Metal gig and album reviews.

So yeah; here I shall be bringing you reviews of all the metal, hardcore and down-right awesome gigs I go to and the albums I listen to.
Foo Fighters - Wasting Light [10] Ive always been a pretty big Foo fan, so, naturally, have been waiting a fucking lifetime for Wasting Light. And no, it isn’t what I was expecting at all. It’s better in every single way. It seems that over the years FF had begun to embrace the mainstream more and more, with each release sounding slightly more sterile and poppy. Not to knock those efforts though, as ESPG was a favourite album of mine for about two years. It’s just that none of these ready for radio releases could even compare to the FF’s early work. So to say that WL is a step in the right direction is an understatement in every respect. Gone is the crystal clear production and shining examples of pop-writing sensibility in a rock format of recent releases, instead being replaced by a pissed off sounding Mr Grohl and co. venting like sweet fuckery and recording the outcome. Considering that the album was recorded in Dave’s basement on an analogue tape, the production is great, yet also retains the feeling of a band jamming, having a great time and producing some exceptional music. Replacing the poppy, near-ballads of their last few releases with pissed off, punk-fueled rock anthems wasn’t the only change to take place on WL, as the music now has a very prominent psychedelic influence. Whether it’s the Rush and Led Zeppelin esque Rope, or the drug addled, violent and bastard son of Kansas and Journey in the form of Miss The Misery, WL is pretty darn trippy throughout. Even the fuzzed out album highlight White Limo sounds like an early (and furious) QOTSA. It’s not just these influences that add some welcome variety to WL, as the “Jonny Cash for the 21st century tones” of I Should Have Known resonate with you for hours after it’s final note. But what shines above all on this truly epic release is the instrumentation. Dave Grohl’s vocal performance and song writing is amongst the best in the last decade here, showing himself as one of the greatest songwriters of all time. But it’s Taylor Hawkins that steals the show on WL. Providing some of the greatest drum fills and tracks I’ve heard in a long, long time, he plays with both awesome technicality and exceptional groove. I really can’t do justice to what an exceptional example of furious, metal-driven stadium rock this, and I’ve decided not to bore you all with needless hyperbole today, so just go buy it. Now.

Foo Fighters - Wasting Light [10]

Ive always been a pretty big Foo fan, so, naturally, have been waiting a fucking lifetime for Wasting Light. And no, it isn’t what I was expecting at all. It’s better in every single way.

It seems that over the years FF had begun to embrace the mainstream more and more, with each release sounding slightly more sterile and poppy. Not to knock those efforts though, as ESPG was a favourite album of mine for about two years. It’s just that none of these ready for radio releases could even compare to the FF’s early work. So to say that WL is a step in the right direction is an understatement in every respect.

Gone is the crystal clear production and shining examples of pop-writing sensibility in a rock format of recent releases, instead being replaced by a pissed off sounding Mr Grohl and co. venting like sweet fuckery and recording the outcome. Considering that the album was recorded in Dave’s basement on an analogue tape, the production is great, yet also retains the feeling of a band jamming, having a great time and producing some exceptional music.

Replacing the poppy, near-ballads of their last few releases with pissed off, punk-fueled rock anthems wasn’t the only change to take place on WL, as the music now has a very prominent psychedelic influence. Whether it’s the Rush and Led Zeppelin esque Rope, or the drug addled, violent and bastard son of Kansas and Journey in the form of Miss The Misery, WL is pretty darn trippy throughout. Even the fuzzed out album highlight White Limo sounds like an early (and furious) QOTSA.

It’s not just these influences that add some welcome variety to WL, as the “Jonny Cash for the 21st century tones” of I Should Have Known resonate with you for hours after it’s final note.

But what shines above all on this truly epic release is the instrumentation. Dave Grohl’s vocal performance and song writing is amongst the best in the last decade here, showing himself as one of the greatest songwriters of all time. But it’s Taylor Hawkins that steals the show on WL. Providing some of the greatest drum fills and tracks I’ve heard in a long, long time, he plays with both awesome technicality and exceptional groove.

I really can’t do justice to what an exceptional example of furious, metal-driven stadium rock this, and I’ve decided not to bore you all with needless hyperbole today, so just go buy it. Now.

