We’re seeing ever increasing crowds at prog- and tech-metal gigs these days. It’s not even just the sheer numbers, but the diversity in the crowds that is both exciting and encouraging. Tonight is another example of the clear growth of these sub-genres with Australian maestros Caligula’s Horse bringing along the phenomenal The Hirsch Effekt and the fascinating Four Stroke Baron.
Read MoreWhilst they may well be considered a "name" act, the influence and the impact of Jane's Addiction is incredibly underrated. We tend to look at grunge and bands such asSoundgarden, Smashing Pumpkins and the erstwhile Nirvana as being the architects of alt-metal and our genre’s early '90s U turn away from sword, sorcery, highlighted perms and blatant sexism. However, Jane's Addiction’s astonishing opening salvo of “Nothing’s Shocking” and “Ritual de lo Habitual” were released before either “Nevermind” or “10” had even been recorded and provided the foundations for the seismic and still resonating changes in metal’s DNA. You then add in the fact the first Lollapalooza package (the blueprint for the modern alternative music festival) was created in 1991 purely as a vehicle for Jane's Addiction's farewell tour, and you have a band that has single-handedly and with very little recognition shaped the current world we live in.
Read MoreHow the hell has a band as complex and as unconformist as Tool become a mainstream affair? Usually, when an act reaches a point where it is selling out arenas and headlining festivals, it has had to forego a chunk of its authenticity and individuality to do so. This is not the case with Tool. There has been no candlestein deals with the devil using the currency of souls. This evening in Manchester they exhibit the same level of authenticity that they had when they formed 34 years ago. They have not changed or budged in their eccentric uniqueness, yet fame, fortune and adulation have sought them out without them having to move an inch.
Read MoreVended are a band with a lot of weight on their shoulders, we here at Rockflesh have covered them on numerous occasions including their show at Rebellion and also at Sweden Rock festival, they have become somewhat of a favourite amongst our reviewers. It has become almost an obligation to mention that they are the products of absolute metal royalty, with 2 members having dads who play in Slipknot, as is apparent with their massive Iowa Era influence. Nepotism is part and parcel of music these days, and whilst some bands are almost stealing a living this way, there’s something different about Vended, despite them wearing their familial inspirations quite firmly on their sleeves.
Read MoreNickelback are the band that everyone loves to hate. Fact. Over the past 20 years, they’ve been the butt of all jokes and the subject of countless memes, all because the internet said so. Sure, they’re a little bit safe, a little bit corny, but a band doesn’t maintain their status as an arena band if they don’t have something about them that makes people want to attend their shows. Tonight, at Manchester Arena, they bring their Get Rollin’ tour, to prove to those in attendance that they still have it, even 25+ years into their careers.
Read MoreIn a music scene where, at the lower level, one often finds oneself seeing the same old same old bands and perhaps feeling a little jaded, it’s nice to sometimes feel the fresh breeze of a new experience. Australia’s The Southern River Band aren’t so much a fresh breeze though as a tearing hurricane, and tonight they are bringing their brand of good-time boogie to Liverpool. Word has obviously got around, because although District is a snug venue holding 275 patrons the remaining tickets on the door were down to single figures and inside the venue was hot, sweaty and crowded from the get-go.
Read MoreThese days Bruce Dickinson is irrevocably tied to Iron Maiden. His air-raid siren shrills and cries of "Scream for me (enter name of town)” are as synonymous to the band as is their gargantuan mascot Eddie. However, for the vast majority of the 90’s he was AWOL, jumping ship in 1993 citing a combination of burnout, musical differences, and inter-band tensions. As the ubiquitous hyperactive kid at the back of the class who always has 16 different projects on the go, Bruce was never one to let the grass grow under his feet. During his six-year sabbatical from, arguably, heavy metal's biggest band he managed to produce four rather spiffing solo efforts (his debut effort, Tattooed Millionaire had appeared pre-split in 1990 and very likely hastened his exit.
Read MoreAfter triumphant sets at Damnation Festival last year, both Bossk and Maybeshewill are riding a large wave of momentum at the minute. The two post rock titans are back with new releases, and a new Co Headline tour that is set to be one of the standout tours of the year.
Read MoreIt’s an unusual gig when, in many ways, what is said on stage is almost as important as the music that is played, but that’s very much the case with Toby Jepson’s show tonight. Billed as “My Life in Words”, this is a rare opportunity to sneak a peek behind the curtain of the rock n’ roll show, and hear first-hand what it’s really like, from someone who has lived the highs and the lows, and seen and experienced more than most.
