The Eye of the Storm – Metal from the Midlands: Part 2

Thunder Lion

A two-piece instrumental act from Redditch in Worcestershire, Thunder Lion have proved that a fresh and instinctive feel for music yields far more satisfying results than excessive production values or unnecessary flair.

Thunder Lion’s brand new EP, Thunder Lion vs THE WORLD, is a groove-laden stroll through musicdom, which is destined to win myriads of follows due to its unpretentious take on stripped-down rock. Comprising of only Norway Mountford and Chris Allen, the former playing both guitar and bass and the latter drums, this is a minimalist affair that relies upon the fundamentals of producing great experimental rock; repetitive riffage, solid drumwork and a feel for sound. This is precisely what Thunder Lion have brought to the table. What’s more, as this EP stands as their debut, it is impossible not to sense the potential here.

Standing somewhere between the hard-rock, anthemic credibility of Muse and the psychedelic haze of Jefferson Airplane, Thunder Lion vs THE WORLD is an incredibly diverse sample of this band’s music, but what remains consistent throughout is the bare-bones sound of the record; having spent at most a maximum of 2 hours mixing all of the tracks on the EP, there is no fear that this has been subject to the whim of an overzealous producer with a souped-up mixing board. Furthermore, quoting influences from Zeppelin to Kylesa and QOTSA to Nine Inch Nails, this is a band whose legacy is owed to more than one genre, and this fact is clearly evident throughout their EP.

Party Spray opens the EP up with its dirty-funk laden riff, and sets the tone of the record; it’s distinctly unpolished and grimy enough to get you moving straight-away. After the opener, the pace slows somewhat into more ethereal territory; the tone of both Sixty One and Norways Anthem is more sedate but no less absorbing with Norways Anthem evoking Led Zeppelin’s beautiful and haunting The Rain Song. This song in particular is completely understated but entirely moving, made all the more so by its simplicity. The fact that this EP in general is eerily redolent of Zeppelin’s Houses of the Holy demonstrates startling maturity for such a new outfit. Digging for Fish alternatively, other than being a great name for a song, has a strong Kylesa groove to it, complete with time signature changes, making it the hard-rocking keystone to the record. 

Thunder Lion vs THE WORLD is an early demonstration of this band’s versatility. Yet it is not just a suitable statement of intent; it has all the makings of being a great stand-out record on its own, made all the more interesting by its failure to attribute itself to one genre. The variety found here makes this a must for anybody who even vaguely considers themselves interested in music. In regards to Thunder Lion, watch this space...

Always looking in,

The Outsider

Find them on:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=513816934#!/thunderlionz

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/thunderlionz

The Eye of the Storm - Metal From the Midlands

Hurtseason

There once burned a conflagration of titanic proportions in the heart of England that blazed rapidly across the country and throughout the world, and it was known as heavy metal, and it was good. The band held responsible for first wielding the monstrous riff in the heartland of this nation were known as Black Sabbath, and they rapidly turned this world to ash. In the years that followed, the banner of metal was waved across the globe from the West Coast of the US to Armenia, from India to Brazil, all the while gathering millions of ardent, passionate followers into its ranks.

And yet somewhere along the way, somehow people forgot the significance of the industrial city of Birmingham and the disillusioned few who chose to redefine the way that the world thinks about or listens to music. Metal, as all music, became subject to the whim of the money –printers, the commercial fuck-pigs who sugar the cyanide and force it down your throat; it became flabby, over-produced and undervalued and lost any retention of real feeling. Even the monsters of the genre were willing to enjoy the fruits of others’ labours, all the while their treasures-piles grew and their integrity dwindled. Yet the place from where this monolithic, metallic fire spawned, a spark had re-ignited a small but fierce blaze; the midlands would stay quiet no longer...

At the eye of this storm are Hurtseason, a band bristling with talent and uncontainable angst, sounding like the horrendously mutated child of Randy Blythe and Adam D of Killswitch Engage. Their first release, an EP called The Dreamers & The Dead, is a startling statement of intent, which shows bucket-loads of maturity and ferocity. The guitar work is relentless and angular, and the vocals ably switch between LoG-esque growls and soaring lyrics. The music is never reliant upon derogatory breakdowns or needless guitar flair; it is a solid and brutal sucker punch, with the quality of the songs belying the youth of this outfit. Hurtseason are not going through the motions; The Dreamers & The Dead listens like a handbook of the disaffected. If the monstrous End All Reason (listen to this searing track on the player at the bottom of the page) doesn’t make you want to smash your head into any object within reach, then there’s definitely something wrong with you; although there’s probably something wrong with you if you do... Needless to say, with an EP of songs of this ferocity, you’d be foolish to miss Hurtseason, especially if, like me, you’ve been disappointed with KSE’s output in recent years. Don’t deprive yourself of this.

With bands like Hurtseason erupting from the heart of Britain, it is unsurprising why it feels like an exciting time to be on the periphery of the UK metal scene. If bands like this can channel the dark intensity once demonstrated by Black Sabbath, then it seems that the backlash against over-produced tripe will once again spawn from the heartland of this country. Expect to hear a lot more from this Birmingham based quintet; if you’re around Birmingham on April 9^th, get over to Scruffy Murphy’s for what looks to be a blistering set from Hurtseason.

