Palm Reader - Braille

If you're yet to hear of Palm Reader, this is the perfect time to get yourself acquainted. The Nottingham based mentalists have been knocking about since 2011, but their newest record Braille knocks all their past material out of the park. It's a master stroke of unease, anger, passion, beauty and calm. A frantic journey through the senses. I reviewed their single Swarm a few months ago for Invicta Magazine (you can read that review HERE), so I already had excitement brewing for the release of the full length. But nothing could truly prepare me for what I heard. It is not the record I expected at all.

Swarm completely readied my palette for the record when I first heard it towards the end of February. A whirlwind of manic drums and frenzied riffs, all with an underlying sense of dirt and grit. Married with the enormous chorus melodies, there was nothing to dislike. It sounded, to me at least, like a cross between Every Time I Die, Norma Jean and The Dillinger Escape Plan, which just happen to be 3 of my favourite bands of all time. I mean they've always sounded like that, but the initial listen of this track sucker punched me right in the gut and I was hooked. Then came the release of the rest of the record, and it did not disappoint. Quite the opposite, in fact. It seriously impressed me. The Turn is a modern metalcore slice of genius, flowing in and out of enormous riffs and serene stripped back atmospherics before erupting into a simple yet crushing sledgehammer of an outro. Coalesce is a 6 minute epic, demonstrating the bands grasp on dynamics and flaunting their ability to build suspense. Like A Wave is a thrashy and punishing affair from the get go, featuring breakneck verses, dirty riffs and a dark yet catchy chorus. The standout tracks here, though, are the 2 that close the album. Clockwork is a slow burning ember, gradually growing and rising before exploding into a storm of pummelling drums and gigantic chords. Album ender A Lover, A Shadow is almost like a combination of the 9 tracks that have preceded it rolled into one. Everything that you heard running up to this point is on show here, acting almost like a conclusion. The aggressive and dirty riffs, the soaring clean vocals, the sense of unpredictability, the serene and beautiful calm; its all here, and it's all been expertly woven together. As the final bass note and cymbal crash rings out, you find yourself wanting to listen all over again. And that's exactly what I've been doing. Numerous times. For weeks.

Not only are Palm Reader great on record, but they put on one hell of a live show. They've racked up quite the reputation over the last few years for the ferocity and musicianship they exert when they perform which, as a witness, I can confirm isn't just hearsay. They're touring the UK and Ireland in July and August this year, and I highly recommend that you attend. One of the most underrated bands in the UK scene. Pay attention to these guys, you won't regret it.

D.S

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The Wonder Years - Sister Cities

Have you ever wondered what a pop punk band would sound like if they were really, really sad? Like if instead of writing songs about having cool friends and getting out of your hometown they sang about not fitting in, death and loneliness? If you ever have wondered what that might sound like, check out The Wonder Years. They are, in my opinion, one of the most important bands in their genre right now. Having transitioned from pop punk to a more post-hardcore/emo sound, their newest record Sister Cities is far more dark and melancholy than their back catalogue. I mean their entire back catalogue has elements of sadness and struggle running through it, but that's mainly in vocalist Dan "Soupy" Campbell's lyrics. On this record, the pain in the lyrics is mirrored by the music.

The lead single Sister Cities is probably the most familiar sounding track on the record, featuring their usual formula of fast paced verses and enormous soaring choruses. The rest of the album treads a number of different paths. Pyramids of Salt is a soft and sombre affair, swelling and calming in all the right places to create a moody rollercoaster ride through the senses. Heavens Gate (Sad & Sober) is a boiling pot of emotion that's spilling over the brim from beginning to end. Check out the second verse in particular. If you can't feel the emotion in Soupy's voice then you're probably dead inside (sorry if reading this is how you found out). The Orange Grove is crammed full of vocal melodies that are impossible not to love, delicately draped over tastefully written verses and punchy chorus chords. The tracks that stand out the most here, though, are the softer songs. The passion and feel that's been woven into them is impossible to ignore, and I found myself getting hung up on every single note. Tracks like Flowers Where Your Face Should Be, When The Blue Finally Came and The Ocean Grew Hands To Hold Me are all simply breathtaking. All of them create an atmosphere that completely envelops you, leaving you to drift amongst the delicate guitar tones and soothing vocals. The latter is especially impressive, utilising string sections and atmospheric effects to gradually build towards a mountain of tone and a truly moving outro section. After the final chord abruptly comes to an end, I found myself somewhat speechless. To say that it impressed me is a huge understatement. I was genuinely moved by it.

How The Wonder Years aren't bigger than they are is a complete mystery to me. They're unique, they're always grafting and pushing forwards, continually evolving. With every album they change ever so slightly, each one sounding different yet still retaining their signature sound. This record is no different. This record is truly special. It's one of those records that you can only fully appreciate by listening to it from beginning to end. Don't get me wrong, every single track is strong enough to stand alone and impress, but the journey that this takes you on is so worth keeping your fingers away from the skip button. Sister Cities is yet another diamond to add to their already glistening collection. You should add it to yours.

Shields - Life In Exile

To get back into the swing of things with my writing, I'm going to be posting a bunch of reviews for albums I've been listening to over the months I've been absent from this blog. But, it's been about 4 or 5 months since I've posted anything and a lot of music has been released in that time. Therefore, rather than post reviews for everything I've been listening to (it would take FOREVER), I'm going to post reviews for albums I've heard that I think really deserve your attention. And the first album that I think deserves it comes from the UK's very own Shields.

