An unplanned consequence of the forced downtime of the past couple of years, âZeitâ, is only the eighth album in the nearly thirty years of Rammstein. That means that these days there is a real sense of occasion when they do release anything.
The anticipation started building upon the release of the title track towards the start of March, and built to a crescendo with the debut of latest single âZick Zackâ at the beginning of this month. âZick Zackâ particularly promised full on Rammstein insanity both musically and with its absurd video.
Now the album is here and itâs once again time to get lost in the lunacy of this incredible band. âArmee der Tristenâ and the title track set the tone for whatâs to come. This isnât the heaviest album musically compared to previous works, but it harnesses the various elements that make up the bandâs sound well.
I guess you could say that this is what you could expect an easy listening album to be like when done by these metal icons. There arenât any bad tracks here but perhaps not any that really jump out of the pack either.
From start to finish this is a very enjoyable album that is a nice addition to the bandâs back catalogue, although Iâd hazard a guess that it wonât trouble the top of any best Rammstein album lists; that being more of a compliment to their previous work than any kind of jab at âZeitâ.
For the past decade Rammstein have been mainly a live act, so itâs a pleasant surprise to receive another album so soon after their untitled 2019 album. Soon though the band will be returning to the stage and it will be interesting to see how many âZeitâ songs will feature in the set list moving forward. âZick Zackâ could be lots of fun and Iâm sure other songs could grow in the live setting also.
After wowing crowds across the UK in support slots for the likes of Therapy?, Creeper and Salem, rockers James and the Cold Gun unleash their debut EP, ‘False Start’!
Fans who have caught the band live over the past months will have had a taste of these five tracks, but it’s great to finally get to hear the studio versions. A debut release is always a statement for any act, but ‘False Start’ feels like a full statement of intent from the band.
This is their manifesto of hard and fast rockers designed to get you moving, and you’ll find it hard not to vote with you feet and your head! There is great potential in James and the Cold Gun and thankfully they’ve delivered a fantastic start with a superb debut release.
Welcome all to another edition of our weekly music News Report! We start this week with a handful of festival announcements and leading the way is the above line-up from Download Festival.
The Donington event got a little bigger this week with the addition of Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, Napalm Death, Kris Barras Band, Pengshui and more joining.
The event will be headlined by Kiss, Iron Maiden & Biffy Clyro.
We move on now to the weeks new music releases as our News Report continues at pace.
Alongside the release of their new album, ‘Skinty Fia’, Fontaines D.C. this week shared their latest single, ‘Roman Holiday’. You can listen to the new track above.
Speaking on the single, frontman Grian Chatten says, âRoman Holiday makes me think of the wide streets of north London in the Summer and the urge to discover them at night time. The thrill of being a gang of Irish people in London with a bit of a secret language and my first flat with my girlfriend.â
The band has also added additional dates to their upcoming UK Tour!
There was also new music coming from the Boston Manor camp this past week as the band debuted new single ‘Foxglove’. You can listen to the track above.
Folk favourite Beans On Toast this week debuted his latest track, ‘Swimming In It’. The track is described as “A protest song about the heinous environmental crimes committed by Southern Water”. You can listen to the song above.
This week saw The Blinders release the video for their recent single, ‘Fight For It’. You can watch the video above.
Regarding the song vocalist and guitarist Thomas Hayward says, âItâs about waking up and seizing the day with both your hands firmly gripped round its neck, to the point where you know youâre a better person by the end of it.
âI had a lot to say about the matter, so subconsciously probably chose the song weâd worked on the least, in terms of seeing how far we could push it musically and made up for it lyrically.
âUsually, as a band, weâd rarely let a song exist in such a basic form⊠but upon writing the lyrics the tone was right. The words came very fast. When all was said and done it was probably over in about half an hour.
âItâs the lightest song weâve done. Not something youâd usually expect from the band, and not necessarily a place where Iâm particularly comfortable drawing from. Give me brick and barbed wire over sunshine any day. Iâve got a soft spot for it though.”
