Avenged Sevenfold Resurrected

When I was looking through my iTunes earlier for something to listen to, I couldn't believe reviewing Avenged Sevenfold's Waking the Fallen: Resurrected had completely slipped my mind! Although moving into uni, getting into my course and 'Fresher's Flu' (it's grim, let me tell you) all took their toll, there is no excuse for my neglect of my favourite band's newest release.

So, what do you get when you spend your money? The full, original Waking the Fallen album, another CD with eleven tracks of previously unreleased material and a DVD with a documentary about Waking the Fallen: Resurrected. (If you, like me, spent that bit extra and went for the limited edition deathbat flag, then you have extra treats!) Worth the money? Oh, yes sir.

The whole idea of a re-release is that you get the original album. In my opinion, Avenged's most successful album has to be Waking the Fallen, so I had no issue with having it twice. The unreleased stuff, however, I didn't quite prepare myself for. It weirdly brought back memories of seeing them last year! That beautiful moment when M. Shadows shouted, "Fuck it, let's play Chapter Four!" was relived when the live tracks followed the demos. Also, needless to say, having 'Unholy Confessions' live on your iPod is something Goddamn special indeed!

Getting past my excitement, the demos and alternative versions of tracks such as 'I Won't See You Tonight' (both parts) and 'Remissions' are a must listen-to for any A7X fan. Admittedly, your love for the original can't die, but you do see the songs from another interesting perspective, and not a bad one at that! It's a really cool way to bring back the band's memories from the original release eleven years ago, and to see how the songs evolved.

The documentary sadly lacks one thing, and that's one thing that will never be replaced; The Rev. There is a vacancy as you watch it, knowing that he should be there talking about his experiences with his fellow band mates. You can feel the sadness as the others talk about him, which really puts a perspective on the significance of their loss. As we have all said many, many times, he will foREVer be in our hearts.

Overall, the eleventh anniversary of Waking the Fallen was celebrated with success! If you are an Avenged fan and you haven't bought this yet, do it. It will be the best investment you make this year.

Green Man Festivities

I can now safely say that I'm not a festival virgin. (Woo hoo!!) I've wanted to go to one for years, and during my ever-changing music sense, I kept changing my mind which one to go to when I could finally afford it. Seeing as my music sense has pretty much solidified to this kind of stuff and with it being relatively local, it seemed perfect to go to Green Man in Brecon.

Let me tell you, best £159 I've ever spent. Absolutely everything about the weekend was perfect, even down to my severe hangover on Saturday! The music, the entertainment, the prices, the food (AND 99 BEERS AND CIDERS), everything was just so, so good!

So, Thursday being arrival day, I didn't expect there to be too much going on about the place. Wrong! Far Out tent held the first headlining act, Waterboys, a Scottish group with a folky theme and an awesome violinist. Considering that was never my kind of thing, I really enjoyed them! If they ever turn up near you, for something different, go check them out! (I will be biased, I play violin!)

Friday saw the opening of the Mountain Stage, where the Green Man Rising competition winners opened the stage, Wildest. They did a fantastic job, it has to be said! I think we can expect some really cool music from them in the near future, so keep your eyes peeled! After them, Highasakite played. We listened to the majority of them from our tent, which I am disappointed about, and caught the remainder of their set when we got back. If you like Warpaint (yes, again) and London Grammar with a hint of Fever Ray, these guys seriously are for you!

Admittedly, the remainder of Friday's music is a little foggy in my memory. I found out I'd got into my first choice uni the day before, so celebrations were in order!! However, I do remember Daughter, who preceded the second headliners, Beirut. Both were fantastic!

I didn't see Saturday until 2pm, so the first band I saw was Mutual Benefit. Very unique style, almost haunting in sound, yet thoroughly enjoyable! The War on Drugs and Mercury Rev were the must-sees that day, and although I was stuck in Green Man Rising for most of The War on Drugs' performance watching Heavy Petting Zoo (a disappointment), I could still hear the atmospheric set playing, which made me envy everyone sat around Mountain Stage! I decided then I couldn't miss Mercury Rev if they were following that, and was so glad I didn't!