Bring Me The Horizon UK tour 2011 with Parkway Drive, Architects and The Devil Wears Prada. *Just as a note, I would like to point out that this gig was scheduled for last week, but due to a power cut, the gig was rescheduled to yesterday. I did, however, get to see TDWP and Architects before said power cut, so am going to make comparisons between their different performances.* On a bill so formidible, it falls to the ever improving The Devil Wears Prada [9.5] to kick the evening off. And by golly do they give everyone a great start to the night. Danger: Wildman’s apocalyptically epic tones kick the evening right up the ass and showcase the band’s ability to write urgent and fantastic anthems. Despite Friday’s stellar performance, TDWP manage to out do themselves in every way possible, throwing a couple different songs in the mix and just completely giving it their all. Not a single member can be faulted here tonight, each giving it 110% in both energy and musicianship. Mike prowls the stage with the presence of a truly legendary frontman, while Jeremy adopts a mask of eerie snares between choruses and sings his heart out during them. Mixing in the old with the new, it’s Anatomy and Outnumbered that really stand out tonight, with the lighting during the latter just looking plan-ass evil. Only just being beaten to the spot of best band tonight, TDWP really can’t return fast enough to our shores. Conversely, Architects [7.5] put on a surprisingly meek show considering Friday’s utterly perfect (and I mean perfect) performance. It seems that many of those who couldn’t make it tonight’s show were Architects fans, so it was never going to be their crowd tonight anyway. Adopting the same tact as TDWP, Architects also chose to mix up the setlist this evening, though instead of enhancing the set, it only detracts slightly from it. Leaving behind their strongest live songs in the form of an (absent) Early Grave and Delete, Rewind, it seems only the likes of BTN and the utterly irrepressible Follow The Water get the crowd really going this evening. It really is a shame, as Architects still put on a great show tonight, but just lack their usual flair that would make them exceptional as per usual. Over the course of both gigs, it seems that 90% of the crowd are present for Parkway Drive [10] and Parkway Drive only. And for good fucking reason too. Managing to utterly devastate a venue and leave a crowd completely breathless is never an easy task, but Parkway do it with such ease that their status as a support act seems entirely unfair. Each band member seems to be enjoying themselves a ridiculous amount tonight, and why shouldn’t they be? Winston McCall has the entire venue eating out of his hand, and he uses this to his advantage fully. No matter how viscous the lyrics, he manages to pull them off astoundingly well, all the while with a grin lingering on his ecstatic face. It’s only when the entire house starts singing the riff to Idols and Anchors that you realise that these boys are about to go supernova and embrace a future full of sold-out arenas. Forging a perfect set-list from their stupidly good back catalogue is another difficult task that the band manage to accomplish with ease, with the likes of Boneyards, Romance Is Dead and, of course, Carrion containing enough supercharged energy to power at least 5 continents for decades to come. The highlight of the night, however, comes in the form of the little dances Winston occasionally does while grinning like a madman. Mesmerising to say the least. Admittedly, I did miss a portion of headliners Bring Me The Horizon [9] set, but not a massive amount. Strangely, it seemed the audio quality slowly decreased over the course of the night, yet this is not nearly enough to faze road dogs BMTH. Blasting through a set that mixes in both their newer, more proggessive material with their unique brand of good old of deathcore, Bring Me are nothing short of eclectic tonight. Their only short coming, however, is that despite all the stage antics and dazzling spectacles they put on, they just can’t compete with Parkway’s set beforehand. There are points when they come damn close, and Oli is still one of the best frontmen in the game, but despite their stellar albums and equally stellar live show, they fall just short. All and all, it was a fantastic evening of brilliant bands, brilliant music and brilliant dancing pulled of by a very happy Australian man, and was made even better by meeting Matt Nicholls and Jona Weinhofen (<3) and the truly, truly lovely Andy Trick. That’s all for now folks, so peace out! Hang Loose! \m/

Bring Me The Horizon UK tour 2011 with Parkway Drive, Architects and The Devil Wears Prada.

