As you might have noticed, Howl & Echoes has proudly started paying a little more attention to the louder side of things in terms of both Australian and international music. 2016 was somewhat of a watershed year for heavy music, with upcoming and well-established names racing to the top of their various scenes, ushering in a new age of exciting sounds. We even saw a few heavy songs in the Hottest 100 this week, thanks to the popularity of The Amity Affliction and Violent Soho (who aren’t exactly metal, but it was still great to see so many loud songs make their way into the countdown). So while 2016 was overflowing with great new music (you can read all about our favourite metal albums right here), 2017 has already begun gifting us with many excellent new tunes. So without further ado, don your battle jacket and footy shorts: here’s our favourite new heavy singles of January 2017.
Northlane, Intuition
Northlane are the home-grown heroes who never seem to go away. It feels like yesterday that the group ushered in new vocalist Marcus Bridge before dropping the polarising and addictive Node on the world. In the two years since, the band have learnt how to level out some of our biggest venues and seem to be constantly striving to evolve their mysterious, djent-inspired metalcore sound. New single Intuition is no exception, taking some of the heavier, thrashier elements of the band’s back catalogue and fusing them with the dark melodic abilities of Bridge. 2017 is going to be huge for these boys.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1q5bv1loKY
Thy Art Is Murder, No Absolution
The Sydney deathcore titans sent the internet into meltdown when vocalist CJ McMahon reunited with the band onstage at Unify earlier this month. After a relentless 12 months on the road in support of their last album Holy War, which largely consisted of stand-in vocalists for the band’s biggest international shows to date, the boys have dropped this absolute banger with CJ back on the pipes and are no doubt gearing up for album number 4. Pro tip: stay away from anything breakable in your house when the breakdown at 1:04 hits.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpXpK_kmB7w
Boris The Blade, Paralysed
Keeping with the fringes and skinny jeans for just a moment, we turn our attention to Sydney-siders Boris The Blade who have dropped this huge slab in the past few weeks. To be fair there isn’t much here that hasn’t been heard before, but sometimes a back to basics is all you need to see you through the day. With its gut-wrenching screams, squealing guitar harmonics, thundering double kicks and *insert brutal adjective* breakdowns these boys provide the perfect get me up to kick off the week. Their new album Warpath dropped this week.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qDTDZnyb2o
Ocean Grove, Intimate Alien
Alright, so the single came out at the tail-end of December and the album’s out at the start of Feb, but we’re counting it here anyway. The evolution of this band over the past 12 months has been outstanding, and this latest offering, which was the first slice of material from their forthcoming album The Rhapsody Tapes, due out February 3rd, is everything a metalhead with an open mind could ever want. Huge riffs, some hip-hop influenced rhymes, choppy fills and one of the weirdest video clips of the past 12 months. Find out what the hell it all means in our interview with the band here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2LO5FyASDU
Planning for Burial, Whiskey and Wine
This is the first taste of Planning for Burial’s new album Below The House. Completely designed and arranged by one Thom Wasluck, this song did not come from a place of peace or contentment or happiness. It opens with a bleak, relentless repetition of huge riffs, and the addition of Wasluck’s distant, tormented screeches and the odd pinch of feedback altogether form a dark, assaulting cacophony. And while the continues its relentless march forward, toward the end, the rain clears, and the sun shines through. I’ll be really interested to see whether the end of this track is merely the eye of the storm, or if it continues on to a softer opening for what comes next on the full album.
Mastodon, Sultan’s Curse
Even if you’re not strictly a metal fan, the prospect of new Mastodon should still get you excited. There aren’t many stones that the American prog-masters have left unturned in their sensational career so far but this new cut feels as fresh as ever, so we can’t wait to hear their newly-announced album in full. Mixing the melodic elements of 2010’s The Hunter with the psychedelic atmospherics of their 2008 masterpiece Crack The Skye, the boys are back in a very big way. Bonus points for their bluesiest solo committed to record yet. The song is the first cut off the forthcoming new record Emperor Of The Sand, due out in the coming months. All aboard the hype train!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Og39iIBeOHI&feature=youtu.be&app=desktop
Firewind, Back On The Throne
Finally, a little solace is offered here from Greek power metal warriors Firewind. While the genre may seem outdated and, let’s be honest, a bit geeky for some, guitarist Gus G and co. show that the genre isn’t limited to (or by) Dungeons and Dragons. This latest single shreds with a god almighty absolute fury, serving up a collection of meaty riffs and powerful, operatic vocals that will thrill any fan of the more traditional elements of heavy music. Their new album Immortals is out now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJek1DFOaMg
Image: Metal Archives
It’s never been clearer that the Australian heavy music scene has a lot to say, and it’s finally being heard. Melbourne band Ocean Grove are testament to this, having risen from youth centre gigs to arena tours alongside Northlane and In Hearts Wake in under two years. After causing a massive ruckus with their genre-defying EP Black Label and really catching our attention with breakout single Lights On Kind Of Lover, the band have inked an international record deal with UNFD, and are about to unleash their debut album The Rhapsody Tapes on February 3rd. We caught up with vocalist Luke Holmes to discuss where things are at with the band, being self-proclaimed “odd world music” and how it feels to be one of the only Australian metal acts to score a coveted Triple J feature album.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UHXwXoc53w
It’s been a crazy 18 months for you guys, moving from small local shows to arena tours and an international record deal. How are you feeling about 2017?
