10 Years: Violent Allies (Mascot Records) [Bob Shoesmith]
When a band have been persevering for 21 years, you have to a) take your hat off to the dedication, and b) expect changes. Since their inception in 1999, this Knoxville alt. rock outfit have had a lot of those (with drummer Brian Vodhin and Matt Wantland being the only original remaining members) but have knocked out eight full studio albums with this, Violent Allies being their ninth. So, it’s with a history of appearing with other alt.rock/NuMetal stalwarts like Puddle Of Mudd, Sevendust and Shinedown, plus a very healthy looking online following and decent sales in the mid-noughties I am quite surprised that they seem to have passed under my radar and aren’t a little more well known outside of the States. Having already released a couple of tracks from the upcoming album, 10 Years are still moving forward and still honing their identity despite time served, and you can see that metamorphosis in the comparisons to other bands over the years.
When a band have been persevering for 21 years, you have to a) take your hat off to the dedication, and b) expect changes. Since their inception in 1999, this Knoxville alt. rock outfit have had a lot of those (with drummer Brian Vodhin and Matt Wantland being the only original remaining members) but have knocked out eight full studio albums with this, Violent Allies being their ninth. So, it’s with a history of appearing with other alt.rock/NuMetal stalwarts like Puddle Of Mudd, Sevendust and Shinedown, plus a very healthy looking online following and decent sales in the mid-noughties I am quite surprised that they seem to have passed under my radar and aren’t a little more well known outside of the States. Having already released a couple of tracks from the upcoming album, 10 Years are still moving forward and still honing their identity despite time served, and you can see that metamorphosis in the comparisons to other bands over the years.
Starting somewhere in amongst to ¾ length trousered, skateboard bothering Nu Metallers to comparisons now, to the likes of the arty and more earnest Tool or the latest incarnation of Bush. They state in their interviews that their aim is to continue to move forward and fair play to them for that. This upbeat and positive mood is seemingly working for them too, with early release Shift swiftly generating over half a million streams on Spotify (worth about $7.82, probably) and rather than boarding the carousel of an ever changing line-up that drags on through the years, still banging away, they are clearly on a steady upward trajectory…it’s just taken a little while. The aforementioned Shift, the opening track of the album (now having been streamed 1.5m times) perfectly demonstrates the forward momentum. Their roots show with the core of drop tuned guitars of their past but now with the on-trend modern twist of underpinning industrial synth and the clean, bright, Maynard Keenan-esque vocal of Jesse Hasek bringing a fresher, more commercial edge.
I can see why the Tool comparison has been made, but 10 Years are far more mainstream and nearer to say a refined Linkin Park than any close comparisons to the arty prog-metallers but the hint is definitely there on tracks like Say Goodbye. There’s light, shade and creativity throughout the album like in the anthemic, piano backed The Unknown an intriguing and well-crafted instrumental of Planets IV (a rare beast these days) plus a hint of post-grunge in Waiting. Throughout the album you can hear all of their era’s influences (nineties and noughties Stateside alt.rockers) coming at you like a pick n mix candy selection, but they do it in a grown up, thoughtful way. The scene was originally once shouty skate punks, all angry posturing and adolescent fire and now in 2020 10 years represent them as grown, thoughtful and far more creative. Just before Chester Bennington sadly left us too early, he was making this kind of more relevant, mature version of Nu Metal with Grey Daze. If all of those influences, I have referred to here, float your boat, or you still have your Blink 182 albums, you will really enjoy this album. It is still rooted in the late nineties but its all grown up and acting its age. 8/10
Eskimo Callboy: MMXX (Century Media Records) [Liam True]
It’s taken Eskimo Callboy 10 years to get recognition for their music. Admittedly I though their previous release Rehab was decent, but not enough to get them put on the map. Since then though they’ve dropped their viral hit, Hypa Hypa, which has opened up so many people to their world of Trancecore (A mixture of Metalcore & Trance music) and has put their name out there as it stands at six million views since its release 2 months ago. And many people, myself included, have asked themselves’ Is this a one-off hit? And are they taking the piss?’ By the time their new EP MMXX has finished spinning, you’ll have your answer. Fuck. No. MMXX is six songs. It’s 21 minutes. And it’s full of complete madness and absolute Metalcore bangers. Hypa Hypa is the main starter track which is catchier than clap in a whore house. Hate/Love is a Techno filled Metal sandwich that has you bobbing your head and singing along by the second chorus. MC Thunder II (Dancing Like A Ninja) is an arena anthem and needs to be performed to a full audience.
It’s taken Eskimo Callboy 10 years to get recognition for their music. Admittedly I though their previous release Rehab was decent, but not enough to get them put on the map. Since then though they’ve dropped their viral hit, Hypa Hypa, which has opened up so many people to their world of Trancecore (A mixture of Metalcore & Trance music) and has put their name out there as it stands at six million views since its release 2 months ago. And many people, myself included, have asked themselves’ Is this a one-off hit? And are they taking the piss?’ By the time their new EP MMXX has finished spinning, you’ll have your answer. Fuck. No. MMXX is six songs. It’s 21 minutes. And it’s full of complete madness and absolute Metalcore bangers. Hypa Hypa is the main starter track which is catchier than clap in a whore house. Hate/Love is a Techno filled Metal sandwich that has you bobbing your head and singing along by the second chorus. MC Thunder II (Dancing Like A Ninja) is an arena anthem and needs to be performed to a full audience.
