Words: Gaz Martinez

Shattered Destiny’s the name, shattering destinies seem to be their game. Their new EP Fragments lends credit to this and offers us four pseudo-thrashy songs, with hints of power metal, it’s actually a decent listen through and through, singer JJ belts his larynx out and welcomes us to hell on Welcome while coming across as a Dave Mustaine/Joacim Cans hybrid (The former in lyrical delivery, the latter in lyrical content).

If Welcome demonstrates the bands ability to crunch their way through life, then Deceitful Heart is their take on the introduction anyway, changing from clean keys to blasting out some heavy power chords half way through. Oblivion is yet another approach to their method, here they really embrace their symphonic/power metal elements. Mark pounds those drums with great precision, if not too much ingenuity, the same can be said of the guitars and bass. They do the job more than adequately, but here it feels that the phrase ‘The whole is more than the sum of its parts’ really applies here. Most artists are able to count their main influences on one hand, but it is clear here that Shattered Destiny are influenced by much more than one particular style here. Each song is genuinely different to the next, but surprisingly, the band manage to make it all sound coherent, and not at all out of place. It is a very interesting listen and it leaves the listener on a musical cliffhanger. You’re left wondering just what direction will Shattered Destiny take when they go to record a full length album? The influences are plentiful, and so are the possibilities with this band.

PLUS: Heaven Shall Burn, Adept, Malefice and Cytota
The Waterfront, Norwich
10th March 2012

Words and Photos: Charlie Wallis

It’s going to be a whirlwind of an evening at The Waterfront tonight. The club night that kicks off at ten means 5 bands have to squeeze themselves into a relatively small three and a half hour timeframe like a tubby metalhead squeezing into his burgeoning leather trousers. The venue isn’t particularly packed tonight either, all of which creates a challenging setting for what should arguably be an amazing night of the hottest talents on the metal scene.

It must be a daunting prospect for Birmingham youngsters Cytota, opening for some of the biggest names in metal at the moment. These lads take it all in their stride though, uncompromisingly blasting through their set which, due to time constraints is regrettably short. Given the respective ages of these guys they’ve already had an impressive career that’s seen them playing with bands as big a Funeral For a Friend. Definite ones to watch.

Cytota

Next up tonight are heavy metal heavyweights Malefice who take to the stage like a wrecking ball to a condemned block of council flats. These guys prove from the outset that their not messing around and despite their brief appearance aim to leave a lasting impression on the crowd. Leader singer Dale Butler tirelessly interacts with the crowd who in turn offer their appreciation for their endeavours. Their blend of thrash metal and death core gets the pit to start moving, like heaving a boulder that’s been teetering on the edge on an incline, Malefice give the crowd that push they need to get energise and really up the game of the whole evening.

Malefice

With that bar set fairly high already Adept launch into their set with a no hold barred approach. Huge beatdowns and a frenzy of energy Adepts aren’t going to be left behind and put on an accomplished (and incredibly loud) performance. Adept, almost more so than any of the other bands really play off the atmosphere they create. Their brooding yet ballistic breed of metal fits really well with their light show that sees the venue plunged into darkness as much as it’s lit up. The audience really responds to this effort to set themselves apart from the rest of the bill.

Adept

With several of the other bands on the bill declaring them to be “the heaviest band on the planet”, Heaven Shall Burn have a lot to live up to as they take to the stage to riotous applause. What instantly makes Heaven Shall Burn a pleasure to watch is the level of enthusiasm that’s apparent. So often with this type of blistering heavy metal performances can be humourless and so focused on the technicality, this is not the case with “Heaven Shall Burn”. The whole band spends the whole set jumping around and make for a compelling, if ear shattering, spectacle.

Heaven Shall Burn

Rise to Remain have had a hell of a year so far. Tipped by the big music mags as the next big thing for UK heavy metal and with the talent to back it up the sky really is the limit for these boys. The relentlessness of their emerging popularity and devotion from their fans is reminiscent of very early Bullet for My Valentine, but with bigger riffs! This is a band that clearly like to have fun and the reaction from the audience directly mirrors the mayhem inherent within their music. The band tear through their set like a hurricane barely pausing for breath pausing only to thank the crowd for their efforts. Highlights have to the be epic splendour of “The Serpent” and the fist pumpingly good “Illusions”.

Rise To Remain

Given their performance and increasing popularity, the time is swiftly coming when you won’t be ably to see Rise to Remain in a venue as small and intimate as The Waterfront. Miss them at your peril.

