• Life Through A Lens

    July 23, 2013 - By 

    Isn’t technology mindblowing? I’m typing this collection of words onto a page, in whichever font I choose, displayed on a screen, which is attached to a bunch of plastic and metal with electricity running through it which is wirelessly connected to an international network containing all the information ever, which I can’t even see. Crazy. Thanks to technology, the world of entertainment has been changed forever. Sure, it has its pros and cons but it has certainly made things a lot easier. There is no need to leave your house to do most things. You can buy albums, watch movies,…

  • Kylesa – Ultraviolet

    June 11, 2013 - By 

    Self-proclaimed ‘sludge metallers’ Kylesa hail from Savannah, Georgia-  the very same state that has given us Mastodon, Baroness and Black Tusk. While perhaps not making as many headlines as the aforementioned bands, Kylesa have stood toe-to-toe with each of them with past releases and are pushing away from the pack with their sixth album Ultraviolet. The band’s career path has seen them slowly rise from the murky swamps of Georgia, twisting and turning gradually with every release. Kylesa’s early albums saw the band wear its punk heart on its sleeve – albeit a sleeve still dripping with the filth of…

  • 2013: Metapocalypse

    June 4, 2013 - By 

    Thirteen. It’s an unlucky number for some, but certainly not for fans of metal. I say metal. Of course, what I really mean is METAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL! This year sees some of the biggest and loudest  bands in the history of metal descend upon Ireland like an eagle on a sleeping mouse. If you aren’t a big fan of heavy guitars, you might be safer indoors for most of this year. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Bands such as Slayer, Mastadon, Nine Inch Nails, Lamb Of God and even the fathers of heavy metal (or should that be grandfathers) – Black…

  • The Dillinger Escape Plan – One Of Us Is The Killer

    May 23, 2013 - By 

    From opening track and mission statement ‘Prancer’ – resplendent with what are now Dillinger Escape Plan’s signature complex, syncopated guitar riffs, utterly frantic drumming and vocal intensity -their fifth full length album ‘One Of Us Is The Killer‘ rages to life with the chaotic measure of a broken photocopier. The second album to be released on their Party Smasher Inc label, One Of Us… is perhaps not quite the Dillinger of their seminal and still stunning breakthrough album Calculating Infinity – but is very much the Dillinger of today and tomorrow. Often referred to as ‘mathcore’, their music has been,…

  • Dave Magee: How Music Became Disposable

    May 4, 2013 - By 

    I miss music. What’s that you say? There’s loads of it? No there isn’t. That’s not music. That’s advertising. That’s what that is. Maybe I’m getting old (check that – I am getting old) but I remember a time when I was so passionate about bands I loved so dearly that I would argue the bit out to hammer home my point. I had a conversation with a friend recently about how nostalgia taints our view of music, books, films etc. About how the things we still love from our youth are only still loved by us because they remind…

  • Phoenix – Bankrupt!

    May 3, 2013 - By 

    Having finally succeeded in their quest to break the back of success for the last nine years, French synth pop heroes Phoenix are back with ‘Bankrupt!’, a collection of songs which banishes the ghosts of their early eclecticism, busting  them using synthesizers for proton packs. Following 2009’s million seller ‘Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix’ (unless they spent all their royalties on keyboards) Phoenix are anything but bankrupt… This is a band who have discovered the key to their sound in the last few years and while ‘Bankrupt!’ may not be as instant as their last outing, it certainly cements their intention to…