Monsieur Moustache has the classic ECB moments along with pig squeals which add a deeper base to the already crazy song. Dramaqueen starts a bit slower but hits hard when it gets to the chorus which will leave you humming it for days on end. Then we have the final song, Prism. It’s a massive change from the rest of the album as it’s an acoustic ballad, but I'll be damned if you say it’s not beautiful. The entire EP is gorgeous and produced phenomenally the goofy five-piece, who are completed by guitarists Daniel Haniß and Pascal Schillo, Daniel Klossek on bass, Kevin Ratajczak taking lead on keyboards and all programming with backing unclean vocals, drummer David Friedrich and new vocalist Nico Sallach (formerly of To The Rats And Wolves). Together the band have worked well to produce this brilliant EP. And I for one can’t wait for a full album release in the future from the team. 10/10
Dead Quiet: Truth And Ruin (Artoffact Records) [Stuart Blythe]
Bangers by Barn Burner was low key one of my favourite records of 2010. Scuzzed out, metal influenced stoner. A very nice combination, and certainly a record I would recommend to anyone with a passing interest in the genre. I lost track of them after that, but imagine my surprise when I found myself presented with Truth And Ruin, the third record by Canadian quintet Dead Quiet, only to find that the mighty Kevin (not-that-one) Keegan has resurfaced. Dead Quiet are a hard rock inspired doom/ stoner band with more than a touch of Spiritual Beggars and the odd nod to Bigelf. Whilst scuzzed out monolithic riffs are generally the order of the day here, the band also lavishly apply keyboards and Hammond organs to each track. The end result is some genuinely enthusiastic and good time rock. Twin guitars duel with each other a la Wishbone Ash, Deep Purple and more and Keegan’s vocals are impassioned and also a hell of a lot of fun.
Bangers by Barn Burner was low key one of my favourite records of 2010. Scuzzed out, metal influenced stoner. A very nice combination, and certainly a record I would recommend to anyone with a passing interest in the genre. I lost track of them after that, but imagine my surprise when I found myself presented with Truth And Ruin, the third record by Canadian quintet Dead Quiet, only to find that the mighty Kevin (not-that-one) Keegan has resurfaced. Dead Quiet are a hard rock inspired doom/ stoner band with more than a touch of Spiritual Beggars and the odd nod to Bigelf. Whilst scuzzed out monolithic riffs are generally the order of the day here, the band also lavishly apply keyboards and Hammond organs to each track. The end result is some genuinely enthusiastic and good time rock. Twin guitars duel with each other a la Wishbone Ash, Deep Purple and more and Keegan’s vocals are impassioned and also a hell of a lot of fun.
Tracks like opener Atoned Deaf, Of Sound And Fury and Truth And Ruin perfectly encompass this modern day homage to days of yore. With impressive riffing, harmonised solo runs, a whacking great organ piping in unison with the guitars, solid drumming and Keegan’s now trademarked vocal stylings. Not everything is as immediate as these tracks however, and some of the album fails to hit as hard on the first listen, tracks such as Partial Darkness and Cold Grey Death. Having said that on repeated listens the earworm burrows even deeper to the point that I have found myself loving this. Truth And Ruin is so much fun I can’t stop listening to it. I would LOVE IT if this finds its way onto some end of year lists. LOVE IT! It is f**king great! 9/10
Voltaic: Living The Mist (Self Released) [Steve Haines]
Canadian metallers Voltaic have released their debut album Living The Mist and it shows a degree of promise but equally, there feels like several mis-steps in the process. As a debut album, it feels like a decent platform for future development with solid musicianship and good production values. However, it also feels like a band in something of an identity crisis – not quite sure what they want to be and landing with feet in both the Evanescence and Anthrax camps. Album opener Brothers In Arms has dreadful male vocals and despite a moderately anthemic refrain, it really is difficult to focus on anything but the singing.
Voltaic: Living The Mist (Self Released) [Steve Haines]
Canadian metallers Voltaic have released their debut album Living The Mist and it shows a degree of promise but equally, there feels like several mis-steps in the process. As a debut album, it feels like a decent platform for future development with solid musicianship and good production values. However, it also feels like a band in something of an identity crisis – not quite sure what they want to be and landing with feet in both the Evanescence and Anthrax camps. Album opener Brothers In Arms has dreadful male vocals and despite a moderately anthemic refrain, it really is difficult to focus on anything but the singing.
From the second track, Last Man Standing, onward the female vocals come to the fore and she’s a decent singer but there are two things that keep happening vocally through the album that are ultimately detrimental to the final product: there are times where she really forces the vocal and you can really feel it so it lessens the impact. Also, the technique of dual female/male vocals is used frequently and its impact is reduced as a result. When used sparingly, these techniques can really enhance songs, but overused the added dynamic is diluted. For me, the better songs come later in the album: ‘Fahrenheit 25’ is much more melodic than previous tracks and the result is better for it. It moves into a screaming section about 2 minutes from the end which does little to better the song but a spoken section for the last 30 seconds works well.
The other two good track are the last two: As One and Outside The Window. Both songs feel well structured and constructed and feature sections where the dual vocals are more impactful. If these songs hint at the future direction of the band musically, then I will keep an ear out for their future releases. As a debut album, it is solid if falling into too many of the traps that developing bands can stumble on; however, there is enough here to suggest potential and promise so I hope they can continue to grow and deliver on that potential. 6/10