The last new release in our News Report this week comes from LIFE who have debuted their newest track, ‘Almost Home’. The track will feature on upcoming third album, ‘North East Coastal Town’.
Speaking on the new single vocalist Mez Green says: âAlmost Home barks, jolts, jerks and spits with the theme of pining to be home and thus chimes with North East Coastal Town’s over-riding sense of belonging. ‘Taste the difference…feel significant…hold a lifeline, you’re almost home!” Almost Home is a song that wrestles with ego and love, with love winning; ”Recipe, I ain’t a cult recipe.â
As always we finish our News Report with the latest additions to our ‘Discover’ New Music Playlist! Featured this week are:
‘Night’ – Oakman
France based pop/rock trio, Oakman debut their brand new single, ‘Night’.
“This song was written in one day,â says the band. âMarine had just learned that she might have a serious health problem. Without knowing it, Geremia sent an idea for a riff to Marine that day, who was instantly inspired by the mood. It matched so well with what she was feeling at the time that the whole song was written in one go. She was in a very special mental state that day. It was a kind of happy-sad nostalgia of life. Between the reality of losing everything and the people that you love and the strong desire to just live and exist. We spend our time complaining but when life can suddenly stop, that’s when we realise how much the smallest thing is worth. This song was like a mourning, a last night before everything stops forever. It’s the first time we wrote such a personal song and it’s one of our favourite tracks. It allowed Marine to not sink that day.â
‘Halo’ – Blue Violet
‘Halo’ will feature on the upcoming album, ‘Late Night Calls’ from husband/wife duo Blue Violet.
Ahead of the forthcoming release of âLate Night Callsâ Sam and Sarah Gotley explain:
âAll in all, the thing we enjoyed most while recording the album was the opportunity to be experimental with sound on top of the structures we had already put in place during the writing and pre-prod processes. We got very lucky to find a like-minded team of people to work with and a beautiful location to match. Coming off the back of a good couple of years in our previous band Broken Bones Matilda, we had no idea that our goals and choice of music we wanted to make would change, but it feels like this album is the start of something long and fruitful and that we’ve found out who we are and what we want to say.â
‘The Concrete of Moulded Men’ – Eat Your Own Head’
Norwich alt-rock newcomers Eat Your Own Head feature with new track ‘The Concrete of Moulded Men’.
Commenting on the track, vocalist Ash Woolnough said: ââThe Concrete of Moulded Men’ is a sledgehammer to the slab of toxic masculinity. When writing the track, we wanted it to be fierce, hard, and unrelenting to reflect the kind of feelings and pressures that are put on men.â
âI didnât have any friends that played music when I was growing up, and It would feel embarrassing to say no to football or something like that because I wanted to play guitar and sing. I started making up reasons and hiding it, which was obviously not the right thing to be doing. This track is basically saying donât worry about all that nonsenseâ
The time has arrived for North Yorkshire fuzz rockers Scruffy Bear to unleash their new EP, ‘Face The Rain’ on the world.
The release features four hard hitting tracks which together signify the arrival of a band capable of wonderous things. Harnessing the power of singer Georgy Eaton’s voice and coupling it with a mixture of melodic licks and raucous riffs to create fierce blues rock sound.
If this is a taste of what is to come, then the future should be bright for this young band.
BOWLING FOR SOUP – POP DRUNK SNOT BREAD – ALBUM REVIEW
đ Bowling For Soup have a new album out!
So, what are you expecting from it? With 11 albums and nearing 30 years together as a band, it shouldnât come as a surprise to anybody what the band are offering on âPop Drunk Snot Breadâ.
The band has long established themselves as the foremost purveyors of fabulous pop-punk and this album is exactly what youâd want it to be. This record is packed with those catchy, sing-a-long songs that the band has such an abundance of in their back catalogue.
The danger facing any band at this point in their career is that the quality dips and they become a parody of themselves. Well, Bowling For Soup have kind of always been a parody of themselves anyway which is perhaps why they have such longevity.