[Show as slideshow]

Words: Gaz Martinez

I won’t lie, I cannot say that I am overly familiar with this band, I’ve heard the name tossed around a few times and I am aware of Mr Cavelera’s connection to Sepultura and his Brazilian flag guitar, but other than that, Soulfly has regrettably passed me by all these years until now, when I get a taste of their style…How the hell did these guys escape my ears for so long!

There seem to b many influences that one can hear throughout Enslaved, the first track, World Scum really shows off some black metal vibes with the tremolo riffing, the guitar solo in Intervention carries a very heavy Kerry King influence, Gladiator’s opening riff would not sound out of place on a Cancer Bats album, and I believe I even hear a sitar here for a moment as well, it’s strange to hear all of these kind of influences on the one record, but they definitely show us not only the different styles that Max Cavelera & Co are influenced by, but that they are also capable of pulling them of as well. It’s all very metal, but it keeps leaning one way or the other, which makes for good listening, to an extent, no song sounds like the one before. This said, Soulfly are more than capable of delivering the straight up metal.

American Steel thuds and thrusts its way through the first minute or so before dropping seamlessly into the half-time-but-not-quite but-groovy-as-hell section, probably my favourite track, mainly on account of the slow bass section with a funky effect slapped on top of it, what it is escapes me, but it sounds great regardless. Plato O Plomo, (Silver or Lead) punches through with unbelievable amounts of groove and gut wrenchingly dirty chords, somehow spliced with splashes of classical guitar…mind rape, but beautiful mind rape.

And these are just a few of the highlights of Enslaved honestly, for a metal album, it’s all here, the only thing I can suggest is listen to is yourselves, I only just managed to listen to Soulfly, and boy do I regret it!

Words: Tom Willmott

It has to be said, there really isn’t another band like Every Time I Die in existence. Of course, there are plenty of acts that do their best to re-create their hardcore/southern rock style but it simply cannot be matched. The band have a consistently impressive track record when it comes to new material, and their latest offering “Ex Lives” is no exception – and is one of their best offerings to date.

As with any ETID album, there has to be a jaw- dropping opener and “Underwater Bimbos From Outer Space” is the perfect way to kick things off. Following this are the sort of fast, direct hardcore numbers that we’ve grown to love from them: “Holy Book Of Dilemma” and “A Wild Shameless Plain”, with their sharp, riotous pitch are definitely ones that will go down a treat live. Adding to this palette, they deliver a slightly retro style influence with “Partying Is Such Sweet Sorrow” reminiscent almost of a Clutch-esque intro.

As heavy and hard hitting as the majority of this record is, there’s still room for the occasional pause, which can be found in the more mellow “Revival Mode, ” with echoes of front man Keith Buckley’s other band, the classic rock influenced The Damned Things. But halfway through the song changes pace and it’s business as usual, making this one of the standout tracks. Listening and re-listening to the album, it’s difficult to find fault – and the bonus tracks offer even more delights. Examples include “Grudge Music” and “Starve An Artist, Cover Your Trash” which provide so much ludicrous insanity, it’s a real head bangers’ fest.

In terms of hardcore, it will be very challenging to find another album this year that can exceed the quality found in “Ex Lives”. And as much as I don’t want to diminish other bands, after listening to this, you have to ask yourselves, how on earth will you top this? Chances are very slim, but it’s great to see Every Time I Die at the peak of their game with one of the strongest comebacks heard in a long while. The next task is for these guys to tour the album over here, and it really cannot come soon enough.

We were all in a band before To The Lions, just with an additional singer, when she left, we changed our direction drastically, so we decided we needed a new name. We put our music library on shuffle and waited to see if anything jumped out at us. We had a long list which we all disagreed on, and To The Lions was one of the only ones everyone liked!

Which bands do you draw inspiration from musically?

Machine Head, Meshuggah, Lamb of God, Hatebreed, The Haunted. A lot of metal, but you’ll find a lot more in our songs than just chuggy riffs, some have some quite catchy singalong choruses, and others have bluesy lead parts!

What can people expect from your live show?

A band who always give everything they have, whether it’s in front of 10 people or 100 people! Heavy breakdowns, mosh pits, and most of all, a good time for everyone!

What song would you recommend from your Facebook?

Breathe is the best example of the direction we are headed. We are also giving it away for free (along with ‘Step by Step’) on our official website (www.tothelions.co.uk).

http://www.facebook.com/tothelionsmusic