Kent’s Circle of Rage have unleashed their latest slab of thrash/crossover tuneage as a free (yes, free!) download. The song, called “Unnatural Selection” is available from this location.
Band Info:
A five-piece outfit whose members all hail from the same village in Kent. Having ALL attended the same primary school; they’ve literally grown up together.
You could even say that Circle of Rage was formed way before they even held any instruments. Through a mutual passion for alternative music coupled with recognition for strong, indicative lyrics, it seemed the next logical step for them to decide that…
…”We can do this!” “Let’s make a band… so… who wants to play what?”
So that’s exactly what they did. They learnt to play and six years later, (March 2007), play they did!
From the moment they committed to the idea, they have worked tirelessly to hone their sound to what they KNEW they wanted. As a band, Circle of Rage are true believers in the “power of words”, reflecting their discontent with political systems of control and the power over many in the hands of the few, (think Anti-Flag, Bad Religion). Whilst their music takes a range of inspiration from 80’s metal i.e. Metallica, Pantera to more recent Hardcore offerings in the vein of Cancer Bats, Death by Stereo, The Ghost of a Thousand.
Instead of mere imitation however, they strive to marry any influences with more original structural concepts, so retaining their musical ingenuity and independence.
Forget the restrictions of genre and embrace the creations of 5 dudes that crave passion, heart and soul in their music above all else. Finally, a band with something to say who have the balls to say it! Aggressive, politically motivated, metal/hardcore inspired music.
circleofrage.co.uk
facebook.com/pages/Circle-of-Rage/19472872469
I’ve gotta admit… it’s taken me a damn long time to review this EP. So, first of all I’d like to offer some apologies for that! Now, on with the (somewhat long awaited) review…
Ok, straight off the bat, I’ve got a confession to make. Hopeless Potential create the kind of music that I don’t usually listen to. These guys lean more towards the Hardcore side of things, while I can usually be found listening to Death Metal, Black Metal or… er… Hair Metal. However, that doesn’t mean that this is a bad EP. In fact, it’s quite the opposite – there’s a real potential here… and not a hopeless one!
There’s enough of a Metal edge to this EP that it makes me want to listen to it more than once. In doing so, it’s opening my mind to the world of hardcore… which certainly isn’t a bad thing!
Also, there’s the fact that these guys know how to write a song. All of the tracks here are structured fantastically well – even if (on occasion) the structure is a little bit predictable. A well-balanced combination of melody and brutality run throughout the EP, making sure that the listener never gets bored.
In conclusion, when this little monster is unleashed in July, I’d advise you to check it out. Open your mind to some Metal-tinged Hardcore… or Hardcore-tinged Metal (depending on which track you’re listening to)! Highlights from the EP include: “Let’s See You Bleed” (the pig squeals towards the end are fuckin’ genius!) and “He Who Lurks” (a fantastic track that really makes great use of melody).
Rating: 78%
This EP is a hearty slab of Hardcore flavoured Metal. It would be easy to dismiss Heavy Lies The Crown as a generic Hardcore band – I mean, all of the necessary ingredients are here – but there’s something that sets this EP apart from the herd.
“The Family Demise” is oozing with an unmistakable energy. I found it impossible not to get swept up with the tracks and it’s left me with the urge to see the band live at the nearest opportunity. You see, while the tracks on this EP sound fucking great, I can’t help but feel that they’d sound even better live.
I tend to have a problem with the vocals in this kind of music. More often than not, a band will decide to shove a load of clean vocals into each song – it’s almost as if they have an agreement with someone whereby they must have at least one clean section in each track. This is fine if you’re into this kinda thing, but – as you may have gathered – I’m not. However, it would seem that Heavy Lies The Crown are not another hardcore clone – they’re doing things their own way. Yes, there are clean vocals on this EP, but they are not the centre point of each and every track. Instead, I found that they had been added where they actually enhance the tracks and they are used to their optimum power. This has resulted in “The Family Demise” becoming an incredibly professional and mature sounding EP. Plus, it’s nice and aggressive, which will keep me smiling.
Track to look out for: “Infidelity”.
Sound like your cup of tea? Well, the band have made this EP available as a free download! Click here to get it!
Rating: 87%
Horizon Falls are a metal/hardcore band hailing from Brazil. “When the Horizon Falls” is their new EP.
This EP is full of tracks that make me want to throw myself around. These songs were built for pits. The whole thing is an adrenalin rush from start to finish and only lets up for the occasional clean/melodic vocal. Personally, I’m not a massive fan of this particular vocal style, but it is very popular within the hardcore/metalcore sub-genres at the moment… so, I guess there’s no escaping it. The rougher, more aggressive vocals – however – are fantastic and more than make up for it.
The songs do seem to follow the standard hardcore/metalcore formula, but they are well-written and extremely memorable. Yes, these guys do seem to be following a certain plan, but hey – if it works, then go for it!
Fans of the genre should definitely give this band a shot.
Rating: 65%