*Just as a note, I would like to point out that this gig was scheduled for last week, but due to a power cut, the gig was rescheduled to yesterday. I did, however, get to see TDWP and Architects before said power cut, so am going to make comparisons between their different performances.*

On a bill so formidible, it falls to the ever improving The Devil Wears Prada [9.5] to kick the evening off. And by golly do they give everyone a great start to the night. Danger: Wildman’s apocalyptically epic tones kick the evening right up the ass and showcase the band’s ability to write urgent and fantastic anthems. Despite Friday’s stellar performance, TDWP manage to out do themselves in every way possible, throwing a couple different songs in the mix and just completely giving it their all. Not a single member can be faulted here tonight, each giving it 110% in both energy and musicianship. Mike prowls the stage with the presence of a truly legendary frontman, while Jeremy adopts a mask of eerie snares between choruses and sings his heart out during them. Mixing in the old with the new, it’s Anatomy and Outnumbered that really stand out tonight, with the lighting during the latter just looking plan-ass evil. Only just being beaten to the spot of best band tonight, TDWP really can’t return fast enough to our shores.

Conversely, Architects [7.5] put on a surprisingly meek show considering Friday’s utterly perfect (and I mean perfect) performance. It seems that many of those who couldn’t make it tonight’s show were Architects fans, so it was never going to be their crowd tonight anyway. Adopting the same tact as TDWP, Architects also chose to mix up the setlist this evening, though instead of enhancing the set, it only detracts slightly from it. Leaving behind their strongest live songs in the form of an (absent) Early Grave and Delete, Rewind, it seems only the likes of BTN and the utterly irrepressible Follow The Water get the crowd really going this evening. It really is a shame, as Architects still put on a great show tonight, but just lack their usual flair that would make them exceptional as per usual.

Over the course of both gigs, it seems that 90% of the crowd are present for Parkway Drive [10] and Parkway Drive only. And for good fucking reason too. Managing to utterly devastate a venue and leave a crowd completely breathless is never an easy task, but Parkway do it with such ease that their status as a support act seems entirely unfair. Each band member seems to be enjoying themselves a ridiculous amount tonight, and why shouldn’t they be? Winston McCall has the entire venue eating out of his hand, and he uses this to his advantage fully. No matter how viscous the lyrics, he manages to pull them off astoundingly well, all the while with a grin lingering on his ecstatic face. It’s only when the entire house starts singing the riff to Idols and Anchors that you realise that these boys are about to go supernova and embrace a future full of sold-out arenas. Forging a perfect set-list from their stupidly good back catalogue is another difficult task that the band manage to accomplish with ease, with the likes of Boneyards, Romance Is Dead and, of course, Carrion containing enough supercharged energy to power at least 5 continents for decades to come. The highlight of the night, however, comes in the form of the little dances Winston occasionally does while grinning like a madman. Mesmerising to say the least.

Admittedly, I did miss a portion of headliners Bring Me The Horizon [9] set, but not a massive amount. Strangely, it seemed the audio quality slowly decreased over the course of the night, yet this is not nearly enough to faze road dogs BMTH. Blasting through a set that mixes in both their newer, more proggessive material with their unique brand of good old of deathcore, Bring Me are nothing short of eclectic tonight. Their only short coming, however, is that despite all the stage antics and dazzling spectacles they put on, they just can’t compete with Parkway’s set beforehand. There are points when they come damn close, and Oli is still one of the best frontmen in the game, but despite their stellar albums and equally stellar live show, they fall just short.

All and all, it was a fantastic evening of brilliant bands, brilliant music and brilliant dancing pulled of by a very happy Australian man, and was made even better by meeting Matt Nicholls and Jona Weinhofen (<3) and the truly, truly lovely Andy Trick.

That’s all for now folks, so peace out!

Hang Loose! \m/

It’s Wednesday again!

So today, you guys have two reviews to look forward to! You lucky fuckers …

Seeing as I went to BMTH, Parkway Drive, Architects and TDWP last night (and on Friday as well, but I shall explain that later if you missed what happened), I shall be reviewing all of those guys.

Also, due to this being Wednesday, you can expect your regular Wednesday album review/rant/praise! Although I promised that I’d dissect The Way Of All Flesh by Gojira last week, after last night I am feeling far more in the mood for something with heavy fucking breakdowns, and thus, will be doing the Zombie EP by TDWP instead.