Things have changed a lot, but as much as things have really taken off in the last 18 months, it has been a slow progression. Playing those local venues has made us really appreciate the big shows and opportunities that you get because we’ve definitely played to rooms full of nobody, so it makes you love it more. It is crazy how everything is happening, and we’ve had a lot of luck as well with being added on as a Triple J feature album. It’s worked out that we’ve been able to release an album at the same time as being on tour with The Amity Affliction, so there’s these massive audience to hear the new songs and turn their attention to the fact that we are about to release an album. It’s a really exciting time, we’re just happy to be able to play music, as well as ticking off our goals – when we started we wrote down some goals on a piece of paper, and we are lucky enough to have ticked a couple of them off!
What are some goals that you hope to tick off over the next 12 months?
Going overseas is something that we never really thought we’d have the chance to do, but we’re now lucky enough to have a bit of a scene behind us in Europe and a label backing, so I think the next step for us is to take our sound overseas and see more of the world. It’s crazy to think that we’re at the point now where we can go overseas to play and experience different cultures and meet so many people. It’s such an indirect route through life; it got to the point with those goals, where we had met most of them. We met a couple months ago to have a discussion about the band and how we’d go forward, and we decided to set our sights on starting the year off with a bang with an album coming out and all that stuff. And here we are having somehow landed the [triple j] feature album and having all these great things coming our way. Anything from here on is a bonus. We’re just trying to soak it all in.
The record has this running theme with The Rhapsody Tapes and The Rhapsody Manifesto. Where did that concept come from and is there any more background that you might want to share?
A lot of our ideas are quite spontaneous, we don’t really sit around developing these crazy ideas in our heads. We knew that we were signing to a record label, and what comes with that is this kind of instant fanbase of people who suddenly turn their heads in your direction. With the manifesto, it was to say “If you’re hearing about us for the first time, this is what we’re about.” It all ties in with the record which is trying to define a sound. We have a mantra that we wanna stick to, and that’s to push our own boundaries in a creative sense and to pour passion into what we’re doing. We’re so happy to have written a record that, regardless of how well it does, will reflect our own challenges as people and our own musical sense. I hope that when the world listens to the record they can see that even if it’s not for them, we’re trying to do something that’s really different and unique.
It’s the sum total of six guys getting together with all their different music tastes and influences. When you have six people together who have all grown up together, and you get to that point of making a debut album, it has massive connotations for you. We didn’t want to leave any stone unturned. We didn’t want any fillers, we wanted 12 songs that could be stand-alone songs. What’s got me excited is that each person who has heard the album has had different favourite songs. That really speaks volumes for the fact that we’ve made an album that’s different and doesn’t get stale.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2LO5FyASDU
There is so much emphasis on local scenes in the hardcore community. As you continue crafting your own sound, do you still work to maintain that local connection?
I think we’re always gonna be quite ingrained in, and appreciative of our local scene. It’s a community that is so tightly knit and very unique and stays under the radar. It’s taught us so many things that you can take through life and all over the world, it’s a place where you can meet new people and have those conversations that open your thinking. The local scene is where we’ve spent a majority of our time as a band so for us to tap into a bigger audience that might hear us on the radio is incredible, but some of our local gigs have been the best shows we’ve ever played. It’s a character building exercise for all the people in the band. We are very proud of the fact that we are part of that community that is starting to slowly take over.
To finish up, you describe your genre as “odd world music”, and that you take influence from genres like hip-hop and punk as well as metal. It’s usually a generic question to ask, but considering what on earth influenced the band when you were recording The Rhapsody Tapes?
It’s pretty much impossible to pin it down to the one thing but when you look at this record from the outside the things that influenced it include movie soundtracks and video game soundtracks as well as art and allowing visual inspiration to rub off on the sound. Even the videos that accompany the songs are so linked in with the sounds that we have going on. We are very DIY when it comes to making a record so we allow a heap of influences to come in over a multitude of platforms. For me, there was a very heavy influence from soundtrack music and 90’s music like Fatboy Slim and Massive Attack – I’m not that much of a heavy music listener myself. The other guys in the band listen to surf rock and a whole bunch of different things. There were even parts of the record on which I was heavily influenced by watching the show Stranger Things, as well on binging on sci-fi. It all went into the writing of the music.
