Basick vs Siege of Amida Records - All Dayer
Sponsered by Metal Hammer

I travelled 300 miles over night from Newcastle and had less than 3 hours sleep in order to make it to this show but it was more than worth it!

Visions - They kicked off the start of the day, such a unique band in the Tech Metal scene, many try to pull off what they do but most cant. Other than one of their Amp Heads blowing on stage in the middle of their set they were great 8/10!

No Consequence - These guys are a perfect example of a band that has found the right balance between Tech/Groove/Melody and Brutality. Tighter than a Nuns C*nt 9/10!

Against The Flood - They bring Hardcore and Tech-Metal together and create a very energetic blend!
It was good to finally see them too, Ive been waiting for my chance for years! 7/10

Dyscarnate... Fuck me! All I could see around me was pits and headbanging 10/10!

Dripback - did not show up!

The Algorithm - They stole the show in my oppinion, Remi and Mike always throw down hard, but this time they gave it everything they had, the sound was incredible! They easily had the wildest crowd of the night. I expect many of the SOAR followers had not seen this type of thing before,
but whenever I looked around the room, people were either dancing or standing jaw dropped with amazement 10/10!!!

I have to apologize for missing Demoraliser, but I'd been up all night and I'd been traveling all morning so I needed food by that point. However the Vegetarian Thai Food Buffet across the road from The Underworld was top notch so i'll give that a rating instead 9/10!

ALIASES - Their fucking van broke down! DAMN THEM!!! I am so gutted I couldn't see Jay Berast perform with them one last time :( But I can confidentally say that I would have given them a 10/10 because they are one of my all time favourite bands and always put on a show to remember <3
We wish the best of luck to Jay and we welcome to the new vocalist Leigh Dale.

Heart in Hand - Those who know me know that I'm really not that much into hardcore, however Heart in Hand were genuinely awesome! I was nice to see the Tech crowd and Hardcore Crowd united and having a fun time together. These guys make some really nice ambient melodic riffs and there performance was flawless 9/10!

Chimp Spanner - Everytime I watch these guys play, I'm reminded just how much I need to practise my own guitar. Incredible musicainship and a talented performance, I love the fact they make the music the want to play, and dont aspire to sound like everyone else. They mix Cheesy 80s Sci-fi theme tunes with Meshuggah type grooves and as a result they are now leading pioneers in the UK Prog/Tech-Metal scene, 10/10 without a doubt!

Overall it was an awesome day, the crowds vibes were great and everyone was just there to appreciate talented musicains from two completely different scenes.

Well done to Jamie Graham (SOAR) and Nathan 'Barley' Phillips (Basick Records) for putting their beautiful heads together to create this!

Monuments - Gnosis Review

Monuments - Gnosis Review

So now Monuments are fully equiped with a full line up they will be coming to fuck the world harder than ever before! Matt Rose was announced as the new vocalist in May 2012, since then the band has been working hard preparing their release of the long awaited "Gnosis" album.

MONUMENTS “Gnosis” Tracklist (41:13)

1. Admit Defeat - (4:13)

2. Degenerate -  (4:12)

3. Doxa - (4:32)

4. The Uncollective - (3:57)

5. Blue Sky Thinking - (5:13)

6. 97% Static - (4:30)

7. Empty Vessels Make The Most Noise - (3:46)

8. Regenerate - (5:35)

9. Denial - (5:15)

MONUMENTS - Doxa (OFFICIAL ALBUM TRACK)

 

So Gnosis has been a long time coming... 3 years infact, and its definately been worth the wait!
There are some absolute beastly grooves on this record, the type that make you scrunch your face up and start head bobbing before you even realise your doing it. They have mixed a wide range of influences ranging from Meshuggah, SiKth to  Tesseract and have created a unique sound of their own. Matt Rose has definately added a new eliment to the band with his vocals and has hugely expanded Monuments musical horizons stylistically.

MONUMENTS - Degenerate (OFFICIAL ALBUM TRACK).
Taken from the album "Gnosis".
Century Media 2012.




Personally my favourite tracks from the album that I would recommend you to all go and check out would be... Degenerate, Doxa, 97% Static, Empty Vessels Make The Most Noise! I would also highly recommend that you take a listen to "Denial" another incredible track which features guest vocals from Spencer Sotelo (Periphery).

"Gnosis" is an incredible album that will satisfy all you groove addicts out there!
I have full confidense that this album release will take the band to the next level, we have huge expectations for them. Monuments are now finally ready to take on the rest of the world!!!