My biggest surprise on Saturday was Panda Bear. In all honesty, I had no idea what he was like, what he played, yet I had to see him because he was named after my favourite animal. Well, my Fever Ray void has been filled! I loved his electronic twist! Was not at all what I expected, somewhere between Fever Ray and Owl City!

Sunday was the big day for music. We watched every single act on Mountain Stage to some degree; I adored six out of eight! Neutral Milk Hotel were the final headlining act, and they were the main reason I was there anyway. They didn't disappoint! They're folk twist to grungey rock proved to be brilliant live, and even though it was cold and slightly damp, they were still the best way to close Mountain Stage.

I had two surprises Sunday in Chai Wallahs - one, I never expected I'd find Talisman, a reggae band, so enjoyable, seeing as reggae has never been my thing, and two, Sheelanagig. When my mate told me she'd love to see them, I had no idea who or what they were. I did not expect to be begging her to stay and watch these guys at 1.30am when I had to drive the next morning! The craziest violin and flute double, they made gypsy jazz so appealing, I feel like I've been lost my entire life!

Now, I know I've been vague, but hell if I went into detail about every single band then this post would be longer than a dissertation... However, if there has to be one act who shone out brightest, it has to be First Aid Kit. The Swedish sisters appeared onstage before Neutral Milk Hotel, and I can honestly say that I have never sat in awe of a band that I've never properly listened to until seeing them live like I did with these girls. Their vocals were beautifully harmonized to a point I've never, ever heard in my life, their lyrics were stunning, everything about them was spectacular, and the crowd confirmed this! The harmonizing was actually pitch perfect, and that is a near-impossible task. The chemistry between these two sisters truly is incredible, and I knew from about halfway through their second song they were going to become one of my new favourite bands. They should be so proud of their performance, they made my festival.

So, if anyone ever offers to take you to Green Man, do it! Everything was brilliant; even burning the Green Man on midnight Sunday night/Monday morning was spectacular, so much effort was put in! I was devastated to cut off my wrist band yesterday for work. I am definitely going back next year, even thinking of buying my ticket soon! Thank you Green Man, you have helped me celebrate my uni place and made my year so far, I can't wait to come back next year!

The Glitch Mob - Love, Death, Immortality

So, here it is - The Glitch Mob's 'Love, Death, Immortality'. It's been a wait, but here we are at last! (And I'm gonna apologize for my lateness, but I never break promises!!!)

The first thing I must say is this; It certainly starts on a more lively note than 2010's 'Drink The Sea' - far more immediacy. Although I did love 'Animus Vox' as an opening track, opening 'Mind of a Beast' in this album puts the grinding bass in context for the album. One word? Flawless!

The thing I think I most love about The Glitch Mob is their capability to contrast moods within the electronic genre, something extremely hard to come by. This is something they never fail to do, and is evident throughout the album, and within particular tracks too, in fact! The first evident example of this is the movement from track two to three - 'Our Demons (ft. Aja Volkman)' to 'Skullclub'. The powerful impact 'Our Demons' has is beautifully undermined by 'Skullclub' initially, which turns to something I can only describe as an easy dance song (sorry for the over-cliche!), but one that doesn't hurt the ears!

I think my favourite track on the album has to be 'Becoming Harmonious (ft. Metal Mother)', purely because of its haunting vibes along with the strangely calming, maybe even Asian, element that the other tracks don't have. They're not all crash-bang (take 'Beauty of the Unhidden Heart (ft. Sister Crayon)' for an example), I know this, but somehow this one stands out to me, kinda surprised me even! It also backs up my argument of contrast within tracks - listen and see for yourself!

So, with other beauties on 'Love, Death, Immortality', including my previously reviewed track 'Can't Kill Us', 'Carry the Sun' and 'Fly By Night Only (ft. Yaarrohs)', this record is a definite must to listen to. I think these guys can make it big, so let's hope my prediction comes true!