There was a time I was into Jake Bugg and all that kind of stuff- we just brought everything that we’ve been into over the past couple of years to the table. With the odd world theme, it encompasses our music videos, artwork and the like. We are trying to create our own sense of hyper-reality, and we understand that it can be quite ambiguous for the audience at times. Overall, though, I think that we have been really good at communicating all of these different influences, and the best part of it all is that there are influences in there that I’ve never delved into myself. To be able to write over it with very fresh ears and not knowing what the done thing should be, I think that made the album more interesting and made it what it was, which is a record that is interesting from start to finish.
Ocean Grove is currently touring the country supporting The Amity Affliction and Hellions on the Death To Misery tour. See below for all remaining dates.
The Amity Affliction ‘Death To Misery’ Australian Tour W/ Hellions & Ocean Grove
Wednesday, January 25: Ex-Servicemen’s Club, Coffs Harbour
Thursday, January 26: Bar On The Hill, Newcastle SOLD OUT
Friday, January 27: Waves, Wollongong SOLD OUT
Saturday, January 28: ANU Bar, Canberra
Thursday, February 2: Chelsea Heights Hotel, Frankston SOLD OUT
Friday, February 3: The Arena, Geelong
Saturday, February 4: Hobart Uni, Hobart
For all remaining tickets, click here.
Image: UNFD
While we love watching Australian artists slowly crack the overseas market, it’s equally exciting when hidden gems from lands afar begin to stamp their mark on our own live scene.
Enter Phantogram, the dark electro-rock duo from New York who have had the J’s in a spin for the past few months over their single You Don’t Get Me High Anymore. Whilst members Sarah Barthel and Josh Carter have been turning heads for the better part of half a decade, the pair have only just begun to truly make an impression in Australia, having recently completed a huge run of summer dates taking in the likes of Beyond The Valley and Field Day.
We were lucky enough to catch the pair at the latter, finding the time to ask about what inspired their darkly impressionable third album Three, as well as what’s on the horizon for the new year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jryzEU7WAlg
It’s been a huge year for you guys. Talk us through your highlights?
Josh: Obviously releasing our new album was a big thing for us. It’s a very cathartic record so that’s been a good experience for us personally to put it out in the open and show that to people. Taking it around the world and seeing people respond so positively to the music has just been amazing for us. I think taking it over to Europe was definitely a big highlight.
As you’ve just mentioned, it’s a cathartic record. Sarah, you’ve said yourself that you’re drawn to dark music. Did that influence this album?
Sarah: It did in a musical sense. I think with what we’ve been through in the past few years this album more reflected individual experiences that both we and other people have been through. I had a death in the family right in the middle of recording, which affected the path of the album thematically.
In a way, we are lucky enough to have music as something which we can draw upon to heal and deal with trauma. I think that’s why this album has had such a darker feel to it.
Josh: As we get older we go through so many different experiences and meet so many different people so that in itself can open your mind to what other people go through.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpxm1qWgzRA
Was it a scary experience sharing those personal experiences with so many people?
Josh: Like we said. it was more of a way that we could process everything. It’s been amazing meeting so many people around the world who have been able to relate to the record in their own way. I think that is what makes it all worth it for us, the fact that despite us opening up on such intense experiences, people are still able to relate to it in their own way.
At the end of the day, when you’re creating art, that’s the kind of reaction that I think you want to try and get out of people.
The album itself was very succinct – it ran for just over half an hour. Was that something that you guys did on purpose?
Sarah: It wasn’t something that we went out of our way to do, but we do like to keep things simple with records. The album itself has 10 songs, which we feel is a pretty good length for an album.
Josh: There are albums out there nowadays which are just too long, particularly in the hip-hop world. Like, that new Kanye West record (The Life Of Pablo) had like 20 songs on it or something. You don’t need to do that. If an album is too long then people are going to lose interest. If you keep things shorter it can have more impact, and that’s what we were going for on Three.
Just to wrap up, you guys have done a few collaborations in the past few years, including an amazing effort with Big Boi a few years ago. Are there any more collaborations coming up?
Sarah: For sure there are! We love collaborating with other artists, especially now with the internet. It’s so much easier. We can’t give too much away, but we are planning on having a big 2017 with some collaborations.
Josh: We’ve been doing some writing with artists over in the States for the past few months. One thing that I can tell you is that we did some music making with Odesza a few months back which was really great, so watch this space and we will see what happens!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsQjC5zVnt8
Image: Pitchfork
You’d be hard pressed to find an Aussie hip-hop act who had a better 2016 than Remi. From playing entirely sold out tours across the country, as well as every major festival, to releasing his critically acclaimed album Divas and Demons, to speaking openly about racism and mental health, he’s about as relevant and necessary as they come. Kicking off 2017 with a bang, Remi performed at Sydney’s Field Day on January 1, where we were lucky to have a quick chat with the man himself about the year that’s passed, and looking ahead.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrW7GNFwPsM
What are you guys getting up to after Field Day?