MONUMENTS - 97% Static (MUSIC VIDEO TEASER)

A sneak peak teaser of the new music video for "97% Static" which will be released shortly!!!

Upcoming Tour Dates

Monuments have recently been announced as part of the Euroblast Tour!!!
Featuring Jeff Loomis, Monuments, Vildhjarta and Stealing Axion.

For more details about Euroblast please visit:
http://www.facebook.com/euroblastcollective
http://www.euroblast.net/
http://www.facebook.com/events/248414641944406/

Line-up:

John Browne – Guitar

Olly Steele – Guitar

Adam Swan – Bass

Mike Malyan – Drums

Matt Rose – Vocals

 

MONUMENTS online:
www.thisismonuments.com
www.facebook.com/thisismonuments
http://www.centurymedia.com/

Pre Order "Gnosis" via Century Media Records here...
http://www.cmdistro.de/Artist/Monuments/1678?Aff=MONDISTRO

For more Monumerch please visit...
http://monuments.firebrandstore.com/

PERIPHERY II

Periphery ii - Full Album Stream

So Periphery have finally announced their latest release "Periphery ii" via Century Media.
You can legally stream the album in it's entirety here via Sumerian Records...

Out July 2nd, 2012 (Digital Download)

Out July 16th, 2012 (Ltd. Edition CD Digipak; CD)

Follow the band for more details: http://www.facebook.com/PeripheryBand

MAKE TOTAL DESTROY - (OFFICIAL VIDEO)
via Century Media





Possibly the best Progressive Metal album of the year? The guitar work is absolutely incredible! The riffs are groovin' harder than ever, and the lead work is just phenomenal!

John Petrucci (Dream Theater) + Wes Hauch (The Faceless) have guest solo's on the album and so does my personal favourite Guthrie Govan (The Aristocrats)!!!

I remember Misha putting out a post asking for anyone that knew Guthrie Govan or Allan Holdsworth that could get them to guest on the upcoming album. I am so happy for them that they managed to make it happen! Perhaps Holdsworth will be on Periphery III? We can only dream!

I think the biggest improvement in the band since the last album is Spencer Sotelo's vocals, you can tell he has had time to mature and develop his sound since the last album.

Every track is amazing, but just to name a few of my favourites definitely check out...
Muramasa, Facepalm Mute, Scarlet, MAKE TOTAL DESTROY, Masamune!!!

The song arrangements feel much more natural and the level of musical creativity is beyond anything they have ever done before. There is much more variation and diversity on this album, however it does seem to follow a theme, thus it should be listened to from start to finish, to truely appreciate how amazing it really is!

The vocal melodies are epic, catchy and much more accessible! I am positive this release will push the band to the next level in their career, I have huge expectations for them.

The overall sound is much heavier than i was expecting, Spencer's screams/roars are fucking brutal!
I love it!!!

The New Bassist Nolly

This week Nolly announced his departure with Red Seas Fire to join Periphery as their full time Bass Player! I am sure he will contribute a huge amount of musical expertise towards the band. Ive met Nolly a quiet a few times, he's an incredible musicain on so many levels, not to mention his vast knowledge of production skills, he is exactly what this band needs and deserves!

European Tour Announced with:
BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME + THE SAFETY FIRE

United Kingdom

1/10/12 – UK – Reading – Sub 89

2/10/12 – UK – Wolverhampton – Slade Rooms

3/10/12 – UK – Glasgow – The Garage

4/10/12 – UK – Newcastle – 02 Academy 2

5/10/12 – UK – Manchester – Club Academy

6/10/12 – UK – Leeds – Cockpit

7/10/12 – UK – Bristol – 02 Academy

8/10/12 – UK – Southampton – The Brook

Europe

10/10/12 – BE – Antwerp – Trix 1

1/10/12 – NL – Amsterdam – Melkweg

12/10/12 – DE – Köln – Luxor

13/10/12 – DE – Münster – Sputnikhalle

14/10/12 – DK – Copenhagen – Vega

16/10/12 – SE – Stockholm – Debaser Slussen

17/10/12 – SE – Gothenburg – Sticky Fingers

18/10/12 – DE – Hamburg – Logo

19/10/12 – DE – Berlin – Lido

20/10/12 – CZ – Prague – Rock Café

22/10/12 – SK – Bratislava – Randall Club

23/10/12 – HU – Budapest – Dürer Kert

24/10/12 – AT – Wien – Szene

25/10/12 – DE – München – Backstage

27/10/12 – IT – Novara – Rock´n´Roll Arena

28/10/12 – CH – Zürich – Dynamo

29/10/12 – DE – Stuttgart – Universum

30/10/12 – DE – Frankfurt – Batschkapp

31/10/12 – FR – Paris – La Maroquinerie

2/11/12 – UK – London – Shepherds Bush Empire

To keep up to date on more Prog/Tech/Djent news please visit us at the

ENGLISH DJENTLEMEN'S QUARTERS on Facebook...

www.english-djentlemen.co.uk

 Mantra - Track Review

Mantra are a Progressive Metal Band from Carlisle Cumbria UK.

