For All Those Sleeping – Incomplete Me


Moments like these always bring a smile onto my face, because it means that I’ve been doing this for a while, since one of my first reviews I wrote for El Gore was about the second album of today’s band: For All Those Sleeping! A bit more than two years later, they have just released their third one Incomplete Me, and I obviously couldn’t get around writing about it. So let’s see what has changed and what hasn’t!

The quintet has mainly stuck to what their sound evolved into on the predecessor, which in itself is not a mistake, since it felt to me like they had managed to find just the right direction. However, there is the small addition of industrial-sounding parts, which avoids a complete copy-paste of Outspoken, so rest assured that you won’t feel like you put on the same record. So far so good.

This means that the riffs will come flying at you in alternation of heavy neckbreakers and melodic goodness. The drums are, more or less, on the same level as previously and deliver a diverse mix of groove and straight-forward drum-skin pounding. I do have the feeling that, generally speaking, the twelve songs are heavier than what you’re used to by the Minnesotans, with the exception of one song, but more on that in just a second.

The vocal performance has not seen a major improvement, but there was none necessary in the first place since it was quite tight to begin with. As mentioned before, since the songs are heavier, the growls are much more predominant however and cement these forty-eight minutes as a strong metalcore album. The lyrical horizon has also been broadened and features experiences from the band’s extensive touring schedule of the past two years. The biggest addition are the guest vocals by Jessica Ess on the afore-mentioned song, Hell Or Heaven, which is as close to a ballad as you can get on here.

All in all, the strong production and the few new elements make this FATS record possibly the best one so far…but I must admit that I’m still on the fence whether I prefer album number two or this one. Incomplete Me is more of a grower than an instant killer, and I’ve only started to appreciate it after probably my fifth listen. If you do give it a chance to wrap itself around your brain, I can guarantee you that you won’t be disappointed. So be sure to give the song below a go and check out the band on Facebook.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpSkQlV1w1A]

Iron Maiden Live in Roeser 01.07.2014 Concert Review

Can I play with Madness?

When the tickets for Iron Maiden (THE band that got me into Metal, when I was still a wee little lad) at the Rockhal concert site became available in February, I was one of the first to get one online. I was even happier about this, when they were sold out shortly after. Seeing Iron Maiden in a relatively small venue would surely be amazing. But then, shortly after they were sold out, den Atelier announced that they would move the concert to the Rock-A-Field site. This outraged a lot of fans who paid for something they wouldn’t get. Even more confusing was that a second band was booked as an opening act, namely Ghost from Sweden.

Let’s skip ahead a few months to the actual concert. As I had been at the Rock-A-Field festival (RAF) the weekend before, I was familiar with the site and the parking arrangements. The shuttle service worked perfectly, although the parking price was a bit steep (8€ for a few hours of parking – the three days of parking in the same spot for the RAF cost 10€ combined). When I finally arrived at the concert site, I was glad to see, that the mud from the festival weekend had disappeared and that the site looked fine. As a little premium for being one of the “lucky ones” who had acquired tickets to the Rockhal concert, I got a wristband that would consequently allow me to enter a gated off area in front of the stage. The idea behind this might have been nice, but it seemed unfair that people who bought their tickets later and paid almost the same amount of money would not be able to get closer to the stage. On the other hand this meant that we would have quite a lot of room and could enjoy the show without too much pushing from the crowd.

Ghost as an opener might have seemed as a good idea to somebody who thinks that Metal sounds all the same, but it turned out that their music and show (if you can call it a show, when everybody is wearing a mask and the singers persona is a demonic priest, who can’t break character to cheer on the masses) didn’t fit this particular billing. Don’t get me wrong, they weren’t bad, they just weren’t a good match. The organisers might have had better luck with a local band like Lost in Pain to get the audience’s juices flowing. People came to see Iron Maiden after all.

Then it was finally time for the main act. The show started with an intro video showing crumbling icebergs, invoking images of the famous Seventh Son of a Seventh Son album. Then Iron Maiden exploded onto the stage and the crowd went wild. For almost two hours, Bruce Dickinson and his band kept the audience heavily (hrhr) entertained. They played most of the tracks from the aforementioned album and most of their other hits. The Trooper (including the obligatory swinging of the Union Jack), The Number of the Beast and 2 Minutes to Midnight were all performed almost perfectly. The highlight for me was Fear of the Dark. There is nothing quite like a huge crowd of people singing and cheering together.