We’re heading up to Byron Bay for Falls Festival. It’s been a great tour. We did Southbound last Tuesday and Lorne on Friday, plus the Marion Bay show of course.
Were you guys around when the big crush happened after the DMA’s set?
Yeah, we heard all about it. DMA’s were the set after us. At the time we had no idea because we just got in the car and left, but we found out the day after when we woke up. It was so sad because DMA’s killed it. The worst part was that they didn’t have enough exits. It was so closed off and I understand that they need to do that for sound and all that, but when it comes to it if you have 19 people with serious injuries that really sucks.
On a more positive note, 2016 was a huge year for you. What were some personal highlights?
We were lucky enough to go out to Kalkarindji in the Northern Territory, about 10 hours south of Darwin, and celebrate the 50 year anniversary of the Wave Hill Cattle Station walk-off. It was such a beautiful thing to be involved in. We were the only non-indigenous act that were invited to come and play, so that was an honour, it felt special. We didn’t really know what we were getting into before we did the gig, but as soon as we rocked up the community welcomed us with so much love and positivity. It’s something that isn’t promoted enough when it comes to people who are indigenous. People can make them out to be some kind of animal or beast, which is so far from the truth. They treated us better than lots of people treat us here, so that was my personal highlight.
Indigenous artists are definitely gaining more momentum right now.
They are so under-represented but one of the most beautiful things that we’ve seen this year is the acceptance of A.B. Original‘s new album Reclaim Australia, along with the amazing stuff that they are doing through the live scene. There have been some incredible voices for the youth as well through cats like Thelma Plum. People that are willing to sacrifice their own personal peace to point out what is wrong. They speak their mind which can take a lot of heart to do. Everybody knows that the hardest thing is to speak out when it’s against the masses. They do that and they warrant a lot of respect for that.
You spoke a lot about your own mental demons on your new album. Was it cathartic to put all those feelings into a record?
Definitely. With time, making that kind of record, even if you get over your demons, it helps you process it. At the same time, if you go back to writing music in a similar headspace, you don’t want to hear that shit again. You don’t want to be living in that world. It would be so easy to just continually be creating music that’s sad because that’s what the world is like.
When you released the record do you write for personal catharsis, or does the audience play a role?
People connected to the song Substance Therapy because they could draw it back to their own experiences. It’s both a fortunate and unfortunate thing that it’s struck such a chord with people.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gwfm9wuIj40
And has performing it on tour taken its toll mentally?
I’m in a weird spot where some songs are too personal and we don’t perform them, but for other songs I don’t really think about it. I’m more thinking about the people in front of us and how they can get out their own emotions. It’s also hard to be as depressed as we were when we wrote those tunes when you have a whole bunch of people that are supporting you and showing you love. Especially when they tell you about how they listened to them and how they helped them and all that stuff. For us, we love people, so it helps so much. We were those kids with the headphones on listening to tunes, so to be on the other side of the fence is amazing.
When you recorded the songs, did you know they would be too personal to perform live?
I didn’t think that when I recorded them, but I also don’t ever think about performing live when I’m writing a song. I don’t think that the style of music that we make, that taking into account how people are going to react is going to be beneficial. We saw London Grammar last night, and they play chilled out stuff, but people are just going wild. It’s crazy. You see that, and we saw Matt Corby as well, and a lot of his songs, it’s not like you’re hearing a banger, you’re hearing these heartfelt songs. I don’t ever let that get into my mind, because if the song is good enough then people will love that shit. One of my favourite songs is by Jay Electronica, and it’s called Better In Tune With The Infinite. It doesn’t have a drop, but I would lose my damn mind if I heard that song live.
There’s some stuff, where if you’re talking about some sort of trauma, whether it be relationship trauma or depression trauma, if you continuously live there you’re not moving on – and that’s the whole point. You’re sad because you’re a human being, but most of the time it’s about that separation where one day you can wake up and realise “You know what, everything’s cool.” If you always rap about it and keep talking about it, you’re going to fantasise about the past and that’s the most dangerous place to get lost in because you can never go back.
Image: Dani Hansen for Howl & Echoes
One of the weirdest and wonderful-est men in heavy music, Devin Townsend, blessed us in 2016 with a fantastic new album, Transcendence. The enigmatic shred lord/ otherworldly vocalist who dropped one of the best heavy albums of 2016 and is set to tour our shores later this year, but musical achievements and forthcoming tours aside, one can’t deny that the man is just a bit strange. In support of the new record, Heavy Devy chatted to Vice’s music website Noisey, and the results were pretty damn hilarious. We’ve selected our four favourite moments from this interesting chat for you to enjoy!
On his upcoming cock symphony (yep.)
“I’m here at Sony tonight to pitch something I need ten million bucks for…it’s this symphony with all these cocks and vaginas and death and it’s gotta be so over-the-top, with symphonies and choirs and it’s got to include the best of the best and it’s so fucking expensive!”