For those unaware of who Shields are, they're a little London based metal outfit that have been making copious amounts of well polished noise for the last few years. They're one of the hardest working bands in the UK scene right now, and haven't really stopped grafting since they burst onto the scene with I Just Feel Hate back in 2013. They've toured here, there and everywhere. They took some time out to do a spot of writing. And then, in April 2018, they released Life In Exile, the culmination of all their hard work. And let me tell you, it absolutely slays.

From beginning to end, this record is jam packed with pit material. There are riffs scattered through the album that are dirtier than a hoarders house. The first riff in Upside Down is equal parts filthy and bouncy, and also features a breakdown that forces you to scrunch up your face upon hearing. Delilah has an almost Slipknot vibe to its chord heavy verses, accented by gigantic drums that sound like they're being pummelled by sledgehammers. I also dare anyone reading this to listen to Mother and sit still. It's impossible. If I had long hair (well, if I had any hair) I would windmill from beginning to end. The song is an absolute monster. The record isn't all crushing heaviness, though. It is just as beautiful as it is disgusting. Singles It's Killing Me and Black Dog are perfect examples of how to marry melody and brutality together with ease. Both showcase the bands ability to transition from mood to mood, jumping from crushing riffs to enormous soaring choruses like child's play. White Embers is the closest thing on the record to a ballad and is probably the most melodic track on the record, featuring a really well written vocal line that is immediately memorable. There are so many strong tracks on show here, especially (for me at least) In The Grey and the epic album closer Aokigahara.

As well as the quality of the songwriting, this record is also the most professional sounding product that they've released so far in their career. Every single note cuts through and makes itself known, but the whole record maintains balance throughout. Never overwhelming, but always full of clarity. I was hooked after the first listen, and I've been listening to it every week since its release. To say that I've been impressed by it is an enormous understatement. It is, without doubt, the strongest release that I've heard from a band of their level in a long time.

On the run up to the release of the record, the band discovered that their guitarist George Christie had tragically committed suicide. They dedicated the video for Black Dog to his memory, and I imagine will dedicate everything that they do going forwards to him too. The strength that they've shown continuing to push forwards is beyond admirable, and they deserve everything that will undoubtedly come their way as a result of this record. Support this band.



D.S
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I'm Not Dead

Hi all. Yes, it's really me. Your friendly neighbourhood Dave. Although, for a lot of you reading this, I'm probably not in your neighbourhood anymore. Does that just make me friendly Dave? The artist formerly known as friendly neighbourhood Dave? Who knows? I don't. Anyway, I've been a bit quiet on the old blog for a while now. A fair few months. Mainly because I've been super busy. Busier than I've been in a very long time. Lemme tell ya what I've been doing.

Firstly, I got myself a new job. I am now the Assistant Manager of a nightclub called Mosh in Leicester. It has 3 floors (4 if you count the office floor), about 40 or so members of staff, cheap booze and friendly vibes. It also has a sewage pipe that, when open, is easy to fall into if you aren't paying attention to where you're going. It is the most challenging and relentless work that I've ever done, but if you aren't being challenged by what you're doing can you really call it work? Yes. Yes you can. But this job is undoubtedly tough and takes a lot of time, dedication and graft to do well. In the last few months I've become first aid trained, I have an SIA license (I am the skinniest and most un-menacing doorman in the history of doormen), I have a personal license, and I also finally passed my driving test after around 10 years of not taking my test, walking everywhere and regularly swearing at public transport. I've never felt more like an adult. Having this job moves me swiftly onto my second bit of news.

As I said, the nightclub is in Leicester. I was living in Derby. Commuting to and from Leicester wasn't fun at all. Commuting from Leicester at 5 in the morning was, in fact, the polar opposite of fun. I mean, if your idea of fun is sitting on a bus for 2 hours whilst drunken idiots covered in doner meat and garlic mayo periodically get on and off, and are also occasionally joined by incredibly sober and grumpy people going to work or posh people going on holiday, then get on the Skylink at St Margaret's bus station. You'll love it. I do not fall into that category. I therefore moved to Leicester way back in January. It now takes me 10 minutes to get home and life is wonderful. I moved into my own place for the first time. It's small, but it's all mine, so it feels a lot bigger than it looks. It gets lonely from time to time, but I never run out of toilet paper anymore and none of my food ever goes missing so I overlook that bit. It was also marketed as a flat but it has stairs, which either means the landlord has no idea what a flat is or he's scared of stairs and has never actually seen the other floor. Either way, I like it here.

Although I haven't been writing an awful lot on here, I have still been writing for Invicta Magazine. I've been writing reviews for a ton of metal, hardcore and emo releases over the last few months, and I'm still really enjoying writing and listening. If you want to read any of my reviews for them, you can find them by clicking HERE. Definitely read the Tiny Moving Parts review, I talk about cats and doughnuts in it.

My reviewing is going to be kicking back into gear as of now. The amount of free time I have has grown recently, and I intend on throwing myself back into things with immediate effect. I want to be more involved with writing and creating in both my personal and professional lives, and I reckon that striving to make something out of this blog may be a good way to push for that. Fingers crossed ay?


This is the beginning. Again. A new beginning. Or maybe a rebirth of sorts. Picking up where I left off. All of the above are true. Sort of. I'll shut up now.

Peace out.


D.S
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