Now 2010 was an awesome year album-wise for me, as it saw the release of some of the greatest albums ever, alongside releases from ALL my favourite bands. Although Deep Blue by Parkway Drive still stands out as my favourite album of all time, the Zombie EP was, by an absolute fucking mile, the best pice of aural excellence to grace my ears last year. I know that, yes, I usually review/praise albums, but I thought I’d make an exception for this truly epic, if short, masterpiece.

So keep your eyes peeled for that later!

Until then, hang loose and peace out!

Crack The Skye by Mastodon

I don’t really know where to start with this album to be quite honest, as it is so epic and ambitious in every sense. The sheer amount of talent and experimentation on show is enough to make Dream Theater green with envy. Full to the brim with talent like they are, Mastodon were always sure to succeed in whatever they put their collective minds to, but this takes all expectations, kick them off of a 12th floor balcony and then proceeds to rub it’s genitles in the mushed remains of said expectations face.

Now lets get this out of the way before anything; this album is fucking trippy. Like seriously so. The ethereal and completely otherworldly textures elevate this album onto plateaus not ventured to since Rush and Hendrix first tried their hand at such things. And this, maybe above all things, is where CTS excels. Taking the listener on a long, but not arduous, journey, it transports one to new planes and emotions. I really cannot do justice to the utterly, utterly perfect texture, timbre and composition of this album, so I suggest you just go and listen to it now.

One of the other most undeniably strong elements of CTS is the tale that it weaves. I won’t try to explain it fully here, but will just tell you that it involves astrally projecting Tsars, Rasputin and enough mind-fucking time-travel to confuse JJ. Abrams.

But enough of the lyrics; it’s time for the instrumentation! And what amazing instrumentation it is! It is an undeniable fact that Mastodon have progressed light-years (if we’re going to be keeping with the sci-fi theme, then that had to be put it quite frankly) since Remission, and here they manage to evolve almost beyond recognition since those sludgy, bone-crushingly heavy days. Yes, there’s little screaming in the Mastodon camp nowadays, and yes, it is a lot “lighter”, but by no means is it worse. Taking the poly-rhythms and surprising yet genius progression that they built their name upon, here Mastodon apply it to a far more classic rock formula. Instead of guttural growls and brutal riffs, here there is old-school solos and heartfelt croons and cries, all executed with the deftest of touches.

Particular mention has to go to Brent Hinds who, as well as carrying the most standout of the quintets vocal performances, truly shines a guitar player. On Divinations, the first single and the album’s highlight track, he opens up with a country-infused riff that lies somewhere between Jonny Cash, Rush and Baroness. Those familiar with Brent’s playing will know that he was raised a country player, and on this album particularly, this shines through. Applying his technically dazzling finger-picking and knowledge of country scales to progressive rock creates an utterly refreshing blend of the two and helps carry the album through to it’s stunning ending.

To conclude then, CTS is not just an album of exceptional quality and talent, but a fantastic experience and trip into pure, etheral bliss. So just go and buy it already.

Next week I shall be reviewing The Way Of All Flesh by Gojira, so keep you eyes peeled for that, and give it a listen or two in the mean time.

Peace out folks.

Wednesday Review; Diamond Eyes by Deftones.

Just as a starting note, I would just like to say WOW. I really can’t remember the last time an album has taken me by surprise this much. Just amazing. I remember sitting casually watching Scuzz when they aired the video for Diamond Eyes, as my jaw was hanging throughout.

Yes, Deftones have always thrown slightly progressive, leftfield hooks into their songs, and yes, they have always had the air of ambient art around them, but not to this extent. Each song here reverberates with such beauty that it rarely leaves you anything short of breathless. The opening song and title track is a great analogy for the album as a whole, as it sums up each high point spectacularly; from the almost Meshuggah-like intro riff to the heartfelt and yearn full chorus, this song is one of polar opposites, yet still coherence. It manages to be both brutal and progressive in the verses without delving deep into the pits of screaming and dissonance as many bands do nowadays (although this isn’t always a bad thing; see The Dillinger Escape Plan.), and also highly catchy and melodic in the chorus without there feeling too much a change between the two or being overly poppy. The whole song echoes with such true beauty and passion that it lays down the foundations for the rest of the album perfectly.