With seven solo albums in the bank, what is one’s logical course of action? To release a symphony celebrating sexual liberation and death, of course! The project, called The Moth, will be a musical production of sorts that will seek to push artistic and cultural boundaries of acceptance. The singer went on the note that “I love that idea of absurdity and spectacle coming together.” In 2017 there seems to be enough of that on the internet itself, but we’re always open to new ideas…?
On meet and greets
“Meet-and-greets fucking beat the shit out of you… you really have to invest yourself and be present and ready to talk to people and sometimes accept hyperbolic praise or criticism…some bands are like, “Fuck that, you can come meet me at the bar.” I never go to the bar and if I am at the bar, please don’t talk to me because I’m there to hang out with my friends.”
The next time you pay for a meet and greet with Devin Townsend, just remember to not drop any hyperbolic praise in his presence. And while it can be hard to resist chatting to your musical idols and getting a selfie for the ‘Gram, just… try to leave him alone. The man has a cock symphony to write, after all.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nubJjB95VdY
On shoving Jay Lenno’s phone up his sphincter (…yep)
” It started out with me and my friend alone in the room and we blacked the windows out, so we were just being idiots and taking naked pictures and everything—it seems super homoerotic looking back. But then you think, “Ah, you could stick the phone up your ass! That’s a clever idea,” until they called us on it and we will never go back to The Tonight Show.”
This is why prog can’t have nice things. There are so many unanswered questions as to how someone can write music as mature and thought-provoking, yet take such…drastic action when in possession of others property. A hint to those attending Devin’s tour… if you’re going to be an asshole, keep your phone far, far away.
On a Strapping Young Lad reunion
“I wouldn’t reform Strapping for the same reason I never did coke or heroin, because I know myself enough to know what’s good and healthy for me. Life is literally for living, so why would you want to spend time being a martyr for people?”
Why this may come as heart-breaking news to some, let’s not forget the cringy ness that John Farnham and KISS reunion tours evoke. One listen to Devin’s latest offering Transcendence will be enough to convince you that Devon is purely a man of the moment. The message here is the same to the Porcupine Tree diehards stalking Steven Wilson- these artists are at their brilliant best right now. Let their early work live in happy memory, and enjoy what they are giving you right now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhcoLO8vZZU
Devin Townsend will tour Australia in May this year. Sleepmakeswaves will be supporting all shows.
The Devin Townsend Project Australian Tour 2017
Saturday, 20th May: The Triffid, Brisbane
Monday, 22nd May: Enmore Theatre, Sydney
Wednesday, 24th May: 170 Russell, Melbourne
Friday, 26th May: Capitol, Perth
Tickets to all shows are available through MJR Presents.
Check out all of our favourite heavy albums of 2016!
Image: Metal Injection
Another day, another supergroup featuring members of Mastodon, Queens of the Stone Age and At The Drive In. Not to be deterred by past ventures (looking at you Kill Or Be Killed) it’s important to remember that you can never judge a book by its front cover, nor its imperfect back catalogue. Gone Is Gone are the latest collaborative effort to emerge from the contemporary metal scene, and one of the most likely to produce something that sounds genuinely unique. The casting on paper shows the promise of the project. With QOTSA/ A Perfect Circle/ Eagles Of Death Metal guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen, ATDI drummer Tony Haajar, freelance composer and multi-instrumentalist Mike Zarin and Mastodon bassist Troy Sanders, the group are kicking off 2017 with a very loud bang on debut album Echolocation. The LP promises a script of musical innovation and dark creativity. But does it deliver on originality, or does it fall by the wayside, dismantled by a collection of grinding musical egos?
The opening combination of Sentient and Gift suggests the former. From the beginning, a diverse range of musical flavours can be heard. The introduction is steeped in atmospheric ambience and mystique, not unlike the work of APC. From there the song descends into a doom-laden march that perfectly complements Sanders’ sludgy vocals, whilst Gift serves as yang to the yin, brightly bopping along with an unsettling, yet addictive urgency.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rlp4dPvrkMg
Although each member of Gone Is Gone can claim series metal pedigrees, it would be a stretch to label this a metal record. Resurge shuffles along with hint of that southern desert flavour that makes QOTSA such a musical force, while Van Leeuwen’s fingerprint can be felt on the grim and dreary Dublin.
As the album progresses, there are a few ‘too many cooks in the kitchen’ moments, where you can practically see each member of the supergroup overthinking the construction. Ornament starts with a vocal fanfare that shows plenty of promise but never seems to quite get off the mark, save for the ending psychedelic jam that cautiously begins to develop before wrapping up too fast. Likewise, Colourfade floats through the murky waters of prog and sludge but dynamically doesn’t offer much variation.
