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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Frontierer - The Hairy Dog, Derby, 27/09/17

As time progresses, it becomes more and more difficult to make music that's unique. To make music that has an identity, and contains something that nobody else is doing. As more time passes, more ideas get used, and then a lot of bands begin to start sounding the same. One of those bands is not Frontierer. They sound like if Meshuggah, The Dillinger Escape Plan and Aphex Twin had a baby, and that baby was given lots of drugs. Their debut album Orange Mathematics is a mind-bending whirlwind of disgusting noises, heavy guitars, punishing and erratic drums and more disgusting noises. And I mean that in the best way possible. If you've listened to it and not wondered how they possibly pull it off live, listen again. Because I definitely wondered that. And so, I went to go and see if they could pull it off.

The Hairy Dog is one of my favourite venues in the country. Not just because it's 20 minutes away from my house and sells nice alcohol, but because the place is a community for music fans of every genre. It's got a lot of support, and as a result it has been growing and growing in popularity, bringing bigger and better shows to Derby and getting the residents of the city involved in what it brings here. The turnout was great tonight, with a good number of people here early to catch the first band. That band, Sobriquet, were very impressive for a young band. Packing heaps energy and the vocalist sporting a creepy and un-ignorable stage presence, kicked off the show with a bang. The music was proggy and tight with some real clever and catchy phrases, and showed great potential for them going forwards. Visually they weren't the most together band, all of the members sporting very different levels of enthusiasm towards the show, but with a little bit more focus on their delivery and unity I can see the Sheffield lads becoming way more frequent on the local scene.

Next up was The Predecessors, a band that I hold a bit of a torch for. I used to be in The Predecessors for about a year, tracking some guitar parts for the guys and contributing a little towards the writing process in some areas. My commitment to Skies In Motion grew on the run up to the release of the album and it wasn't fair to the guys to hold them back, so I bowed out. They replaced me with another snapback wearing bearded man, Roy, who's a perfect fit for them, and I was excited to see them play their first show. And man, did they kill it. For a lot of the members, this was their first gig in a few years, so they weren't just getting back on the bike; they were learning how to ride it again. However, it looked like they didn't need to do a lot of learning. It didn't look like they'd been away for a long time at all. They looked and sounded tight and professional, stomping across the stage and engaging in headbangs and windmills, whilst simultaneously hammering out musically complex and technically mental material. The heavy bits were heavy, the pretty bits were pretty, and on a whole it sounded huge. Nathan (guitar) is a musical genius, not just thinking of the riffs, but thinking of all the layers and atmospheric noise to sit behind those riffs. The bigger picture, as it were. And it translated so well to the live performance. I'm proud of the boys for making such a huge statement with their first show, and I can't wait to see them play more.

The main support, Derby/Nottingham based Taken By The Tide, never ever disappoint. But this show was something else. They were tighter than I've ever seen them before. They always have this menacing presence when they perform, especially with Phil (vocals) slowly stalking across the stage as he snarls at the crowd. But tonight, it was impossible to take your eyes off them. Every single note was so piercing and crushing, and the drummer was essentially a human metronome. I said in my review of the Loathe show at the end of August that having two guitarists made them sound bigger, and tonight cemented that for me. There was so much weight behind their sound. I can't explain it any other way than "it was so tight". They're just getting better and better every time I see them.

Lastly, Frontierer took the stage. I had no idea what to expect, but I predicted it would go one of two ways. It was either going to blow my mind and be insanely precise, essentially like watching the album be recorded. Or, it was going to be an incoherent mess, with no discernible notes or sections, just sounding like noise. I am happy to report that it was the former. They were insane. The set was unrelenting, never once slowing down or allowing the audience to catch their breath. The guitarists use so many different effects to create the strange and unusual sounds they've become known for, and I wasn't sure how they'd come across in a live setting. They sounded enormous. It isn't used in an over the top manner, it's used tastefully throughout all the songs, adding a sense of unpredictability and unease throughout. But mainly, it adds to the heaviness. All the weird high pitched effects simply made the heavier bits sound heavier due to the contrast. And Chad (vocals) was angry. So angry. His vocals were raw and gritty, remaining powerful throughout the set, not once sounding like he was running out of steam or struggling. All together, they were an absolute wrecking ball, and by the time their set had come to an end I don't think there was one person in the room that hadn't been hit by it. They were seriously impressive, and from the strength of the new material that they performed, they're only going to get better.

If you're a fan of The Dillinger Escape Plan and are as gutted as I am that they're calling it a day, listen to this band. They aren't exactly the same, but they absolutely satisfy my appetite for unpredictable, relentless and energetic madness. Go and check out Orange Mathematics, available everywhere you can think of. If you head to their bandcamp page, you can pick it up for whatever price you see fit. Even if you think that price is free. This album is a gem, and this band are only going to go from strength to strength. Give them your time.

D.S

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