There is a slight edge to his vocals that I really like and this gives the track a bit of grittiness.
I really did like this track and I will certainly be on the lookout for more music from Garland Kelley, a name that I think should be on a lot more people’s lips.
Awesome track!
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9 O’Clock Nasty are a Leicester-based alternative band and Too Cool is their latest single, released on 07/01/2023. And what a track!
It kicks off with a funky guitar rift and, from then on, its funk, rock, and punk all the way. Taking riffs from classic rock and mixing them with drumming from punk / alternative rock and beats from hip/hop, this track really is a mish-mash of genres, and I love it!
The funkiness of the guitars is prevalent all throughout the track, although this does turn into hard and heavy riffs during the super catchy choruses and the guitar solo towards the end of the track is simply fantastic. And not to overuse the word, but funky basslines are also thrown into the mix and this makes for an awesome sound.
The vocals are a mix of rap / hip-hop rapping (think Beastie Boys) and punk shouting and are combined with shouty, layered backup vocals, giving the track its punk vibe.
This is a raw, riff-based track full of groove, energy and is a funky punk anthem that more people should have the pleasure of listening to as it is so infectious (six times on repeat and wanted to listen to it a further six!)
Go check it out!
Can I listen to it again yet???!
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Bones In Butter is “Milutin Krasevic, last man standing among a group of fellow musicians who shared a common vision to blend beautiful melodies and harmonies with the darkness and thoughtfulness of the Post-Punk era into a unique style.” – Bones In Butter website. He was born in Lucerne, Switzerland, to Yugoslav immigrants, and was introduced to music at the age of seven when his parents forced him to have piano lessons.
Scenes From The Metro is the band’s latest single and was released on 06/01/2023.
Although at first, the track might seem a bit weird and eerie, it soon settles into a whirlwind of alternative sounds and beats, mixing a multitude of genres into one big, buttery sound.
The guitars range from classic rock to blues infused and the basslines beneath everything are groovy. The drumming is slow and laid back, the snare drum being the most prominent. Electronic synths create some wonderful sounds in the background and slight distortion on all the instruments gives the track a very psychedelic sound.
It’s the vocals, main and backups, that really make this song stand out. The male lead vocals remind me very much of Pink Floyd in their psychedelic era, and these are backed up with some very floaty female vocals. This makes for a very big contrast in styles and also gives the song so much depth that you are afraid of falling in. The female vocals are hypnotic, pulling you into the track and the male voice keeps you there.
This is very much a track that you can close your eyes to and be transported far away, lost in your own thoughts.
There are lots of experimental sounds in this track and this makes it very unique. Experimentation does not always work, but in this case it very much does, so if this is your thing, then you are sure to love this track!
This is Pink Floyd if Pink Floyd still made music today!
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Sarantos is, according to his website, a “DIY international award-winning solo music artist, top 5 iTunes UK charting singer songwriter, #1 iTunes South Africa charting folk and country artist, proud nerd, multi-instrumentalist, book author, comic book nut, radio show host, poet and part time spy!”
Oh…and he’s also an “alien who landed here to infect the human race and spread the disease of music!” well, id aliens are going to land here and spread the disease of music, then I will be there to welcome them with open arms!
But I digress. Not only is Sarantos all of the above but he is also an incredibly talented musician. I have previously reviewed his track Comets and was excited to see what else he had come up with.
This is another soft, melodic ballad that combines classic rock with alternative rock pop with a touch of 80’s nostalgia thrown in for good measure.
The soft drumming behind the vocals keep the track in time and the guitar work, with a hint of blues and the twang of country, is superb.
Once again, this is a haunting track that is full of emotion that Sarantos conveys with feeling to the listener. He says the track is “a hug, like a parent or friend reaching down to pick you up out of a hopeless pit, and giving you something to believe in – yourself,” and the lyrics themselves are very poignant and relatable to a lot of people.
A lovely track with a positive message!
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Hailing from Boston Ma, The Freight are an “upbeat fusion of Rock N’ Roll, Blues Rock, Soul and Jam mixed with a contemporary Modern Rock edge,” they embrace every avenue of rock, from classic sounds to 80’s and 90’s rock and their influences include a wide variety of artists including; The Stones, Zeppelin, The Beatles, The Cars, The Police, White Denim, The Black Keys and Gov’t Mule.