That said, the background, home turf and influence of each member is to be considered; there’s no way that these many heavy music legends could come together and simply work seamlessly, without too many tugs in opposing directions, especially when comparing this album to, say, the entire back catalogue and established sound of a group like QOTSA or Mastodon. The musical chemistry here didn’t have those years to establish itself fluidly, with minimal time in the studio in order to meet the demands of scheduling for each member. With that in mind, Echolocation goes a long way to display the potential that this meeting of the minds can produce. Pawns bring the balls-heavy sludge that can be heard so clearly in the early Mastodon recordings, while the more experimental Slow Awakening and Fast Awakening sees the band really dipping their toes into the geekier side of concept composition; the former slowly and painfully establishes a rock solid foundation for the latter, which quickly becomes a flurrying rampage of screaming guitars and pounding percussion.
The main issue with the album is that it tends to feel a little stale, lacking enough diversity and drive to keep is dynamic and engaging. Thankfully, the album’s second half offers some variation, notably through the rustic, scruffy acoustics of Resolve. Think of this track as a soundtrack to the kind of scene featuring an old-timey bearded blacksmith getting sentimental with his son, and you have the essence of Resolve.
The title track closes out the record, offering the most variety since Gift. With an Eastern-influenced synth riff, the song calmly establishes a steady pace before breaking down into a dark, grungy chorus that shows off the kind of memorable hook that would have kept this kind of energy up throughout the entire record.
Overall, Echolocation rates as an above average first outing for a supergroup. There are dull moments scattered throughout, but as a body of work the sounds and structures are both unique and interesting, especially when you consider the background of each band member. With the limited amount of time available to members the variety of sounds achieved is certainly impressive. 2016 was the year contemporary metal artists took centre stage and brought some much-needed innovation to the genre. Echolocation isn’t blowing any minds, but it certainly offers something new, and marks the start of what is hopefully another year of challenging, boundary-pushing heavy music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5PyweqIDkA
Image: Supplied
50 years is a long time in the history of music. In five decades we’ve seen an evolution in the world of music and entertainment, from the gramophone to the headphones, from vinyl to streaming, from concert halls to thousands of people crammed onto muddy fields, and thousands more streaming said muddy fields from all corners of the globe.
For most bands, especially today, it’s hard to remain relevant for more than a couple of years, let alone 50. Then again, rock ‘n roll existed before streaming and social media and hip-hop and reality TV programs and the internet. And in some ways, this has allowed bands like The Doors to remain legendary and immortalised in a way that no rock band would be able to establish here in 2017.
The LA rock legends fronted by the late, great Jim Morrison can be added to the list of groups who stood the test of time, with the surviving members of the band reuniting and celebrating their 50th anniversary on Wednesday.
Known for their enigmatic performances, Morrison’s incredible stage presence and poetic lyrics, and their groundbreaking keys-laden take on psychedelic and blues rock, the group celebrated their half-century in style with a huge ceremony at their spiritual home of Venice in L.A.
After local council member Mike Borin declared January 4th “Day of the Doors”, remaining members of the band Robbie Krieger and John Densmore took to the stage to perform a loose version of their timeless classic L.A Woman to an adoring crowd. Watch the full video below.
Speaking with Rolling Stone, Densmore noted how “the ocean is right out there, and that’s how Jim got the idea to write the song Moonlight Drive… our roots are here.”
Speaking about what Jim Morrison would have thought of the reunion, Kreiger noted that “I have no idea what Jim would have done or said because it would have been something different.
“I bet you he would have been here and he would have dug it. I think he would have been proud.”
Jim Morrison passed away in 1971 at the tragic age of 27 in Paris, whilst final founding member Ray Manzarek passed away in 2013 after a battle with cancer.
A look back at the band’s remarkable history, and it’s not hard to understand why they were such a culturally significant force. It begs the question of what our grandchildren will think of Kanye in 2066.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgQg3J7xU1k
Image: PopMatters
Black Sabbath lead guitarist Tony Iommi will long be remembered as one of the most influential musicians of all time, with many viewing his early work with the band as having laid the foundations for all heavy metal.
Now, as the band come to the end of their career, the riff lord has been commissioned by the Dean of Birmingham Rev. Catherine Ogle to produce a piece of music for the Birmingham Cathedral, complete with orchestral elements and a children’s choir. The result is stunning.
Titled How Good It Is, the song opens with some classic Sabbath-style acoustic guitars and electric solos before the choir enter the fray with beautiful medieval melodies.
As the song progresses, strings are added to the texture and combine with the acoustics and vocals to give the song unmistakably Celtic feel. It’s beautiful, atmospheric and dark, with the entrance of the organ at the song’s conclusion feeling particularly foreboding. Listen below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5r-9-5T93N8
After nearly 50 years in the game, Tony Iommi and co. played their final show as Black Sabbath in Moscow last July at the Olympic Stadium. You can watch the entire farewell show here.
Still, as sad as the post-Sabbath world is, we will always have Mac Sabbath to tie us over when we want to drown our feelings in food and metal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQUXuQ6Zd9w
Image: Metal Injection
Green can come in all shapes and sizes if you’re a Grammy-nominated lyrical genius like DRAM.
