Tag Archives: Under The Radar

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Ambra Red

To follow on from a point made in a previous post on this blog, although there are parts of the industry that are highly successful for women, there are some still in which women still struggle in, or there is a real lack of a presence in. Formerly I talked about rock and metal, now I’m talking about electronic music producers. There are some that have made substantial contributions to electronic music a la Ladytron’s Helen Marnie and Mira Aroyo or Freezpop’s Liz Enthusiasm and Marie ‘Christmas DIsco’ Sagan, that’s an indisputable fact. But I’m more referring to solo ventures, fearless females that near single-handedly produce all the content they make. Bjork is a famous example, as is Sister Bliss of Faithless fame, but they seem very far few and between prominence. I already have given notice to organic ambient maestro Hannah Davidson a.k.a. Mrs Jynx from Manchester previously on this blog, but it’s high time I gave plaudits to another. Enter Ambra Red from Sweden. It’s no secret that the European synth-pop scene is one of the strongest in the world, and despite disappearing off of the face of the earth, her collection of singles she produced in the period of time she was active is near an immaculate quality. Purposing producing lavish melodies like an arrow to the heart of popular music, while one foot strays into dancefloor territory and her tongue a sharp enough implement to slash at contemporary culture. Her career lasted an undisclosed amount of time, according to the shreds of evidence surrounding her on the internet, but long enough a timespan to produce 20 songs to be compiled onto what seems to be her only studio album, Electronic Creations For Special People. Many of her songs are impeccably written in the manner of synth-pop’s greatest, and Beauty 606 is personally one of the best the album has to offer. The twist of a radio dial into a punchy disco beat with a low-riding bass line starts the show, with Ambra’s hushed but sensual tones digging at perceived model beauty standards. Her calm, near reaching siren-esque demeanour makes her criticisms even more effective against the vibrant, cheery synths and layers upon layers of intricate percussion driving the track along. Special attention has to be given to the chorus’ inescapable hook line, as it’s one that burrows hard into your brain. Once its there. you’ll have a difficult time being rid of it as you’ll be whistling the melody for a good few days. As I said, an unsung hero of the modern synth-pop scene, with such carefully constructed, clean-sounding production and a midas touch for writing excellent pop songs that not only could seduce the dancefloor republic, but could nestle into any of the playbooks of the best to grace the mainstream with fingers on keyboards.

Having disappeared into the nether for around five years now, social media for her are hard to trace, but she still has a website up with links to where you can listen to and buy her works. So I’d highly recommend using that as your port of call, only because Amazon sold physical copies of her album beyond ridiculously prices.

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Adimiron

Now people I imagine are familiar with the concept of supergroups. A band put together from existing members of other established bands to make musical output. Some famous examples of this being Led Zeppelin, Audioslave, Velvet Revolver, Roadrunner United and more recently Teenage Time Killers, the latter two bands being examples of super collectives more than super groups. But I wonder if metal bands have ever considered the scenario of being drafted into a fantasy band league, people putting their two cents in to craft the best or a totally unique band based on the calibre of the musicians chosen. Obviously it would personally be far more interesting for a league like that over say a football one, but that comes with the consequences of being a music fanatic. Adimiron to me, leap out as a result of if that fantasy metal league were to exist. Combining the courageous, but venomous roars of Machine Head, the brutal simplicity of Meshuggah’s riff onslaught and the phenomenal technicality and precision of Gojira’s sticksman, the five gentlemen from Rome specialise in a titanic and constantly evolving exercise in maximum blunt force trauma. It would go without saying that their comparisons and influences mean their music carries substantial weight behind it and boy is it heavyweight. We’re talking collapsing tower block levels of heavyweight. Having held the honour of supporting of some of their heroes only adds to their legitimacy of being an all-opposing and all-conquering demolition crew of a band. The release of last year’s Timelapse has seen them take their punishing tech-metal avalanche to a new level, gathering critical acclaim from more than several luminaries of the metal press. The instrumental force of which they strike down upon is earth-shattering and rightfully applauded with glowing words and praise. State Of Persistence, the personal highlight of the nine bone-crushing pieces Timelapse holds, showcases the very best of that musical fusion discussed earlier. Matching note for hit, the opening is a gigantic sledgehammer of guitars and drums in unison already raining hard, also teasing a little of that time signature madness later to come. Then the utterly terrifying roars burst through the gates, to the battering of double kicks and a merciless barrage of riffs, completing the wolfpack and letting chaos loose. That wolf metaphor is no joke, as the time signature, on this song alone is torn and pulled apart like a piece of meat, constantly shifting with whatever pulverising metallic force comes next. You get a fantastic vocal showing too, between some incredibly powerful growls and soaring clean bellows, not to mention the clash of light and darkness in a Thordendal-esque ambient solo against the backdrop of the other mighty guitar hammerfall. No doubt it, these guys definitely deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as Meshuggah and Gojira. Adimiron are well within the top echelon of the thinking man’s metal warlords, and Timelapse is an exclamation point, executed with excellence that should mark a meteoric shift in their sphere of influence.

There are at least two other studio albums of theirs around, for now Timelapse and 2011’s K2 as well as a limited edition single can be bought from their Bandcamp page, but When Reality Wakes Up and Burning Souls can be bought from most respectable music retailers.