Read MoreWhen it comes to music, the French are having a pretty great time at the minute. They came 4th in the Eurovision Song Contest with an absolute stellar performance, Slift have released what many consider to be their album of year and Gojira are one of the biggest metal bands on the planet right now. Rise of the Northstar are the next band from our neighbours across the channel to represent their country when it comes to continuing this well received momentum. Donned in their trademark white Boiler Suits, the Hardcore/Nu Metal adjacent 5 piece have embarked on their Crank It Up Tour, making stops all across the UK and Europe.
Read MoreLANDMVRKS blew us away when we saw them live for the first time headlining Rebellion in 2022. Tonight, they step-up to the O2 Ritz and bring with them a stellar undercard as well. The night is a wonderful example of the best melodic metal-hardcore from across the world, with heavy riffs, classic hardcore vocals and anthemic melodies a plenty.
Read MoreSymphonic metal is a rather incestuous affair. Nightwish’s Floor Jansen and Epica’s Mark Jansen both come from the ranks of genre pioneers After Forever. Delain Svengali Martijin Westerholt formed that band after he left Within Temptation and Beast in Black came into being when Anton Kabanen was ousted from Battle Beast. Sirenia, the headliner of tonight’s symphonic metal nights package tour came into being when Morten Veland walked away from the similarly musically orientated Tristania. Basically it's like a game of musical chairs, but with more swirling keyboard flourishes.
Read MoreFrench act Resolve have quickly become favourites at Rockflesh towers, with their blend of melodic metalcore. But they’re more than that. They break that pigeonhole with vibrant melodies and energetic groove. We did interview them in early 2023 (video interview) but this time they are back headlining Rebellion in support of their latest rather brilliant release “Human”.
Read MoreFor the genre with a reputation for being poe-faced and humourless, there is an awful lot of comedy metal about. Steel Panther cater for those who still find tits and blatant sexism funny. Evil Scarecrow have made a career of combining metal with Mighty Boosh level surrealism and Raised by Owls manage to be simultaneously hilarious and impenetrable to anybody who doesn't know their Benediction from their Bolthrower. But like a gargantuan skyscraper looming over the whole scene is the behemoth that is Tenacious D.
Read MoreIt's a glorious Bank Holiday Monday, with only the minor threat of major thunderstorms. With that in mind, it’s surely better to be safe indoors with 4 boisterous booming bands? What better place to be than Manchester's favourite gem of a venue, The Star and Garter.
Read MoreGorilla’s stage is packed. Not the venue - although there is a healthy crowd assembling to catch The Dusk Brothers set – but the stage itself. Sandwiched between When Rivers Meets drums and back line is what looks at first glance like a veritable junkyard but on closer inspection is actually the self-assembled and DIY instruments that are the band’s trademark. There are drum kits made out of repurposed oil drums, sheets of metal hanging from a frame as another percussive element, a bright red megaphone, even a theremin.
Read MoreThere’s a single mic stand centre stage.
Draped with a leopard print scarf, it’s a striking visual in its own right, but it also means that at a glance you immediately know what to expect from tonight’s first band, Continental Lovers. Like the best band you were too young to see back in the day, Continental Lovers appear to have been cryogenically frozen in a trash can in an alley at the back of CBGBs sometime in the seventies or eighties, only to be reanimated for the 21st century. Wearing their tattooed hearts on their decadently debonair sleeves, the band fire off a riotous salvo of beautifully barbed two-or three-minute glitter punk anthems.
Read MoreWhen you think about The Wildhearts, there are certain pictures that immediately come to mind. From a musical point of view they are very positive, but from a relationship point of view there has been a toxic dynamic for a long time. The band thrives, falls apart, splits, reforms, thrives, falls apart, splits in an endless cycle that has gone on for years now. Eventually there has to come a point in any dysfunctional situation where you have to walk away for the sake of your own sanity, and it seems that after many years of being drawn back in for the highs, CJ has finally managed to find himself in a situation where he is older, wiser, and comfortable in his own skin.
Read MoreTransatlantic metal supergroup Kill The Lights are currently touring on the back of their new album “Death Melodies” and it’s a real treat to catch them in such an intimate venue such as The Star & Garter in Manchester. We manage to get an interview with vocalist James and drummer Moose before the gig (you can watch that here), and we’re promised songs both new and old from the now established and polished metal titans.
Read MorePedigree. That’s the first thing that comes to mind tonight. Back in the day there used to be an occasional item in Sounds magazine, or sometimes Kerrang, that later became both a tv series and a book. It was called Rock Family Trees, and essentially it managed to trace links between rock bands of all sizes and statures in a giant spiderweb of connections and surprising bandmates. These were then presented in an easy-to-understand format that made sense and was often interesting and fascinating at the same time. In a way, that’s kind of why I’m here tonight. Can you imagine a link between tonight’s headliners The Cruel Knives and Led Zeppelin for example? No? Read on, all will be revealed!
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