The dip in quality has yet to arrive and this album is full of songs likely to become engrained fan favourites such as âI Wanna Be Brad Pittâ, âGetting Old Sucks (But Everybodyâs Doing It)’ and ‘Alexa Bliss’.
On opening track âGreatest Of All Timeâ, Jared Reddick sings â…Never about competition, or god damn chart position, just being us we never caredâŠâ, and that perfectly sums up this album. It isnât the fresh new fad, it is unlikely to take the band to new heights, but, itâs fun, enjoyable and is Bowling For Soup just being themselves!
The same song also offers the line ââŠWe only want to make you smile, maybe sing along and forget about the bad stuffâŠâ; mission achieved, and in this messed up world thatâs perhaps exactly what we need.
BOB VYLAN – BOB VYLAN PRESENTS THE PRICE OF LIFE – ALBUM REVIEW
I often find myself pondering on the state of both the world and the music industry. The climate of each has led to situation whereby musicians are unwilling to take risk. One such risk is the inclusion of politics and contentious issues, something which has almost disappeared from the musical landscape.
Not wanting to alienate any of their fragile audience, musicians tend to play it very safe these days. That is certainly not a allegation that can be thrown at Bob Vylan. The duo have been making a name for themselves over the last couple of years, firstly with their debut album and then with high profile support slots with the likes of Biffy Clyro and The Offspring.
Now feels like a very important time for the band, both from their point of view as they push on with their career, but also for a world crying out for change. Change wonât drive itself, and whilst it should be politicians not musicians pushing for improvement, it certainly never hurt in the past having musicians pushing marginalised debates into mainstream consciousness!
No punches are pulled on the duos sophomore record, âBob Vylan Presents The Price Of Lifeâ, which in many ways is a statement album. Lyrically pertinent and musically courageous this is the sound of a band taking their spot.
This genre-bending smorgasbord of creativity is a thematically thought provoking masterpiece from an act only just getting started. The likes of singles âPretty Songsâ and âGDPâ gave a good indication of what to expect from the album, and the full work doesnât disappoint.
The future looks bright for Bob Vylan, and whilst one band is unlikely to change the world, hopefully more will be impassioned enough to also wear their heart on their sleeve. Then who knows, maybe the disengaged could become engaged and positive change could happen. One thing for certain though is that this album is brilliant!
Some bands just have the knack for producing consistently top quality music within their chosen genre. They find their niche and they stick with it. Stone Broken are one such band who already have two solid radio friendly rock albums behind them.
Returning now with their third effort, âRevelationâ, it is no surprise that they have produced another superb compilation of catchy straight-laced rock music.
The album launches straight into business with pre-release singles âBlack Sunriseâ, âThe Devil You Knowâ and âRevelationâ. From there onwards there is no ease on the throttle as the band stick with what works.
Iâve often considered Stone Broken from a musical standpoint to be the British version of Nickelback, just without the undue hatred! One criticism of the Canadians has always been their formulated approach to writing big rock hits.
Listening to âRevelationâ, I guess you could level that accusation here at Stone Broken. This isnât a diverse record by any stretch of the imagination, but in fairness it doesnât need to be. There is unlimited choice of music to listen to these days, and acts are often criticised for deviating from their path.
With that said, this is a safe album from Stone Broken. They clearly know what their fans want, they clearly now what they are good at, and, hell, it works! âRevelationâ is a very good record which is packed full of catchy rockers that get your head banging and your foot tapping.
As the album concludes with âSo Damn Easyâ and âGimme Some Moreâ; Stone Broken can sign off from another excellently crafted collection of big time rockers with a sense of pride. They may not be breaking any boundaries but they continue to break down your door with the sound of huge rock hits.
Fontaines D.C. are an interesting enigma in many ways. Bursting out from the blossoming post-punk revival in 2018, the band are often shoehorned in with the other phenomenal acts that have emerged from that scene in recent years. They have however always felt different, special if you will.