The Freight are Adam Tiro on guitar and vocals, Stephen Anderson on bass, Greg Tragellis on keys and vocals, Marc Loverin on drums and John Marinilli on percussion and as soon as the opening drums kicked in, I knew I was going to love this track.
A track that erupts as soon as it starts, this has plenty of guitar riffs and pounding drums to keep even the harshest of critics happy.
A guitar-driven song, the crunching riffs are prevalent all the way through and the guitar solo, classic in style with a hint of blues thrown in, is superb. The pounding, crashing drums are full of energy and the bass lines that pop their heads up throughout the song are strong and funky.
The vocals on this track are amazing, strong, powerful and with a grittiness that takes full control of the song.
This is just pure, in your face, rock n roll, and if you are not bouncing around your living room whilst listening to this, do you even like music??
I absolutely loved this but, I must admit, that I do have just one gripe with it! IT’S NOT LONG ENOUGH!! As soon as I got boogeying away to it, it stopped! So, of course, I had to listen to it on repeat four, five, six times more!
Love, love, loved it! More please!
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Love Ghost are a Los Angeles based band who have an iconic pop punk sound of the late 90’s/early 00’s but have included rap and hip/hop to create a sound unique to them.
We have previously reviewed a couple of tracks and an EP by Love Ghost and was excited when this one came up. Again, the band did not disappoint!
With four tracks at just under twelve minutes in length, the EP was released today (13/01/2023) and each track is completely different to the next.
Starting with Heartless, a track that blend the vocals of bans such as Bring Me The Horizon with a soft musical background of grunge-influenced guitar riffs and a slow drumbeat that keeps the song on track all the way through without overpowering the rest of the music.
The next track Lethargic has an even slower pace, but one that really showcases the lyrics and the vocals. Back up vocals with a rap / hip-hop influences accompany the lead vocals and this really gives the song depth and feeling.
Third track Samurai is a more rockier number, the emo-rock / alternative rock element of the band really coming into its own here. The vocals really step up a gear on this track and they adopt a screamo stance on the choruses and this compared to the almost rapping of his usual vocals on the3 verses really makes a great contrast.
The EP finishes with Train Tracks which is an accumulation of the three other songs, soft and gentle beats and vocals one minute then full on emo the next.
This is such a great EP from a very hardworking band who have not only been very prolific in their recording but who also have an extensive touring schedule too.
I recommend fans of alternative / emo rock and hip/hop alike go and check out Love Ghost. Not only does their sound make them stand out from other bands but the way they switch from one genre to another so effortlessly, while blurring the lines between genres, is just phenomenal.
Yet again, another awesome recording! Keep them coming Love Ghost!
Track Listing
1) Heartless
2) Lethargic
3) Samurai
4) Train Tracks
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Shockpowder is a shoegaze project with metal influences founded by Joshua Scurfield in 2015 and for those who don’t know, shoegaze is defined as “a style of rock music characterized by a sound in which the distinctions between separate instruments and vocals are blurred”
Shockpowder released their debut album The Final Thoughts of Gaia in 2019 and are currently releasing singles to expand their sound and vision and The Drowning And The Sunset is their latest one, released on 13/01/2023.
The track is mix of hazy distortion on the guitar, pounding drums and pensive vocals, that all work so well together. The guitars and drums have a hint of grunge to them, taking us on a nostalgic trip back to the 90’s yet the vocals seem to have come from another dimension, distortion playing a part in this, with the haunting voice of the singer really drawing you into the song.
The track kicks off almost as soon as its starts, with just a short intro, before it bursts to life with all instruments and the vocals really making their mark. The drums build up to be quite energetic and the riffs get heavier as the song progresses, with just short interludes throughout when the pace drops slightly.
This is an anthemic track and, from just one person, it has a really big sound! Please go and check it out and see if you agree with me.
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DCxPC is a collaboration that books and releases music from live shows for multiple bands and Volume 14 was the turn of Rise Defy, recorded at The Pie Shop DC and released on 06/01/2023.
Rise Defy is a four piece band from Washington DC and are veterans of the DC hardcore punk scene, with former and current members of Scream, HR Band, Police & Thieves and the members of many years of experience between them.
This is a two track EP, that kicks of with the track Shellshocked, followed by the track Long Road Home, and from these two songs we can see what sort of sound the band have.
The crashing and pounding drumming is frantic and the guitar riffs are heavy and in your face. The thumping bass lines are very prominent throughout both tracks, the playing absolutely fantastic, and the sheer amount of energy emitting from this EP is phenomenal.