I hadn’t seen Iron Maiden in quite a long time and I had almost forgotten, how theatrical their shows can be. Eddie came on stage for Run to the Hills, Dickinson turned himself into Dracula, flames burst out of the floor and fireworks accompanied a few songs. Dickinson ran around on stage like he was on fire, using the multilevel stage to his advantage, and all the other band members were in constant motion, cheering on the crowd and performing semi-acrobatic moves with their instruments. This is quite impressive, considering most of them have been doing this for over 25 years.

After their main set, the band returned for an encore (starting with Aces High – including the Churchill speech). Interestingly enough they played none of the songs released after the mid 90s. Sadly the whole thing was over way too quickly and it was time to leave the area. The shuttle service was running smoothly, limiting waiting times to tolerable levels.

Although it was quite a feat, to get a huge band like Iron Maiden to play in Luxembourg, there are a few points of criticism I have to mention. I didn’t like that the organisers kept the pricing/ticket system from their RAF festival. You had to change your money into tickets (3,5€ per ticket) and you couldn’t even change them back at the end (which wasn’t mentioned when you bought them). 3,5€ for a beer or a sparkling water (no, the 1,75€ upgrade from regular water doesn’t make its sparkle shoot rainbows) is quite a lot, especially if you count how much they earn on drinks alone. At least the 7€ burger was really tasty and big enough. Ticket prices were also quite expensive, considering that you pay 50€ (which is 40€ less than what I paid) to see the same band in France. As a Luxemburgish music fan, who goes to quite a lot of concerts, I think it’s high time that people start to question the pricing policy of Den Atelier, especially since they have been overpromising for quite a while and rarely deliver exactly what they have promised.

To sum it all up: Bullshit pricing, an opening band that didn’t fit the billing and IRON MAIDEN. I say it again: IRON *fuckin* MAIDEN! Scream for me, Luxembourg!!!!

This review was written by our freelancer Yves!

Slaves – Through Art We Are All Equals


Today’s review is about another very promising “newcomer”, even though I don’t really consider the quintet to be true newcomers since their lead singer is very well-known and him being famous definitely helped to put the band in the spotlight. However, I can’t hold it against Slaves for making use of that initial boost, since the rest of the musicians is a very talented bunch and their debut album Through Art We Are All Equals proves that on the whole line!

The California-based post-hardcore formation adds an interesting layer to their sound by using seven-string guitars, which results in a vibe similar to djent but with a highly melodic and a bit less technical approach. It sounds a bit weird written out but it works extremely well when you listen to it. The stringed instruments in general have a, for lack of a better word, bouncy feel to them and I must admit that I’m not entirely sure if it’s just because of the seven-strings or if the bass plays the same riffs and is prominent in the mix. All I know is that I absolutely adore the end result.

The drums pretty much cover every aspect, be it driving beats or intricate fills, and fit the ensemble perfectly, without ever diverting from the rest. To round it off, the production is truly massive but maybe too modern for some people out there. For me, this adds another plus point to these forty-two minutes though.

Earlier I said that the lead singer was well-known…that was a bit of an understatement, since Jonny Craig is probably one of the most notorious modern singers; many consider him a douchebag and he has been through some messed-up things, but from what I have read in the “press” this has changed. In the end, it doesn’t really matter because there is one fact that is undeniable: this man’s voice is one of the best ones in the entire genre, or even in the music scene in general. That’s what ultimately counts for me and he proves it yet again on these eleven tracks.

But apparently his soulful vocals weren’t yet enough to make everyone happy, so the band has recruited no less than four guest singers: Tyler Carter from Issues, Vic Fuentes from Pierce The Veil, Kyle Lucas and last but definitely not least Jonny’s sister Natalie Craig. All the guest appearances truly enhance the respective songs they’re on but especially the performance of the latter on The Hearts Of Our Young blew me away: talent apparently seems to run in the family and makes this song a true masterpiece.

To finish up here, I’m going to go out on a limb and say that TAWAAE is not only Jonny’s strongest work, both lyrically and performance-wise, in possibly forever but also an amazing record in all other aspects. Basically yet another very strong contender for my top 5 of 2014, filled with so many quotable lyrics. Head to the band’s Facebook page for more information and make sure to listen to the song below!

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wuj8PZBWZeg]

Each Other – Being Elastic

Ladies and gentlemen, today I bring you unconventionally charming indie rock by Each Other all the way from Montreal! I’ve only recently discovered their 1-and-a-half-year-old Heavily Spaced and have been listening to the small collection relentlessly for the past weeks. Upon further research, I found out that the guys released a LP entitled Being Elastic in March this year, and naturally came straight to my cosy lil’ El Gore music corner to write about it.

