Words: Tom Willmott

It seems every year begins with endless discussion in the music media about which artists are tipped to come out on top when the year’s out. The most tempting route is the inevitable comparison between past and present – for example, are Howler this year’s Strokes or Tribes the new-found Libertines? Thankfully, Antlered Man, an upcoming four piece from London, who have been criminally overlooked by several outlets, have created a sufficiently individual sound with their debut album “Giftes 1 and 2”, that many will be left floundering as to where to pigeon-hole them in today’s musical landscape.

For some, the delightfully demented vocals in “Surrounded By White Men” have resonances with Faith No More, while others will spot a range of Tool-esque progressive elements, particularly in the opener “Outrages 1 Ta 3”. Adding to the palette are some suitably heavy and almost ear-shattering moments in the five minutes of mayhem that can be found in “Platoono of Uno.” This track begs comparison with veteran alt metallers System Of A Down – quite a compliment as there really have been very few acts in recent years to rival those guys.

However, Antlered Man do not just embrace the heavier aspects of music, but use to their advantage more measured melancholic sounds, as in “Buddhist Soup” and “Schizo Tennis”. That’s a fairly short respite, though, before they plunge into the grungy tones of “Mr Runner-Up Teenage Bloomfield”, making this the defining point of the album. Typically, it closes with the hard- hitting “Misruly Roo”, another assault on the ear drums.

Maybe with better production, this could have been a stone cold classic, but that is just a minor issue. What recognition they receive for this remains to be seen, but it’s good to hear once in a while a record that signals authenticity, and stands out in a saturated market. Antlered Man should take credit for this, and who knows what they will deliver for us next time?

Words: Tom Willmott

Ten years ago, Inme were the subject of substantial hype, touted as the future of UK rock music, destined for arenas and heading for some big festival slots. Unfortunately for them, that still hasn’t materialized but it’s good to know that they’re still out there producing great material for their dedicated fan base.

Their latest release and fifth studio album “The Pride” kick starts a new era for the band. The Inme of today are a different animal from the one who brought you so called classics “Underdose” and “Firefly”. With the addition of their new guitarist, Gary Marlow, they further embrace the technical influences they adopted on the last two records. Opener “Reverie Shores” is perhaps one of the best tracks they’ve produced since the days of White Butterfly, incorporating a subtle heavy edge with Dave MacPherson’s trademark eccentric vocals, making this nigh on perfect. “Moonlit Seabed” features shades of electronica, not too distant from the likes of Enter Shikari, delivering another solid cut. With “A Great Man”, there’s a strong pop rock feel, whilst retaining their signature sound. Following that, they opt for a more mellow production, as demonstrated in “Escape To Mysteriopa” and “Silver Womb”, the latter showcasing impressive symphonic arrangements. They get their feet off the ground with “Guardian”, yet another strong moment for this album. The only disappointment perhaps is towards the end, when it starts to drift slightly and maybe lose focus, save for the last couple of minutes of “Legacy”, but by now the positives have far outweighed any negatives found on the record.

“The Pride” shows that Inme have grown gracefully from their nu metal/post- grunge days and managed to put their own spin on a genre that aspiring bands may well emulate in the foreseeable future. This album will undoubtedly appeal to fans who have waited so long for a release, but it is a very different sound – although just as appealing – from the glory days of 2003.

The band will be embarking on a 35-date UK tour next month, covering almost the entire map of the island. If “The Pride” is anything to go by, then they are certainly worthy of your hard earned pennies.

Words: Gaz Martinez

As a metalhead, I have always been a fan of a strategically placed breakdown or two (or six), and Attack Attack!, While may not be masters of the art, do well enough on their latest album, This Means War to place breakdowns aplenty to get everyone in the crowd moving up and down like crabs.

The synths, which seem to be a staple in the band’s sound, return for this third effort. Alas, amidst the screaming/breakdowns/crabcore, on this album they see relatively little action outside the choruses and as a result, it never feels like they are used extensively enough to be considered more than a gimmick that quickly becomes predictable. That said, they do add a nice quality to songs like The Betrayal and The Reality.

Variation in the general riffing wouldn’t go amiss either, after listening to the album the whole way through, several times, most tracks flow seamlessly into the next, to the point where a fair amount of the songs, as separate entities, begin to lose that individuality that they each need to make a solid album. It feels as if I could easily cut one song riff out of The Reality and paste it into The Revolution.

It is only when we get halfway through This Means War are we treated to some variation with The Motivation, which treats you to a gentle piano intro, but even with a longer, more melodic chorus, and The Wretched which places a much needed emphasis on synths, these two are by far the highlights of this album. The album definitely picks up half-way, The Confrontation even offers us what sounds like small bites of dubstep which does wonders to mix it up a bit. But for a first time listener, the CD may have already been taken out of the player and swapped for something else, you are rewarded for listening to the whole thing, but the first half of this album makes it a tedious slog to get there.

If you’re looking for a solid slice of bog standard metalcore, then This Means War offers plenty of stock material to bounce to, but not much that kicks you in the proverbial nuts. For a fourth album, variation in structure and tempo should be a number one priority; otherwise a follow up to this album may be their last as Attack Attack! Continue a streak of mediocrity that This Means War may have started.

Words: Tom Willmott

About this time of year, statistics of the previous twelve months’ album and single sales are released and – when all is revealed – the verdict usually seems to be along the lines of “guitar music is dead”, and other such obituaries that lazy journalists resort to on an annual basis. Anyway, luckily, the latest effort from five-piece The Maccabees will prove the cynics wrong, as it appears they have nailed their career- defining record.