Now, you don’t need to be an expert in street speak to figure out that his hit single Broccoli is… not actually about broccoli. However, running with the joke in an adorably meaningful way, the artist has teamed up with PETA (People for Ethical Treatment of Animals) to promote the consumption of the (actual) vegetable in a light-hearted new video encouraging healthy eating habits.
The clip opens with the blazed rapper telling his friends to “Try this green. This I got this stash from this little white-haired lady at the farmers market of all places!
“This right here that I got is that Cali, real drove from back in the day. I got this stash from this little white-haired lady at the farmers market of all places… I got a whole pound of that Broccoli!”
D.R.A.M then makes his way over to the couch and with a “get the fuck outta the way” sits down to reveal a huge pound of real, edible broccoli that your mum tried to force you to eat when you were a kid, a move which leads to cheers from his friends. Watch the full video below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8FSniab1aU
It’s a smart marketing move from the rapper, whose fantastic 2016 debut album Big Baby D.R.A.M was received to critical acclaim, with lead single Broccoli picking up a Grammy nomination and everything.
It’s also satisfying to see rappers getting behind the consumption of healthy foods as oppose to the consumption of any cuisine within arms reach, a move which has had disastrous results in the past.
Eat your veggies kids!
D.R.A.M will be bringing his green to Australia for Groovin The Moo later this year. Dates below, hopefully sideshows will be announced soon!
Friday 28 April – Oakbank Racecourse, Oakbank SA
Saturday 29 April – Maitland Showgrounds, Maitland NSW
Sunday 30 April – Murray Sports Complex, Townsville QLD (Long Weekend, Monday Public Holiday)
Saturday 6 May – Prince of Wales Showground, Bendigo VIC
Sunday 7 May – University of Canberra, Canberra ACT
Saturday 13 May – Hay Park, Bunbury WA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K44j-sb1SRY
Image: DJ Music Crate
New years resolutions have often been the bane of my existence. At around 11:50pm on December 31 I, like so many other Australians, have made the mistake of promising myself that I would run 5 kms each morning, not touch the grog or the Maccas and finally try to wrap my head around Pink Floyd‘s discography in the coming 12 months. 2017 was no different. I’d pledged to find as much positivity in “the moment” as possible, and being sent to Field Day on January 1 gave me the perfect chance to put my new philosophy into action.
After wading through the sea of sniffer dogs, policemen and suspicious security guards on the edge of The Domain (I nearly didn’t make it to the gate after I was accused of being a “preloaded bufoon” by a security guard due to a badly timed stumble on a tree-branch) I surveyed the scene before me. For those who have never been to The Domain in Sydney, it’s a beautiful place for a festival. A massive meadow flanked by trees and a mixture of heritage listed terraces and modern skyscrapers, it’s both scenic and convenient. As I acquainted myself with the grounds I noticed with a hint of irritation that the food stalls were located out of reach in the far right corner of the grounds. Sticking true to my resolution, however, I instead busied myself with enjoying the drum-pad laden set provided by Triple-J unearthed winner Nyxen. The coveted opening slot has been a launchpad of sorts for up and coming names in the local EDM scene… a producer by the name of Flume springs to mind. Bopping around the stage, the fresh-faced producer seemed unphased by the small crowd, lost in her own world of beats and samples.
It seemed wrong to put REMI on at a time when not even a quarter of the crowd had dwindled into the grounds, but given the titanic names on the lineup, the festival organisers evidently had no choice. Not to be perturbed, the rapper, accompanied by his drummer, producer and musical partner Sensible J, kicked off the marathon party with a whirlwind set that was dynamic and exciting through and through. The contrast of XTC Party with the soulful beats of For Good helped to ease punters into the day in the grooviest fashion possible.
If Remi got the party started, Client Liason brought it to the next level. Their new album Diplomatic Immunity isn’t thematically a party album, with the tracks attacking the government over sub-standard leadership. Musically, however, it’s perfect blend of 70s disco and icy pop to send a crowd wild. From the costumes to the synchronised dance moves to the giant water cooler props, everything about their set felt perfect. Some live saxophone in their tunes, notably World Of Our Love would be the icing on the cake, but minuscule details aside, there was a lot to be liked here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XnyF-tDia4
When MO pulled out of her Australian tour it left a huge hole in the roster for Field Day. Rising star Montaigne may not have been the most logical replacement given the nature of the festival crowd, but she nevertheless delivered a magnetic performance, truly showcasing how far she’s come as a live act throughout the past year. Jerking and bouncing around the stage like a woman possessed, she passionately belted out tracks like Because I Love You and In The Dark, before closing with Till It Kills Me, the singer’s contagious energy is as electrifying on stage as it was on her debut album Glorious Heights. The young ARIA winner is continuing to move from strength to strength, and is absolutely one to watch over the next few years. Read our interview with her here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNLfrai9dwk
Next up came Adelaide MC Tkay Maidza. With the Island Stage filled all the way to the back with punters hoping to hear some live originals, their expectations were met when the 20-year-old appeared and broke straight into a live version of Triple J anthem Carry On. The addition of live drums and synths was a masterstroke, with the perfect amount of energy and groove added to classics Switch Lanes and Simulation. A further testament to the fact that nothing will beat live music performed by real people.