The vocals are gruff and husky and add that little bit of edginess to typical punk vocals, but at the same time they are controlled and pronounced.
These two tracks are rough and ready and although the members of the band originate from a hardcore background, I would say this shows them as a pure and simple punk band!
The crowd on the EP were obviously enjoying the show with the shouts and cheers and I can imagine them all pogo’ing around while this band were on.
After hearing Rise Defy on this EP I am going to head on over to Spotify to see if I can find any other stuff they may have recorded.
These two tracks are great for all new and old punk fans alike! Go check them out!
JJ McGuigan was born in Wichita Kansas and he found a passion for music at the age of 13 when he received his first drum set. He later picked up guitar and started writing songs at the age of 20. He was diagnosed with OCD at the age of 16, along with major depression, anxiety, and depersonalization and now is main focus and passion is writing songs with an emphasis on lyrical creation and being a mental health advocate.
He has had features on Indie Spoonful, Jamsphere, Find No Enemy, Indie Pulse Music and Music Talkers and is an award-winning songwriter who made it to the finals of the VH1 Save The Music Song writing Contest.
Disconnected is his latest single and was released on 30/12/2022.
A dark and brooding track, Disconnected touches on issues of depersonalisation, depression and anxiety, something that JJ is not afraid to share with the world.
Starting off quite sombre and melancholic, the track soon bursts into life with power and emotion, something that is expressed through the lyrics, the music and the vocals.
Pounding, crashing drums are a prominent feature of the track, as are the crushing guitars, but the lyrical content is what makes this track. Emotional and introspective, these are words that a lot of people can resonate with and will make the listener sit and think about what they are listening to.
JJ’s voice is powerful and strong, portraying the emotion of the song with such a rawness the listener can feel what he is feeling. He delivers the content of the song with passion and feeling, as the words obviously mean a lot to him.
This is a fantastic alternative / classic / hard rock crossover ballad and a track that everyone needs to hear!
Awesome!
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Shape of Water is Rox Capriotti and Luca De Falco who met in 2004 in their hometown of San Benedetto del Tronto, Italy. Relocating to Manchester, England, they are an electronic art rock band formed in 2018 and cite Queen, Muse, Depeche Mode, Coldplay, The Killers, and Radiohead as their influences.
The band’s new album, Amor Fati, Latin for “Love of Fate,” was released on 28/10/2022.
This is an album that covers many genres but one that has a very unique alternative rock sound that mixes electronic bites into the mix. This creates a strangely weird vibe but one that is also captivating.
Ultimately Shape Of Water are a rock band but one that leans towards the art-rock, avant rock side of things. There is a dynamism to the album that a lot of other bands lack and this shows just how talented the two guys really are.
The music is very complex and technical, lending it to the progressive genres, and a sound like this coming from just two of them is actually quite immense.
The lyrical content of the album is breathtakingly stunning and is delivered in such a beautiful way that the listener is really pulled into the music and the album as a whole. The vocals are raw yet powerful and, despite the complexity of the music behind them, are never overshadowed. The singer has a delightful voice, solemn and melancholy at times, yet strong and commanding at others.
This album is diverse, each track being completely different from the previous, and this is such a wonderful thing as the listener never knows what is coming next, but it is also such a great album to listen to. The guitar work is sleek and smooth when it needs to be yet heavy riffs kick in when they are needed. The keyboards are elegant and are interchangeable with the guitars as they often sound so similar, the drumming is spot on and electronic synths give us a taste of nostalgia from time to time.
I have seen this album being described as a masterpiece and I have to say this is a word that jumped into my head too. I admit I was a bit sceptical when I heard the first track but I can say without a shadow of a doubt that I was wrong.
I absolutely adored this album and it is definitely one that is now on my playlist. I am so glad I have heard Amori Fati as I really feel anyone who doesn’t hear it is missing out big time!
Please go and check out this fantastic duo. I am smiling from ear to ear after hearing this album and I just want to listen to it on repeat for the rest of the day.
I don’t give scores out of 10 for any reviews but if I were to, this album would definitely be an 11!!
Track Listing
1) Starchild
2) Falling
3) The Snoot
4) Don’t Leave Me In The Dark
5) When All This IS Over
6) Numbers
7) A Ghost In Manchester
8) Everybody’s Gone
9) Terraformer
10) Words In Eternity
This review is purely the property of The Metal Asylum
Metal Planet Media 