Download Festival 2019 – Ones To Watch
As the campsite opens for five day campers, we asked one of our senior writers and festival attendee Tom Butterworth to give us his low-down of the ones to watch.
Metal GENRE ARCHIVES
MTXS – Ache
The low-tuned mob in MTXS have released a ferocious album titled Ache which will prove to serve them well in the long run as the start to take the bull by the horns and set up camp with the juggernauts of the metal scene.
Wage War announce January 2020 tour
Wage War are kicking off June by looking to 2020 as they announce a run of UK dates for the beginning of next year.
Harbinger – Compelled To Suffer
With their debut album, Harbinger showcase bags of potential. With a sludgy aura and thrashy riffs, there’s tonnes of influences throughout this record. It swings from metalcore to death metal. It’s a record that will perk the ears of many metal fans. Perhaps the only downside of this record is that it drags a bit. At 49 minutes long, there isn’t enough to keep you interested for that length of time. There is a lot throughout that shows potential but at the length it is it certainly needs to be more consistent.
After The Burial announce UK/EU headline tour
After the Burial return to the UK and Germany this year.
Texas Hippie Coalition – High In The Saddle
It's not really debatable at this point that Texas Hippie Coalition have a formula that, nine times out of ten, they stick to. They call it red dirt metal, and it's crunching, chugging, raw riffs, growling vocals and subject matter typically surrounding drinking, women, shooting, or being a cowboy. And somehow, six albums in, it still kinda works, here more so than before.
Download Festival 2019 ones to watch part 1
It's now less than a month until Download Festival 2019! We scour through the bands in a two part series of our ones to watch! First up, I (deputy editor Lizi) take you through 10 of the artists I'm most looking forward to seeing
Borders – Purify
UK upcoming hard-hitters Borders have just released a phenomenal 10-track album titled Purify and it goes hard. If you are expecting a moment to simmer down, then you're in the wrong place - This is all kinds of brutal breakdowns, pacey riffs, and gut wrenching vocals with little time to breathe.
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.
Creature – HEX EP
Birmingham noise makers CREATURE have recently released their new EP titled HEX, stating the raw authenticity of playing music without the clicks, without the triggers, just human-art in the heavy metal world.
Lord Dying – Mysterium Tremendum
With Mysterium Tremendum, Oregon metal band Lord Dying produce songs that would wet the taste buds of any Mastodon, High On Fire or other stoner/sludge metal fan. The album comes out the blocks roaring (literally) and for six songs is nothing short of excellent.
Kurokuma – Sheffield’s Best Metal Bands Vol. 1
Kurokuma's new EP 'Sheffield's Best Metal Bands Vol. 1' sounds, from the title, like a compilation of local acts. It is, in fact, a 4 track EP of psychedelic, doom sludge. Whatever that means, I'm just quoting the press packet if I'm being honest.
Hollywood Undead, Loathe @ Leeds o2 Academy
Hollywood Undead at the Leeds o2 Academy is, thus far, the biggest gig I've reviewed. They're also, as the saying goes, not my cup of tea. However, Avatar aren't my cup of tea. Royal Republic aren't (really) my cup of tea. Five Finger Death Punch definitely aren't my cup of tea. And I enjoyed all of those bands live.
Death Blooms – You Are Filth
According to other people, Death Blooms are a big thing for the UK hardcore scene, so the release of their new EP 'You Are Filth' is an important point for the band. Having only 4 songs, however, means they have to deliver the goods. And they do, but theres a few bads in there too.
New Years Day – Unbreakable
New New Years Day record 'Unbreakable' comes after a dissatisfied band scrapped a tonne of songs and set out to write a new batch, all ready to explode and show both the band's anger and pride. Costello wanted to go somewhere different, and she has.