The first thing that hit me while listening to Each Other is how much they remind me of Women, another art/experimental rock band from Canada that struck a nerve with me in a really unique way a few years back. Something about wonky guitars and unhinged, progressive, outlandish musical structures instantly captures my attention and rarely lessens its grip on me over time.

The raw and garage-y vibe of Being Elastic is certainly conjured up, at least in part, by the fact that the Canadian trio recorded it to tape in their home-built studio during breaks between touring; they also just seem to have a penchant for it, as this exact characteristic in combination with the off-kilter nature of the songs is their unmistakable trademark. However, the tracks on Being Elastic seem to have a longer attention span than Each Other‘s previous tunes, which are filled with an exciting sense of urgency. There are still moments of nervous upheaval on this record, but it makes for a more level-headed ensemble. It releases its energy in bursts, with attention to detail, rather than coming at you like a full-on explosion of sound.

There’s also a distinct element of pop skilfully incorporated into the sonic whirlwind that is this album. Its cheery undertones make it appropriately summery to listen to while driving with windows down, but it at no point degenerates into a fluffy cliché — another testament to Each Other‘s creative prowess.

So, fans of adventurous, distorted, jangly, healthily and artfully fucked-up pop/rock: do not miss this band. You can stream Being Elastic for free on Soundcloud, Bandcamp and Spotify, and pay the band a visit on Facebook if you like!

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBe6D8QnMeA]

Battleghost – Transient


Let’s face it: pop punk has been around for years and while there are a lot of bands in the genre, not a lot have what it takes to stand out from the mass. Today, I’m going to write a bit about Battleghost and their most recent EP Transient.

The quartet plays a rather classic formula of the genre, without any breakdowns or super heavy parts, which is interesting since that alone gives them a certain specialness because it strays a bit from the more modern, heavier, take on pop punk. This doesn’t mean that it’s soft music though: the guys keep up a nice tempo throughout the five songs and therefore boredom isn’t an issue.

On a technical level, it’s solid but if you go in expecting crazy solos, extremely insane guitar riffs or super intricate drum parts, you’re definitely looking in the wrong direction. However, the guys from Richmond, Virginia pulled off putting together a catchy sixteen minute experience…which is all that counts in the end, in my humble opinion.

The vocals are, as mentioned before, clean-sung all throughout with a few screams in the mix. It’s not the kind of voice that you’ve never ever heard before but it rounds off the ensemble rather satisfyingly.

All in all, Battleghost did in no way whatsoever reinvent the wheel of pop punk, but their newest EP definitely has a raison d’être and it’s not a waste of time to give it a shot, which you can do by heading over to the band’s Bandcamp page! Furthermore, you can visit their Facebook page or simply check out their video below! Have fun!

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPZ7Kyb3ZkA]

Trash Monday CXXII


I’ve broken the tradition of choosing terrible songs for Trash Monday a couple of times in the past…and I’ll do so again today. I actually love this Dio cover by Killswitch Engage and I am very aware that the cheesiness of the video is on purpose but it makes me laugh every time, especially seeing their guitarist in Drag! Enjoy!
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NR7dG_m3MsI]

Everybody Looks Famous – Earth


I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I’m a sucker for pop punk with female vocals. No matter how good or bad the band is, I feel like I have to check them out and give them a chance. In the case of the UK-based Everybody Looks Famous that was actually a smart decision! They are about to release their new EP called Earth next week and they managed to bring something quite solid to the table.

The four tracks on the new endeavor of the quintet all have that really dreamy melodic feel to them, which is rather nicely achieved by frequent use of synthesizers accompanying the “classic” instruments. The latter are, I would imagine, deliberately held rather basic, but effective in the sense that they don’t take you away from the zone the music puts you in.

The vocals are mostly done by the female lead singer, but sometimes underlaid by the two, male, guitarists who serve as background vocalists, thus creating a fitting contrast and adding variety to their sound. There is nothing negative whatsoever I can say about the vocal performance in general, since it’s a flawless job…but I do have to say that the timbre of the singer is nothing I’ve never heard, so I wasn’t exactly awestruck.

The only real critique I have about these, mostly, mid-tempo fifteen minutes is that I would have wished for a slightly different mixing/mastering: in some passages the individual instruments are a bit too low in the mix, and in other cases the vocals are. But it’s just a minor gripe, that I can easily forgive since the overall experience is enjoyable enough!

In closing, I’ll say that while ELF are not breaking new ground, they are obviously passionate musicians that deserve to be heard by more people. So give Earth a listen on the 16th when it comes out and visit the band’s Facebook page for more information about their progress!