And what a remaining 40 minutes or so. From the utterly crushing Royal, CMND/CTRL and Rocket Skates to the slower, yet no less urgent, Beauty School and Sextape, the album is whirlwind of melody and art. With each note sounding as fresh as a band in their first years, it is truly inspiring to find a band that has been around so long yet still hurtles along with passion and joy. Maybe it was the tragic events surrounding the band, but never have I heard an album sound this ambient yet organic, this magical yet sorrowful or this much as an exorcism of all personal demons.

It is hard to pick a favourite musician here, as it is one of those rare albums where each musician feels equally in the limelight, and each and all of these talented guys manage to put in the performance of their careers, but for me it has to be Chino. To say he experiments here is an understatement. He still retains the mournful yet uplifting and angelic voice that, arguably, Deftones have built their now formidable reputation on, but now we see him add excellent and welcome effects to his voice on many tracks. It is utterly impossible to list all of them here, so just listen to You’ve Seen The Butcher and appreciated the echoey and reverberating verses and auto-tuned yet organic choruses.

There really isn’t enough praise that I could give this album, so I would just like to say that it is one of the finest pieces of epic, ambient art that I have ever had the true privilege to listen to. Pure aural beauty.

‘Till next time folks!

Don’t own them?

Go out and buy them now. Both are epic masterpieces, rich tapestries of art and just totally fucking badass.

Okay, here’s a couple of changes I’ve been thinking about.

First and foremost I want to start doing a weekly album showcase instead of monthly. I’ll start this later this evening and begin with Diamond Eyes by Deftones before moving onto Crack The Skye by Mastodon next wednesday. This isn’t going to be an album review feature, but rather me picking albums that I think are rather excellent and explaing why.

Second off is my shitty theme. Sometime today I will sort this out and provide you with something far more, well, decent really.

That’s it really. Since there are a few more followers now, I will start doing far more regular features and such.

As always, any and all feedback is much appreciated and if any of you could please spread the word about this blog I would be truly grateful.

Hey guys!

Just woke up to a bunch of new followers and a few more notes on my Parkway post, so thank you guys!
And I’m now being followed by Relapse Records?! Cheers guys, that’s booth a massive confidence boost and just generally awesome!
If anyone wants to send me albums to review on either here or on my personal blog, I’ll get cracking with them later this evening when I’m free.
But thank you guys, really. I shall update my shitty theme as a thank you to you all!
Cheers!

gignoskein asked: Fucking awesome reviews dude!

Ah cheers man! Thanks for the follow and positive feedback! :D
If you want me to review anything specific, then just drop me a line either here or on my personal blog (5000-fathoms-deep.tumblr.com sorry I can’t link you atm, I’m on my iPod haha.)
Cheers mate!

Deep Blue by Parkway Drive.

I thought they’d be no better way to kick this new feature off than by picking my favourite album ever!

So here goes:

As a band, Parkway Drive have always been ahead of the game and excelled at what they do, but to say this record was a step up is a major understatement. Taking the formula that they managed to absolutely perfect on Horizons and turning it into a monolith of savage melody was no mean feat, yet it feels like they have done it without even breaking a sweat here.

Creating riffs that are both memorable, melodic, heavy and wholly original is an unenviable task, yet every song on show here is bursting at the seams with them. Never once over the albums duration does one feel tired, bored or anywhere near sick of the music, as the band constantly throw new ideas and experimentation at you with every opportunity.

Be it from the opening barrage of Samsara to Unrest or the utterly brutal closer of Set To Destroy, never once does the music begin to stagnate, as, unlike the vast majority of modern metal records, every song is truly unique.

Deep Blue is one of those albums that demands repeat listening to get its point across, and oh, what a point that is. If you’re following my personal blog, I make it no secret that I am wholeheartedly in love with George Orwell’s masterworks, and any album that opens with a 1984 quote before screaming “EXISTANCE IS SUFFERING!” over a skull-fuckingly heavy breakdown deserves instant respect. But rest assured, this isn’t just a one off ode to Mr Orwell, as the overall arking story of the album (as yes, it is a concept album) is well and truly in the man’s debt.