For someone who's never got on with electronic music, The Glitch Mob have (miraculously) succeeded to stand out from the rest. Their additions of orchestral elements and the odd voice are two significant contributing factors, but they are only two of them - I don't know what they do to make every one of their songs different from the rest, but I hope they carry on! Congrats guys, keep it up!

Warpaint - Bristol O2 Academy, February 21st 2014

Well well, this is taking me a bit back! I didn't think it would take me this long to review the night, but better late than never, hey?

Well, what can I say? I got to the venue, and immediately felt the buzz from the hundreds of fans already there. The supporting act (All We Are) were already playing, but we got the best of their vibe - utterly beautiful. (For those of you who are fans of Warpaint and haven't already checked these guys out, do. You won't regret it!) These guys have a glowing future, and I'm 100% confident we'll hear more from them soon.

Soon, when I'd bought our Hooch from the bar, it was time for Warpaint to hit the stage. We were introduced with an extended version of their intro from their self-titled 'Warpaint', then opening song 'Keep it Healthy'. All I can say is that I knew from that moment we were in for something really special - it was executed flawlessly.

We not only had a selection of tracks from 'Warpaint', but many classics from 'The Fool', and even their EP, 'Exquisite Corpse'. One of the strongest memories has to be 'Undertow'. The crowd cheered with excitement as the familiar riff began, and the haunting vocals were pitch perfect. Arguably one of Warpaint's most famous songs, it was beautifully performed, and something I definitely won't forget.

However, for me, probably the most special moment had to be after 'Disco//very', where the crowd pleaded for an encore, which they inevitably got. And what was the opening of this encore? 'Baby'. My night was more than complete. The beauty behind the lyrics, the tune and the solo presentation was enough to bring tears to anyone's eyes, and definitely an unforgettable moment.

Ending with 'Elephants' perfectly summed up the night. Warpaint did themselves proud - they kept their crowd entertained, they clearly love what they do and they do it bloody well. (So well, in fact, I have bought tickets for their next show in December!) Congratulations girls, definitely one of the best bands I've seen live to date.

I'm alive, I swear!

So I'd like to apologise for disappearing for months. Between my A Levels and a load of, well, shit happening, I've been in the wrong frame of mind to even contemplate blogging. But, here I am, determined to catch up with what I've promised and keep bringing you music news as it comes along! (Freedom never felt so good - I've missed it.)

Stay tuned people!

Warpaint Ready For Battle!

Well, what can I say? Yesterday marked the day I've been waiting for for months - Warpaint's new release! I've been desperate for something new from these girls for ages, and when I heard they were preparing a new album, I couldn't wait!

A few characteristics that drew me to Warpaint's music from the start were the haunting lyrics from Emily Kokal, their distinctive, artistic sound and the calming qualities to their music. Thankfully, all these things are incorporated in their self-titled album, which make Warpaint, well, Warpaint!

The band described 'Warpaint' as an experimental album. This can be seen in tracks such as single 'Love is To Die' and 'Disco//very', where the classic Warpaint is subtly manipulated to some extent, but successfully all the same. 'Love is To Die', as I posted before, is a fantastic piece of work, which certainly deserves to be the album's first single! 'Disco//very' reminds me quite a lot of 'Bees' on 'The Fool', but the difference is evident as their style develops. I can't find the words to describe this change, but I'm sure you'll agree it's there!

The next track to be revealed was 'Biggy' on December 6th. This is certainly another beautiful Warpaint-with-a-twist track, haunting with an edited style that's indescribable, yet brilliant. This is one of my personal favourites of the lot, and I wonder if people feel the same... It compliments Kokal's lyrics perfectly!

In all, actually, I can't fault any of the tracks. The album is perfectly written with Warpaint's artistic beauty, and follows on 'The Fool' phenomenally. I can't compare these with anyone else because, although they are similar to some artists, they definitely can be distinguished from the crowd. What more can I say?

The girls should be proud, not many bands can be easily picked out as different, but I believe that they can be. What's more, their live shows have proved to be very well performed, and so I can't wait for their tour in February! (And yes, that will be followed up on here too. Stay tuned!!)