For all the rest of you, try not to get distracted by the sky when all around you new and heavy music is setting the earth ablaze. Keep your ear to the floor, and let me know.

Always looking in,

The Outsider

Find them on:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/hurtseason

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/hurtseasonuk

Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Dreamers-Dead/dp/B004Q34530/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1301918889&sr=8-1

Just a gentle reminder

This project will only really succeed if you bring me your bands. Get involved and send me links either by commenting on this thread or emailing suggestions to caelum.non.animum@gmail.com or davidkeevill1@gmail.com. If you're sitting on a great band, all you're doing is depriving the world of some awesome music, so send the mudda-fucka in my direction.

If you're lucky I may reply in a booze-adled haze with a picture of myself dressed as a Japanese schoolgirl, pigtails, peace sign and all. Trust me, you definitely want my Hello Kitty in your face if you know what I mean!?! Right! RIGHT!?! Okay I'll quiet down.

The Outsider

Twitter link (Get following)

Reflections

BAND BIO

Who are they? Jake Wolf – Vocals, Patrick Somoulay – Guitar, Charles Caswell – Guitar, Francis Xayana – Bass, Bo Allen Blood – Drums

Where do they hail from? Minnesota, USA

Record Label Unsigned

With music boasting hooks as angular and monstrous as any, Reflections are a young band whose musical ferocity and technical prowess will ensure that they’ll shine in an industry of metal fanboys and hardcore aspirants.

Hailing from the less fair side of the Atlantic *ahem*, this youthful quintet popped up on my Facebook feed a couple of weeks ago and immediately shredded their way into my heart. Having only been established since 2010 and boasting a handful of songs, they’re certainly one of the more refreshingly original new acts I’ve heard in a long time. Self-professed djentlemen (for explanation, see here), they’re music is immediately stand-out, for although they possess the traits of metalcore-cum-experimental metal, the music sears with chaotic, technical brilliance. 

Just listen to An Artifact, the standout song from their collection; after five intense-as-fook minutes, you’ll find yourself picking up shards of skull from the floor. The jagged-riffed Picture Perfect also leaves no part of you unshaken. This band provides an unforgettably distorted and heavy ride through musicdom; it is certainly not comfortable, nor is it for the faint-hearted, but in a world where everybody’s trying to be the next KSE, this is a glorious plunge into ice-cold water.

Reflections even stick in a Katy Perry cover, just to fuck you up, and manage to get it right as well. The energy and exuberance of this outfit is tangible, evident through their seemingly tireless self-publicity on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. 

With what looks to be a massive show with Carnifex on April 6^th, this is a time when I’m definitely envious of our cousins across the Atlantic. However with the potential that Reflections are showing from the few songs that they have to offer, I don’t doubt that they’ll be gracing our shores in the near future. The future looks to be theirs. Check out the free downloads in the link below.

Djentlemen, the bar has been set. Now it’s your turn.

Always looking in,

The Outsider

Find them on:

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/ReflectionsMN

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/ReflectionsMN

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/reflectionsmn?sk=wall

Download An Artifact: http://www.mediafire.com/?tvvdv9vaiina8dg

Download Picture Perfect: http://www.mediafire.com/?7yek11xwc11l47e

As it started out...

Borne from dissatisfaction and an ever-increasing apathy to the saturated metal scene, Letters from a Sandblasted Land was set-up to tick boxes both in my personal life and the world of music; of course, in my eyes the two are related. What should be more self-affirming to a true music fan like myself than to bring bands with a real talent into the public realm? Even if all this project achieves is to bring a few more people some new, decent music to their itunes library, then I can die happy. Let’s call this a project in raising awareness.

First task: Seek out the youthful trail-blazers of the metal world; these bands will range from coarse-palmed veterans of the live music circuit who have never been given any opportunity, to fresh-faced rabble-rousers still pulling at the apron strings. The focus will be on real homegrown talent; bands hailing from blighty with itchy trigger-fingers and fire in their bellies. Identikit scenesters should look somewhere else.

Second task: Bring these bands to you. I mean if they mean a lot to me, they should mean a lot to you *he says taking a coy glance downwards*.  These are no half measures, I will not bring you stuff that I’m not personally convinced by. Why take my word? Just listen to some of the music I’m going to bring you in the upcoming months.

Third task: This is up to you. BRING ME YOUR BANDS. I want to have my inbox (davidkeevill1@gmail.com//caelum.non.animum@gmail.com) crammed full with suggestions of new music you like, whether you’ve seen them on youtube, at a battle of the bands or you’re just a douchy lead-singer looking for some shameless self-promotion, please send me links. THIS IS INTEGRAL. I want to put my ear to the floor and hear the pulsating thud of this world’s most essential, dynamic and brilliant sound etched into the lining of the globe. That is up to you. Spread the word of Letters from a Sandblasted Land, and make it known that this is sanctuary for all the disaffected musicians who are shocked to shit with the current state of the industry.

This really is a very simple idea, but hopefully will prove to be brilliantly effective. If you are at all of the same feeling as me then please don’t hesitate to be a part of this movement. I'm on twitter as well, so please feel free to follow me as ABrashOutsider. My more conventional review site can be found here: Music Reviews from The Outside.

Thank you for your help,

As always, I’m looking in,

The Outsider