After an incredibly well-cooked German sausage for a reasonable $10, I headed to the centre field stage and began to work my way to the front for the big headliners of the evening. The one thing that surprised me was the sheer amount of bodies crammed behind the barricade for What So Not’s set, which leaned pleasantly towards his recent, original material, including cuts from his latest EP, the incredible Divide & Conquer. Tracks Buried and Waiting sent the amassed crowd into a writhing mass of sweaty bodies, with the steady rainfall only adding to the sense of liberation in the air. The tunes produced by Emoh, and formerly Flume as well, are designed for festivals such as Field Day, and the stupendous attendance during his 45 minutes was testament to this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OH_u_OiDChE
I expected the same from Alison Wonderland, but was left disappointed by her performance. I was hoping to hear more original tunes, and feel that live vocals would have really enhanced the set. With a full-length album featuring your own incredible vocals, why not sing live?
Regardless, true to my promise, I countered these thoughts by noting that the debut Sydney appearance of Chance The Rapper was up next.
Sprinting onto the stage, accompanied by his band The Social Experiment, Chance proved why he has had such an incredible 2016. With the rain adding to the atmosphere of the occasion, the rapper opened with a collection of songs from Acid Rap, slyly finding out who in the crowd were OG fans, and who were only waiting for new material. He soon informed the crowd that he was losing his voice for going too hard at the start of his Australian tour, a feat which would have seen many other artists cancel their set entirely. Not one to shy from making new friends, the rapper quickly turned it up with No Problem, prompting 30,000 Sydney-siders to lose their collective shit. What makes Colouring Book so wonderful is the pure sense of joy that flows from the tracks, and the same can be said for his features with other artists.From All Night, All We Got and Mixtape to renditions of his guest verses on Action Bronson’s Baby Blue and Kanye’s Ultralight Beam, the performance glowed with pure happiness – in spite of the frequent breaks between tracks, and encouraging the audience to sing along as his voice had been lost. One final rendition of the incredible Summer Friends and it was over all too soon. Chance the Rapper is an absolute treasure to hip-hop and music in general right now, and his debut Sydney show was absolutely unforgettable.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U256owjhxDc
Of course, though, Chance was only second last on the centre field stage due to the enigmatic Childish Gambino‘s highly anticipated headline slot. His sensational new album Awaken, My Love may not have won all his fans over, but the polarising new material didn’t lessen his appeal with what felt like all of Sydney cramming in to watch his set. Taking to the stage to the opening twinkles of Me And Your Mama, Gambino demanded the crowd acknowledge the brilliance of Chance before him before he positively exploded into a set laden with energy, musicianship and colour. Have Some Love built on the old school feel that has soul legends so excited, with the crowd shyly dancing to the 70’s beats, before the simple call of “Wooooorrrld Staaaar” brought the field to life.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMXJejnRpKE
In a way, I felt a hint of irritation that the crowd was so clearly there to hear the work of his seismic-sized LP Because The Internet (chants for 3005 picked up after every song) but it wasn’t enough to taint the brilliance taking place on stage. The Palisades hit like a punch to the guts, with the thunderous beats of the drums proving to be infectious for the dancers throughout the crowd. Similarly, Redbone reminded punters of the magic found in a simple beat, with the soulful vocals of Gambino simply dazzling. As with Chance, there were hints of joy amongst the darker sounds of Gambino’s catalogue, with Sober bringing goofy grins to the throng of humans, who erupted en masse at the breakdown of the tune.
Finally, after 12 hours of scorching heat, sweat and pounding bass, Gambino closed out his triumphant set with 3005, thus bringing the first day of the musical calendar to a close. As I walked back to the station, I reflected on the sheer diversity of sounds that now exists in the world of dance and hip-hop. Field Day had perfectly balanced out its genres for 2017, but I can’t ignore the fact that the day’s best sets were those that consisted of mostly real humans playing mostly real instruments. DJ sets can be thrilling too, of course, but the magic of acts like Client Liaison, Montaigne and Childish Gambino prove just how much more exciting live music can be.
That said, in a final bid to make my resolution last at least one day, the diversity of these sounds and styles are precisely what keeps events like Field Day at the cutting edge of local festivals. It’s not easy to draw a huge crowd on the single most hangover-ridden day of the year, but time and time again, Field Day manages to push past our expectations, and prepare us for an incredible year of music ahead.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aud86OSqQ1w
Image: Stoney Roads