After they had split up early last year Alex has recently decided to try and get everyone back on board. If the original members are unavailable then they will be searching for new musicians to join.
So get in touch if you are interested!

"Like" them on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mantra/171240229564281?ref=ts

Valves 2011 Demo




It's an interesting mix here, nice heavy grooves, tight riffage, epic melodies entwind with technicality. To me it sounds like a hybrid mix of bands like Lamb of God, Meshuggah and Pantera with a slight hint of Opeth. I think their sound is very unique and they should continue to persue this route in the future, it suits them a lot!

I very much look forward to hearing new music from them, expect to see them releasing a polished debut EP in the coming months.

Skyharbor EDQ Exclusive 

Ok so for those of you who have not yet heard of Skyharbor I seriously recommend that you check them out. They have an incredible album out called "Blinding white Noise - Illusion & Chaos" available through Basick Records.

Celestial

Take a listen to rest of the album here...

http://music.basickrecords.com/album/blinding-white-noise-illusion-chaos

You can buy their Music and Merch via the Basick Records Online Store...

http://store.basickrecords.com/artist/skyharbor


Skyharbor interview

Keshav: So you used to be called Hydrodjent, is this still a side project you are working on? Or are you now focusing on Skyharbor and using the songs from hydrodjent in this project instead?

That was just a joke name back in the day when there wasn’t such a hue and cry over the word djent. I changed the name to Skyharbor because I felt it suited the music much more and we were starting to get a fair bit of attention and I didn’t want to give the impression that we’re a comedy band or something.

Dan: How did you become involved in Skyharbor?

I remember hearing a Hydrodjent demo on myspace a couple of years ago now. One song in particular called ‘Order 66’ really caught my ear. I messaged Keshav asking if he’d like to collaborate and the rest is history.

Keshav: How long have you guys been together as a band and how long have you been writing your material for the new album “Blinding White Noise”?

As a band, about a year now. I’ve been writing and recording since 2007-08 though, and it just so happened that a lot of the ideas I’d put down over the years got fleshed out into songs that I decided to put on this album.

Dan: You are mentioned as the “guest” vocalist on the album, does this mean that Skyharbor is not a permanent thing for you?

As much as I would love to be a permanent part of Skyharbor I am unfortunately working towards other priorities at the minute. We have a great friendship but who knows what the future holds, we may work together again someday.

Dan: I’ve heard rumours from different people that you are now involved with a pop/rock band where as others have told me you are in an electronic band? Could you tell us more about your other projects that you have become a part of since your departure with Tesseract?

It’s not a secret that I am a busy man. I’ve always been eager to collaborate with different bands / artists with a view to improving my voice, which is what led me to guest on Blinding White Noise. I have two more releases in the near future with ’Absent Hearts’ http://www.facebook.com/weareabsentheartsand ‘Haji’s Kitchen’ http://www.facebook.com/HajisKitchenand aim to release my first solo EP for White Moth Black Butterfly http://www.facebook.com/WhiteMothBlackButterfly. My involvement with these projects existed whilst I was a part of TesseracT, however my future is uncertain. Any developments or news on what I’m up to can be found here http://www.facebook.com/danieltompkinsvocalist

Keshav: How does it feel to be signed to the likes of a Label Basick Records?

Very humbling, very inspiring and very very exciting! About a year or two ago I was like, “man if we could get on a label like Basick someday that would just be the greatest thing ever…ah screw it, it’s just wishful thinking”…and today we’re signed to Basick and part of a family of some of the most important bands in modern progressive music. It’s a crazy feeling!

Keshav: You are from India, is there much of a Prog/Tech/Djent following over there?

Very much so! The local scenes in Mumbai and the north-east parts of India in particular, are really into this new wave of prog and tech metal, and it’s really cool to see people appreciate music like this, and expand their musical vocabularies beyond Metallica.

Anup: I see you are also in Intervals? How does life work for you being in so many projects?

Its hectic but really fun at the same time. Its nice because it keeps me very busy and constantly playing, but as of lately, it has started to get difficult juggling three different schedules (Loomis, Skyharbor, and Intervals). But I feel that all of the people I am working with communicate really well. And good communication does help to keep track of things!!!