The complexities of their musical charm intertwine with the thronging noise of the genre to create a sound of their own that harnesses the poetic prowess of vocalist Grian Chatten.
Following the success of debut album âDogrelâ, the group, like many of others, had their momentum derailed by the pandemic. Releasing sophomore record âA Heroâs Deathâ mid-lockdown itâs hard to truly gauge the impact of the record.
One thing for certain is that the band arenât hanging around to see, as they now release their third album in three years, âSkinty Fiaâ.
The album is instantly enthralling and recaptures some of the raw grit of âDogrelâ whilst maintaining the polish of âA Heroâs Deathâ to great juxtaposition. âSkinty Fiaâ literally does feel like the child of itâs predecessors and delivers everything youâd want from a Fontaines D.C. album.
The driving guitar work cohesively complements the powerful rhythm section to provide that trademark framework from which Chatten is able to deliver his charismatic lyricism. This is perhaps best demonstrated on the stunning âI Love Youâ.
Itâs difficult though to really pick out the standout moments on the album due to the sheer quality of the compilation. All ten tracks warrant their inclusion and join together as a singular masterpiece.
âSkinty Fiaâ is exactly the album that Fontaines D.C. needed to release at this point in time and will only cement their reputation and position in the upper reaches of the industry.
Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes to headline Marshall Hootie
Welcome everyone to a special Easter edition of our weekly music News Report. We hope that you’re having a cracking weekend, and we have a cracking line-up for you as we begin with the latest festival announcements.
Marshall will be hosting a special celebration of their 60th anniversary this May. Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes will be headlining the Marshall Hootie in Viaduct Meadow, Hanwell.
They will be joined by Hot Milk, Crashface and Lyoness! Tickets are available here.
This week saw Bloodstock Festival revealed their updated line-up following a number of inevitable changes as live music continues to get back on its feet.
The line-up features the likes of Behemoth, Mercyful Fate, Lamb of God, Killing Joke, Bury Tomorrow, Jinjer, Butcher Babies, Sleep Token and Ferocious Dog.
We move quickly on to the best new tour announcements from the past week as our News Report continues. We start with some very special intimate shows from Bloc Party.
The album release shows take place this June in Brighton, Bristol and Norwich, and you can find more info here.
Fusion metal pioneers Dub War this week debuted their new single, ‘War Inna Babylon’ and you can listen above. The track features guest vocals from Roger Ranking of The Beat.
This song comes ahead of their new album, ‘Westgate Under Fire’ which arrives August 5th.
Speaking on the track and collaborating with Ranking Roger, Webbe says, “The original song by Max Romeo was in my family record collection as far back as I can remember. When meeting Ranking Roger, we discussed how punk rock and dub reggae had a massive influence on our lives. This song for us both was a massive hit, and we spoke about doing a collaboration and reviving the original with that Clash/The Ruts British punk rock energy to it.
Sadly, not long after we got to record the song with Roger, he passed away. But this song is one that we are very proud of, and we didnât just do a cover – we really made this unique cover of âWar Inna Babylonâ our own.â
As always we close out our News Report with the latest additions to our ‘Discover’ New Music Playlist on Spotify. This week we have doubled up on the additions to celebrate Easter with the best new music!
‘MIRRORS’ – JUST MUSTARD
Dundalk five-piece Just Mustard share new single, ‘Mirrors’ taken from upcoming album, ‘Heart Under’.
Guitarist and “Mirrors” co-vocalist David Noonan says of the single: â”Mirrors”” was one of the final songs to be written for Heart Under, the lyrics and music arrived together in what felt like one moment and we wanted to keep the feeling of one thought or moment constant throughout the songâ.
‘INSTRUCTION MANUAL’ – ALL BETTER
Brighton’s alt-punk trio All Better join the playlist with their single ‘Instruction Manual’. The song features on upcoming debut album, ‘How To Be Alone’ which arrives May 6th.