Telling the fantastic tale of a man sick of the whims and fickality of modern society who decides to seek solace in the ocean’s depths before, well, shit gets apocalyptically awesome, is both poignant, enthralling and totally fucking awesome. Here, Winston McCall proves himself to be one of the finest and most original lyricist of both modern and all time.

What I love about Deep Blue though, is that it is not just an album, but an entire package. Not since Trivium’s Shogun has an album felt so complete. Complemented astoundingly well by Dan Mumford’s unique and beautiful artwork, it allows the character in the story to feel both tangible and 100% relatable.

I could go on for hours about the fantastic drumming, brilliantly crushing bass and FUCKING AWESOME BEATDOWNS, but I shall leave you with this; when was the last time an album both utterly drew you in and entertained you beyond words? Not since Deep Blue I bet.

Hang loose.

Hey guys!

I haven’t updated this in a while, but I though I would do a new type of feature, where, every month, I pick what I think is one of the greatest albums ever and explain why!

So I will start writing up one in a second.

Four Year Strong/Framing Hanley/The Wonder Years @ Bristol O2 Academy

Review time again! Sorry, this one is missing some bands again, as I only saw a couple songs of The Wonder Years, and I know Good Charlotte headlined the tour, but me and my friends were hanging with the guys from Relentless. We got to try the brand new flavour first (cus they loved us) and we should be on the website soon in the form of some “interesting” photos!

The Wonder Years - 7.5/10

(Yeah, as I said, I missed most of these guys set, but I though I’d scrape together a review from what I did see)

Opening a gig to a crowded room is always an un-enviable task for any band, especially one whose tour partners include Four Year Strong and Good Charlotte. Yet it is a challenge that the Wonder Years boys manage to pull of with ease. Despite sounding almost mediocre on record, tonight every band member seems to be giving it their all, to which the crowd respond.

Towards the end of the set, the band even manage to cause a moderately large mosh pit to erupt in the centre of the room. Not exactly at the same level live as bands like Gallows, The Wonder Years none the less pull of an impressive feat here tonight, converting a few in the process.

Framing Hanley - 4/10

Opening to a thumping and astoundingly bassy dubstep/techno track, Framing Hanley unintentionally set the mood for their set as one of energy and crowd-pleasers tonight. To which they fail in every respect.

Admittedly, 3/5 of the band seem to actually be giving it their all, actually playing here tonight, but the other two (a certain lead singer and guitarist) seem to think that the whole night is some kind of photo shoot, posing to any raised camera and acting like completely and utter twats. And talking of being twats, it seems that singing takes second place to hair-fondling tonight.

That’s not to say some of the crowd aren’t suckered in by the terrible display of adolescent arse-holery on show here; every time a lyric is terribly mimed by the guitarist or a fringe is shyly pushed away from a face, every teenage girl in the room seems ready to explode with a mixture of lust and “OHMYGAWD”-ness.

Admittedly, this wouldn’t bother a lot of the more aggressive loving members of the audience (me included) if they actually had the musicality to back of such arrogance. But instead the sound here tonight is just as bland, generic and sterile as on record. Only set closer Hear Me Now seems to contain any valid and skilfully executed musical ideas.

It really is a shame, as the guys in the band who are actually working for it tonight do feel deserving, but until the other two pull their well styled hair dos out of their arses, these boys will never find appeal beyond 13-17 year girls and image obsessed kids in need of a new fashion icon.

Four Year Strong - 9/10

Receiving by far the most warm reception from the crowd tonight, FYS are greeted with a heroes welcome after stepping on from a, quite literally, thunderous intro and starting directly into Tonight We Feel Alive (On A Saturday). Throughout their whole set this evening, FYS manage to goad the crowd into almost deafening volumes.

Knowing what their fans want, they blaze through a set containing all the favourites, strangely missing out Beatdown In The Key Of Happy though. not that it matters to anyone here tonight; every member of the crowd, be they in the pit, the balcony or by the bar is grinning like utter pillocks by the time they close with an astoundingly euphoric Wasting Time (Eternal Summer).