Keshav: Have you got any plans to tour outside of your home country in the near future?

I would absolutely love for us to tour abroad! It is really just a matter of us getting an offer that is worthwhile and doesn’t result in us being completely broke. I am so eager to get this stuff to the live stage, hopefully we will tour sooner or later!

Keshav: Any big shows that you have coming up you would like to mention?

Yes! We are supporting the mighty Lamb of God on the 26^thof May in Bangalore – and what’s more, we were hand-picked specially by Chris Adler for this gig. It’s such an incredible honor and I know we’re going to put on the best show of our lives yet!

Anup: Ive heard you’ve been touring with Jeff Loomis, what an honour, how did you get involved in that and is that a permanent thing?

I was actually contacted by Century Media! They came across my Youtube channel and asked if I would make a few audition videos for Jeff. And I just couldn't pass that offer up, so I went for it! My position does seem to have some longevity. I will be touring with Jeff later this year, as well as playing a few festivals with him!

Everyone: How do you guys go about writing a song and then building it into the final product?

So far the writing process has been almost always initiated by myself. I start off with an idea for a riff or a bass line or even a drum groove or synth pattern, and just mess around with it and build stuff around it. It’s like playing with lego, you start off with something small and then keep adding to it bit by bit, and then you take a step back and you’re like, wow this has shaped up into something really cool!

I then present the songs to the rest of the guys and they do their thang!

Everyone: What Equipment do you guys use to perform/record? Give us a quick tour!

I have one guitar – an Ibanez SZ 2020 with Bare Knuckle pickups. I record guitars through an Axe FX Ultra, into a Focusrite Saffire interface into Cubase/Pro Tools in my macbook pro machine. It’s pretty much the same setup live, except the Saffire is being used to control our patch changes and backing tracks and stuff instead of recording.

Everyone: What can we expect from Skyharbor over the next few years? Are you guys got plans work on another release?

I’m planning to take a month off soon to just write as much new material as possible. It’s been a while since BWN was finished and we haven’t really gotten much new material down. I’m aiming to have at least an EP’s worth of material written by the end of this year, and hopefully an album’s worth by next year. And hopefully we will get some good opportunities to play this stuff live!

http://www.facebook.com/Skyharbor7

Skyharbor Featured as our band of the month in May 2012 and released this Exclusive Playthrough of "Maeva" through our youtube channel... 

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO THE: ENGLISH DJENTLEMEN'S QUARTERS YOUTUBE CHANNEL! FOR MORE  EXCUSIVE GOODIES!! :)

To keep up to date on more Prog/Tech/Djent news please visit us at the

ENGLISH DJENTLEMEN'S QUARTERS on Facebook...

www.english-djentlemen.co.uk

Tesseract "Perspective" EP review.

So its been a quite while since we had time to write a review but I would like to share my thoughts on Tesseract's latest release "Perspective" available to perchase from Century Media Records.

Pre-orders available NOW!
EU - http://www.bandstores.co.uk/shop/tesseract/
US - http://www.merchconnectioninc.com/collections/tesseract
Label - http://www.centurymedia.com/

TesseracT - Perspective EP 2012 Trailer

Ok so the EP starts out with "Perfection" the song title pretty much sums up my thoughts on it exactly, its quite literally perfect! Infact, it's just as perfect as the original version was by their ex vocalist Dan Tompkins. I've already listened to this EP at least ten times in a few days of having it on my computer.

There has been some debate as to whether Elliot's voice suits Tesseract or not, for those of you who are still unsure after hearing this stunning EP I would like to refer you to my man Drewsif Stalin for some schooling...

I think Elliot's take on the songs are amazing, his vocals are so unique, ive never heard a voice quite like his. Yes its softer and more feminine than Dan's vocals, but he brings a very bluesy influence in his note choice and bends, he prooves to be just as versatile as Dan was on the original Album "One".

Track 2 is "April", you've probably seen the Instumental Bass Guitar Playthrough performed by Amos Williams, if not check it out here... its fucking awesome!

 

"Origin" is probably my favourite track on the EP, the acoustic guitar work is just incredible! The thing I love about the original album "One" is the wide range of dynamics and textures the band use to create their soundscapes. They have managed to recreate the same vibe with a huge range of diversity again, but on acoustics, a band like Tesseract really does remind us that music is Art, and a fine piece of art "Perspective" is.

There is also a very special cover of Jeff Buckleys "Dream Brother" on the EP too, it works so damn well, they couldnt have chose a better song to cover. They have recreated the original prefectly but added that classic Tesseract sound out of it.