‘RESTITUTION’ – MODES
Kent metallers MODES feature with their new single, ‘Restitution’.
MODES frontman Ted Berry reveals that the new singleâis a song that stems from difficult times that we have seen our closest friends and loved ones go through. Needing to give them support and a shoulder to lean on, while feeling that we can’t explain how or why we know what itâs like to be there because in that moment it’s not about us ,it’s about helping themâ
‘BLESSED BE THY’ – WITCH FEVER
Witch Fever return with new single, ‘Blessed Be Thy’.
Bassist Alex Thompson says of the track, âit just goes heavy”, as it boasts a crunchy wall of noise akin to bands like Show Me The Body and Gilla Band
Alex adds, âit was literally the last song we wrote before we went into the studio but came together really quickly. I think it still has an essence of some of our older material, so itâs a good way to bridge the gap.â
‘I KNOW WHEN YOU LEAVE’ – GUISE
Ahead of the release of their debut album ‘Youngest Daughter’, ‘I Know When You leave’ is the latest offering from London-based GUISE is a dazzling, vocal harmony led track that sees the foursome joined by singer-songwriter Emily Barker.
Discussing the story behind the heartfelt new track Jessicaexplains âI wrote the words to âI Know When You Leaveâ on a bus in Italy, and the tune came to me later back in London, Separation from the person I love is a pretty normal part of my life, but that doesnât make it easy all the time; things are generally just a bit worse when weâre apart, and thatâs what this is about.â
‘BLACKMOSS’ – SCRUFFY BEAR
Playlist and Podcast alumni Scruffy Bear return with new single, ‘Blackmoss’.
âThe world is a proper heavy place. I hate that everything is spun so negatively and we are trained to look for the worst in people and situations. Blackmoss is trying to work through the mud of confusion that everything is in and not getting too bogged down with it, but also learning to be open to other peopleâs experiencesâ – Lead singer Georgy Eaton
It may be Good Friday today but for hard rock fans heading to the Resorts World Arena in Birmingham itâs destined to be a great Friday! Thatâs because revered group Ghost are in town with their travelling theatre of the macabre.
Opening act on this tour is the American band Twin Temple who appear to have the knack for satanic imaginary and theatrics down much like our headliners. The bands short set is well received from the audience and it will be interesting to see what the future holds for a band who perhaps need to divert some more focus toward the musical side of their act.
Our next support band interestingly has the opposite focus. Whilst the lighting engineer does a great job, the heavy lifting for Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats is done by their music. A pretty experienced band now, they have no issue in delivering a rambunctiously rocking performance. On a night of the dramatic however, they run the risk of being out shadowed.
The reason for the enhanced excitement levels in Birmingham tonight though is because our headline act have managed to perfect both the musical and theatrical sides of their game.
Ghost arenât an overnight success, they have spent a number of years honing their craft and earning their way into the countryâs biggest venues. But now it feels as though they have everything in place to take themselves to the next level.
New album, âImperaâ, arrived last month and continues the bands musical evolution into prolific rock hit makers. New tracks âKaisarionâ, âHunterâs Moonâ, âSpillwaysâ and âCall Me Little Sunshineâ are all highlights tonight in a set list that is now wall to wall bangers as the kids would say.
Recent favourites such as âMary on a Crossâ and âKiss the Go-Goatâ mix well with older staples like âRatsâ, âCiriceâ, âRitualâ and âYear Zero’. As we say, musically Ghost have built a formidable catalogue of stupendous live songs.
Combining this feast of musical treats with the well established show that the band are able to deliver with such ease makes them an exciting prospect. With the rock world calling out for new superstars, Ghost are surely amongst the best placed to take on the mantle of the old guard such as Brummie legends Black Sabbath.
An encore of sorts featuring their recent Metallica cover, âEnter Sandmanâ, plus the incredibly catchy finale of âDance Macabreâ and âSquare Hammerâ, sends the crowd into the warm spring evening happy and in awe of the majesty that is Ghost.