FYS’s true magic though, is in being they’re not. Although they are a Beardcore/Softcore band on record, in the flesh they feel like a straight up HxC band. Dan O’Connor spits and snarls as he preaches to his people, while Joe Weiss looks like he’d be right at home at a Terror or, judging by his choice of shirt tonight, Trapped Under Ice gig. But the main factor adding to this hardcore feel is, by far, Josh Lyford. When not at his synth, he grasps the mic, prowls between the barrier and the stage and repeatedly jumps into the front of the crowd, letting them scream into his mic.

This all comes together beautifully tonight, giving the audience everything they could hope for from this gig, and by the time FYS finish their sadly short set due to time constraints of Good Charlotte’s set etc, every face in the room is awash with joy.

Yeah, if anyone could send me comments again, I’d be pretty darn chuffed. I’m not a 100% happy with this one, so will probably submit another, updated and improved version at a later date. Hang loose!

A Day To Remember/Pierce The Veil @ Bristol O2 Academy.

First off, I know Bayside played as well, but I don’t really like them at all, so I just sat by the bar with girlfriend and played “Rap-man” :D

also, this is my first review, so be kind people!

I’m just gonna rate both bands outta 10, so it’s just a standard structured review really :)

Pierce The Veil - 8/10

Despite the initial backlash by a lot of ADTR fans when they were announced for the tour, Pierce The Veil manage to surprise the vast majority of punters tonight and, judging by conversations amongst the fans afterwards, manage to convert quite a few of them as well.

All four of the PTV boys have a stage presence that could easily see them rocket to the lofty heights as such bands as the headliners tonight, and this is reflected by the crowd’s reaction. Knowing they would be up against a crowd that love their breakdowns and brutality, they wisely choose to play their heavier material, inciting an initially sceptical audience.

With songs like Carerphernalia and a surprising set highlight of a cover of Like A G6 (creating a large scale of batshit-crazy pits from the crowd), the PTV boys manage to leave the stage victorious.

After making every guy in the room scream their love for tits of course.

Watch these boys in the coming months, because it won’t be long until Britain is firmly in the palm of their collective hands.

A Day To Remember - 9.5/10

Selling out a large venue in a foreign country is one thing, but managing to create this much carnage is another thing entirely. Opening with 2nd Sucks, every voice in the room resonates Jeremy McKinnon’s screams, sounding as furious and heartfelt as the man himself.

Causing a level of insanity that even DevilDriver didn’t manage when they played the same venue last year, ADTR storm through a set that contains some of the most urgent and skull-crushing anthems of the last few years. When they brutalise the audience with Mr Highway’s Thinking About The End, not only does every rabid fan in the room scream along to the famous intro, but every verse, chorus and breakdown as well. The sheer level of eagerness on behalf on the fans tonight is an achievement for ADTR in itself, the band often being drowned out by the lyrics screamed along by the crowd.

Accompanied by fit-inducing amounts of strobe lights, two giant confetti and steam cannons and, um, a lot of toilet paper, the band manages to make the show feel like a party. And why shouldn’t it be one? Here is band that have toured, written and worked their asses of for the last few years, and having just released the album of their careers, they have plenty of reasons to celebrate.

Jeremy prowls the stage like some kind of pit-inducing wild lion, fist-bumping fans and giving hand outs to crowd, all the while only causing the already euphoric crowd to become that little bit more insane. His stage presence bounces off relatively new guitarist Kevin Skaff, the interplay between the two during and between songs is astounding; it seems like the two have been selling out stadiums together since birth.

With set highlight Fast Forward To 2012, the band seem completely unstoppable; lights glancing of their faces and well-crafted stage moves, the crowd seeming like they are going to destroy the entire venue by engulfing it in one giant circle pit and the music resonating in the hearts of all present.

After the set “finishes”, Jeremy and Kevin leisurely stroll back on stage, pick up their acoustic guitars and, after some hilarious stage banter, start into a truly beautiful If It Means A Lot To You. With the audience rabidly echoing every syllable uttered, the pair seem perfectly at home. After finishing, they promise that that was the first of not one, not two, but of three encore songs.

Bringing the evening to a close with an astounding Downfall Of Us All and The Plot To Bomb The Panhandle, they leave the stage to a crowd not only ecstatic, but proud; proud that they managed to add to an evening that will stay in the hearts and minds of all those present for years to come.

A Day To Remember aren’t metal you say? Go see them live next time they tour near you then see if you can say that again.

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