You can listen to the original Jeff Buckley version here...

Officail Video for "Eden 2.0"

There is also a new version of "Eden" on the EP called "Eden 2.0" featuring Elliots rendition of the song. This was released as an official music video way back in October, the vocals are stunning, the revamped guitar parts are sounding amazing and the video its self contains incredibly beautiful imagery, you can tell there was a lot of thought put into the making of this, its very creative.

Summary

"Perspective" is a beautiful piece of Art, Tesseract really are the "Pink Floyd of Groove".

With out a doubt this is set to be one of the top releases this year - Simon

Future Tour Dates

Tesseract have recently been announced for a European Tour supporting Animals as Leaders!!!

Here are the venues and dates...

Upcoming Festivals

Euroblast

Take note that one of the Animals as Leaders tour dates is Euroblast Volume 8 in Germany, I'll be there without a doubt, I've already booked my plane tickets and they havent yet officially announced any bands on the lineup, I just know it will be fucking amazing again!

For more details about Euroblast please visit...

http://www.facebook.com/euroblastcollective

http://www.euroblast.net/

Tech-Fest

I also managed to book them a slot myself for "UK Tech-Metal Fest 2012" alongside Textures, Chimp Spanner, Monuments, Aliases, Uneven Structure and many more!

They will be headlining the third day, ending the Festival with a bang!

For more details head to...

www.uktechfest.com

For more updates follow the band via Facebook...
http://www.facebook.com/tesseractband

Or visit their official website...
http://www.tesseractband.co.uk/

To keep up to date on more Prog/Tech/Djent news please visit us at the

ENGLISH DJENTLEMEN'S QUARTERS on Facebook...

www.english-djentlemen.co.uk

Vectors + Virtues + Unlimited - Derby

So first up tonight was derby 5 peice Vectors. This was the bands first ever show but that did little to deter this band from putting on a strong performance. They seemed a little nervous before the start,but they set off with there intro sample of a speech from american president Obama. Ashley Evans sets the scene of the set nicely with an in your face off the bat intro to the song.They kick off with in my opinion the best track of the whole set Paramnesia. It has its own brand of deathcore with low gutteral vocals mixed with alot of some seriously cutting highs, mixed with some serious groove which is right up my street.They continue on with the rest of the set in the same fashion and its easy to tell after the first song has been played these guys nerves have gone, its now about them having fun. Its easy to tell that they have something good going on and as a new band, are still finding there definitive sound. But with the musicians they have within the band im more than certain they will be a band to reckon with on the uk scene soon enough.

Full set list:
Paramnesia,
Derapture,
Eternal Eclipse
Autumn Breeze

Next up where a band from Canada Unlimited, who unfortunately had to leave both guitarists at home because of visa problems,but did nothing to stop these guys from coming over and putting on one hell of a show. They play a different style to alot of the bands on the bill, but none the less very impressive. With groovey breakdowns that are crushingly heavy all the same left me getting my head nodding. Then i got hit with clean singing that was delivered expertly as a lot of people seem to fail to do these days live. These guys dont mess around putting on a show which i honestly loved to see, the drummer Melvin Murray being a highlight for me as another drummer. Throwing his sticks, spins and an all out energetic performance, also one of the tightest drummers i've had the pleasure to see on an unsigned circuit. Having to play to a backing track of guitars i think he deserves even more credit as thats not easy in the slightest.They are a band thats not typically something i have in my play list often but they really did impress me and are really worth checking out if your fancing something different in your day.

Last but not least its Virtues. Ive had the pleasure of seeing these guys a few times so i knew what to expect, but also something to look forward to with that. Their set is just riddled with groove, and sludge how can that not be good. They start the set with No More Sacrifice which has a bit of a melodic start then goes into what can be described as face melting groove. Singer Foster delivers well with a powerful vocal performance. Second song Dead Space continues the same, opening with total groove which for me is what this band carry off to the fullist. They pull out a new song, Coalition which they have just recorded a video for an will be releasing soon. This track is for me a step up for the Virtues boys, and to say this was the first time they had played it you would not have been able to tell in the slightest. Virtues are a band that you have to see live to experience what they are really about, for me one of the heaviest grooviest bands to come out of the Midlands. High hopes for these guys for next year if you know of them playing your area then get down you will not be dissapointed at all.

Full set list:
No More Sacrifice
Dead Space
Coalition
Vindicated
Never Look Back
Choose Your Own Path.

Mike Rees - English Djentlemens Quarters