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Team Member: Tom Butterworth

Hi, I'm Tom Butterworth. Born and raised in Northampton, resident in Liverpool for six years now. I've been obsessive about music for over ten years. My favourite bands include Nightwish, Death, Letlive, Slipknot,, The Menzingers, Gojira, Opeth and Pink Floyd among others. \m/

Tom Butterworth's Articles:

Periphery – Periphery IV: Hail Stan

For the last few years, in the tech-metal scene, there have been two titans on either side of The Pond: Tesseract and Periphery. Now when your transatlantic cousins take the ‘Black Album’ school of thought and trim everything down, tighten it all up and produce the shortened album of less expansive works that was Sonder, what do you do? Well, apparently, you mark your first release away from Sumerian records by throwing seemingly everything you can think of, and the kitchen sink, at your new record. And for Periphery, it is a resounding success.

Phoxjaw and The King Is Dead at Satan’s Hollow, Manchester

It is a terrible crime that both of these bands find themselves playing a half empty small venue in Manchester on a Wednesday night, as both are perfect examples of new and exciting bands, drawing from the past while striving towards new territory.

Crows – Silver Tongue

In recent years, there has been an incredible surge in post punk music. From the dark, gothic overtones of a band like Grave Pleasures to the loaded political gunshots of Idles. The wave of 1980s nostalgia that has gripped the world for the last decade has gradually seeped into music and these bands are now coming to the fore. Crows are the latest, and they’re mixing that post-punk sound with a noisy riff driven edge. On the spectrum of this scene they fall somewhere in the middle of the two bands above and that is perhaps the biggest problem with this album.

The Royal – Deathwatch

Metalcore. It has gone from an inventive melding of metal and hardcore to a term that loosely defines an incredibly large amount of mediocre modern metal and very few stand out bands. The Royal do not plumb the depths that have been well explored by so many bands since the turn of the century, but neither do they have the incredible invention and song-writing of bands like Killswitch Engage or Parkway Drive.

Mastiff – Plague | ALBUM REVIEW

”A miserable band from a miserable town”. That is how Mastiff summarise themselves on their social media. I've never been to Hull, but if Mastiff are the aural representation of the town, then I'm not sure I want to visit. This is a band who specialise in brutality, whether that be when they utilise extreme pace or, more often, the thudding grinding groove that propels their particular brand of sludgy grinding heaviness.

Enter Shikari, Palaye Royale and Black Peaks live at Manchester Academy

A gloomy Manchester is where we lay our scene, with Enter Shikari drawing to the end of a mammoth UK tour that began back at the beginning of December. (Photo: Dani Willgress)

Mastodon and Kvelertak Live Review at Leeds 02 Academy

If you asked anybody about the best metal bands to emerge this side of the millennium, chances are Mastodon would be one of the first bands out of their mouth. And with good reason. In the 19 years since the release of their debut full length, Remission, the Atlanta four-piece have gone on to release critically acclaimed records, top album of the year lists and even win a Grammy. Tonight they take on Leeds, in thoroughly miserable weather it must be said.

All That Remains – Victim of the New Disease

This is never going to be seen as just another album, it’s the final recorded output of an excellent musician, and a master of his instrument. RIP Oli Herbert.

Live Review: Pagan @ Satan’s Hollow, Manchester

"The technical proficiency on display from the band members is also incredible, from the drumming to the excellent guitar work of both four and six string varieties. The set is of course made up solely of songs from the outstanding debut album Black Wash, and they come across just as well if not better in the live environment".

All Them Witches – ATW

In these days of streaming and, God forbid, stealing albums, it is very common for bands to leave a long gap between each piece of their recorded output, because touring is what puts food on the table and money in the pockets. These circumstances then, make it even more commendable that a band like All […]

Stillbirth – Annihilation of Mankind

We are lucky enough to live in an era in which heavy music is being redefined. Bands like Conjurer, Employed To Serve and Venom Prison are completely changing the sound of British metal and hardcore by combining a myriad of influences, each building it up to something that sounds completely fresh and vital. Meanwhile, Deafheaven, […]

Trophy Eyes – The American Dream

Two years since their last full length release, Trophy Eyes are back with The American Dream, and the Australian pop punk crew have returned with one of the strongest collections of songs the genre has seen for many years. Clocking in at just shy of 40 minutes, they have trimmed all the fat off of […]

MAYPINE -Bend/Break EP Review

Bend/Break is the new EP from Brighton based pop punks MAYPINE. Having released their debut EP in 2017, they have returned with this new offering. The guitar lines and thick textures of the instrumental passages are probably the most memorable thing about this release. When it comes to pop punk, there is a lot of […]

Dividium – T.H.R.E.E

Hull-based metallers Dividium have released their brand new EP, T.H.R.E.E. Having formed in 2013, this is the bands first EP after two full length releases. Things kick off with the awkwardly titled Send Nudes: clean guitar notes peel out, occasionally accompanied by slabs of distortion that eventually give way to a djent-esque riff and the […]

Awooga – Conduit

Having released their debut EP, Alpha in 2016, Awooga have returned with their debut full length in the form of Conduit. Coming from the diverse musical backdrop that is Sheffield, it is perhaps unsurprising to hear many different components in their sound;  they describe themselves as fusing together psych, prog, stoner rock and shoegaze. The […]

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AltCorner is the promotional platform for alternative music, documenting upcoming artists and established alternative acts. Driven by a team of passionate writers and photographers, AltCorner strive to make a difference in the music world by focusing on the rising stars of alternative music. Great artists are out there and we showcase them every day through news coverage, reviews of the latest alternative releases and interviews with both upcoming and established artists. There is also our acclaimed festival coverage and galleries of live performances to boot. We keep our fingers firmly on the pulse of the alternative music scene, whether it is covering already established alternative acts or documenting the stars of tomorrow, we are always there. The alternative movement is alive and kicking and we here at AltCorner deliver your alternative music fix daily.