They have come a long way from the days of their Post-Libertines sounding debut to the experimental somophore “Wall Of Arms”. “Given To The Wild” combines the best of both worlds, offering even more vibrant sounds with great song structures thrown in for good measure. “Child” is a great example of this, creating a chilling, climactic atmosphere; and further down the track list, you’ll find tunes such as “Ayla” and “Go” that invoke comparisons with Radiohead or Arcade Fire. But then again, this album is about a band finding their own sound, whereas five years ago, you probably wouldn’t have expected these guys to be pushing the boundaries. “Pelican”, the first single to be taken from the record, is possibly the stand out moment, with clever harmonies and great instrumentation throughout, clearly showing why it deserves all the radio airplay it has received so far. Credit is also due to the guitar-emphatic “Unknown” and “Slowly One”, which enhance this album.

Essentially, this is the record that will take The Maccabees to the next level. Expect them to be frequenting the festivals this summer, and also witness them upgrade to a new set of venues. It seems for a while, indie music has been looking for a big hitter, packed with a suitable amount of anthems that thousands will latch onto. The Maccabees may have just ended that search.

2012 is already set to be a busy one for alternative rock band InMe who release their 5th studio album and head out on a 35 date UK tour in February/March. Frontman – Dave McPherson gives us an insight into the new album, their upcoming tour and their PlegeMusic campaign.

The new studio album “The Pride” is released on 20th February. Can you give us an insight as to what we can expect from the album?

It’s a different direction for us. With the last album ‘Herald Moth’ we wanted to make a dark, technical album whereas this album focuses more on melody, hooks & has a much more positive feel to it. Lyrically it’s very poetical & the album as a whole is definitely has the most emotion that we’ve ever achieved in an album.

What’s the meaning behind the title?

It has a few meanings attached to it. The album artwork itself depicts an underwater pride of lions which hints at a few lyrical concepts within the album. It also sums up the pride we have as a band & how much of ourselves we put into our music & work. It’s also supposed to symbolise a connection between us & our audience. They’re so dedicated to us & their support means they’re definitely part of ‘The Pride’ so to speak. It sounds cheesy but the album itself is quite bold & a bit larger than life.

Your upcoming tour consists of 35 dates, which is quite mammoth sized to say the least. Have you been preparing for a long jaunt like this?

We’re naturally a touring band so the road is where we shine the most. We love the day to day process of it, playing music, having fun together & seeing places we’ve not seen before. It’ll be tough but we’ve been doing this quite a while now & the trials & tribulations on the road don’t get us down, the bigger picture is we’re ridiculously lucky to have this opportunity & we cherish that. We rehearse a lot & develop set lists months in advance so playing the tunes becomes like riding a bike which means we can focus more on putting a energetic, involving show.

You’re taking out two great support acts for this tour, Lostalone and Mojo Fury. How did you come across these bands?

We’ve played quite a few shows with Mojo Fury & they’re a top band & a great bunch of blokes too. They’re also on the same label/management as us & I believe LostAlone are on the same label as us too which is where they tie in. Liking what I’ve heard though! We’re all gonna be on the same bus together so everyone is gonna really get to know each other really quickly!

Over the years, what have been the best shows you’ve played and bands you’ve toured with?

Quite a few really! Playing the main stage at Download 2003 & Readings/Leeds was pretty amazing. Playing out in Japan is always a buzz & anywhere in Europe! The last 2 Sonisphere shows were very reviving for us in terms of feeling like we are still relevant to music listeners.

About a decade ago, you were amongst a wave of exciting acts to come out of the UK which included the likes of Hundred Reasons, Hell Is For Heroes and Million Dead. Obviously there has been lineup changes over the course of time, but does it amaze you that you’ve managed to outlive a lot of bands from that era?

Well the lineup changes were certainly part of our survival! We’ve never had a reason to pack this in & we keep ourselves creatively fulfilled outside of the band with solo/side projects etc. We’re all pretty tough guys when it comes to not giving up on this & things have been tough in the past with juggling jobs around it etc but I don’t think giving up is an option to us really. This is the funnest thing to do & music is our lives. Plus, I’m pretty unemployable for anything else!

Recently you launched a campaign via PledgeMusic. Was it fun getting involved with that?

It’s incredibly absorbing. It’s ridiculously hard work & has pretty much become my full time job but I absolutely love it! It’s easily the best value for money for the music buyer as they get so much extra content, it helps to fund our campaign so that we can keep things growing & reach new people plus it helps so many different charities. My solo campaign raised £2000 for Save The Children & this time we’re trying to raise funds for Alzheimer’s Society. I can’t recommend using PledgeMusic enough.

For the setlists, will there be any chance of you including some older tracks (specifically the first two albums)?

We are indeed! We’re playing ‘Natural’, ‘Her Mask (P.A), ‘Underdose’, ’7Weeks’ & more!

What music are you digging currently?
All sorts really. Loudon Wainwright the 3rd, Born of Osiris, Gabrielle Aplin, Charlie Simpson, Deftones, Chimp Spanner, Frank Turner, Karnivool, The Devin Townsend Project & The Wildhearts to name but a few.

Finally after this tour, will you be making any festival appearances this summer?

Nothing is confirmed as yet but no doubt! See you out in the field.

Find out what towns InMe will be hitting up in February/March 2012 and find more about their PledgeMusic campaign HERE.