Go show them some love on social media:

https://www.facebook.com/adimironofficial?fref=ts

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Stalin

Bewilderment I’ve always thought is an unusual word. I can’t exactly explain why, but I’ve never felt overly compelled to use it in general conversation. According to the Oxford English dictionary, the definition of the word bewilderment is the state of being puzzled or confused at events that have transpired. Out of context, if you happen to be followed by an identity known only to you as Stalin, you can only be bewildered as to how this occurrence came about in the first place. After all, Stalin, the man himself, is one of the most divisive figures in modern history, as well as a hip-hop artist also from California apparently. So, just who or what is Stalin? That too is a subject of bewilderment. Although the facts are they are a rock band, there’s at least two of them and they have an interest in cult, stretching to occult paraphernalia, a box to define their sound or style doesn’t quite seem to fit them. Elements of bands in sparse amounts you can claim make up the fibre of their already distinct musical output, but aside from a background reminiscent of the school of grunge, they really are a beast of a unique breed. Whether progressive doom backed by eerie chimes in the distance, sludge dirges with a wistful piano break or the quiet-loud waiting game leading in a wave of devastation, Stalin does it with a beautiful yet slightly twisted flair that few bands are capable of. This is none more apparent in their possibly most accessible work California, in combination with the NSFW music video. Bass becomes a big focal point in the track, grinding the surface of sound into an uneasy meeting between yourself and a presence of unsettling intentions. Guitar opens the dialogue, a rich, almost lamenting series of notes expressing a tone of remorse, but not overbearingly so, kind of hinting that there may be an agenda more untoward than let on. Impressions from one of the most original vocal styles I’ve heard in years suggest that too, playing from sinister whispers, to soulful innocence, to crooning with a hint of deviance, to full-blooded screams, even foul-mouthed spoken word gets a look-in, all from the mouthpiece of an incredible talent. With a trance-like drum pattern, all of these pieces slot together into a tenebrous, evocative exhibition, leaving the listener on tenterhooks the entire time. The ending of four furious tapping and skin-bashing bursts into just ambience, the pounding of toms and yelling thought-provoking slogans is surprisingly powerful, not to mention relatively irregular in this kind of music. Unashamedly different in execution by unnervingly talented musicians, Stalin are not just a band, but an experience, an experience that keeps you guessing and rewards perseverance with a blackened take on reinventing the modern rock formula. Music for the masses they say? You’re damn right it is! Masses that have to hear this band.

Stalin are kind enough to be offering the majority of their recorded output on Bandcamp on a pay-what-you-want basis, which I’d recommend go looking at and supporting them. My words might make a little more sense if you watch the music video, which I’ll remind you is NSFW. You were warned. Oh, and they have a website to go look at too. Make sure you do that.

Go give them a like on social media:

https://www.facebook.com/Stalin1144?fref=ts

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Eyes Of The Nightmare Jungle

There’s a stage in life, where I wish I were able to understand or sympathise with, where decades after establishing a band, making music, recording albums and seeing a little of the world before posthumously calling it quits, you can look back with a fondness on what you once did. General sensations such as hindsight and nostalgia are a similar thing, but I’m not a musician, so I can’t experience the same feelings associated with once having a short-lived band that had a mild success story. If your name is Russell Webster however, and you were the mastermind behind once one of the most influential independent recording studios in the country, and a cult status electro-goth rock band with notable club hits in central Europe, it’d be an achievement to be proud of. What Russell is now known for however is his work as a voiceover artist, having lent his voice to audio book and self-guides, on a one man crusade to make the world a better place. But what I admire from the small amount of research I’ve done, is that he is refreshingly honest about the success of his band Eyes Of The Nightmare Jungle. He claims that they bombed after their second album because they decided to be too clever, but in my opinion, they may have been a bit ahead of their time. Eyes Of The Nightmare Jungle are for the best part, your archetypical goth rock band taken very much from the 80’s, drum machine, heavily distorted guitars, grinding basslines to make the earth tremble, booming spoken word that later expands into gang chants, keyboard hooks that sit on top of the brain. But despite a sound getting on for thirty years old, it sounds like it hasn’t aged a day. In select circles, their calling card Shadow Dance is a club staple and it’s easy to understand why. From the effects-soaked chords of the beginning, leading in the endearing programmed beats and the haunted wail of the keyboard, there’s an overflow of deliciously dark melodies and smoke-filled atmosphere across the five minutes, that wrap you head-first into the spider’s lair and injects you with a euphoria, designed for the dancefloor. That keyboard, or guitar line, I’m not entirely sure which, is also worth its own mention, for in each appearance is a shimmering. delightful breeze that despite its twanginess, adds a real extra dimension to the track and the sheer infectiousness of it, elevates it beyond just being another streamlined goth floorfiller. Eyes Of The Nightmare Jungle were class songwriters, and with a producer at the top of his game at the helm of the project, it’s incredible to hear that it hasn’t aged a day since 1988. What’s more outstanding, is the appeal and allure that their excellent back catalogue awakens from not just the most hardy of all gothic fans, but from a much wider musical audience too.

Because we’re talking a band from over three decades ago that never had real mainstream recognition, you’d expect them not to have the latest and greatest in music dispensing tools. But digital and occasional physical copies of their work can be obtained at most respectable music retailers still, if this intrigues you as such.

Go give them a like on social media:

https://www.facebook.com/Eyes-Of-The-Nightmare-Jungle-150814181624559/timeline/

And if you liked this retrospective piece, why not sling some love in my direction, like follow, subscribe, however you want to, if you even want to at all:

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Moxy And The Influence

Kinda without wanting to get tangled up in the vast web and warzone that gender politics and feminism have evolved into, when it comes to rock music, women seem to have had it tougher because the industry put a lot of emphasis on marketing sexuality over talent. In smaller pockets of the industry, that can still be a problem, you’d probably need a few hands to count the amount of bands in which this happens to. But the ambitions of those determined, undeniably talented women, wanting to make a living doing what they love, keep tearing at the fence of adversity and the flow of females, not just as vocalists, but kickass guitarists, bassists and drummers is becoming more of a mainstay in up-and-coming bands. In and amongst those jostling for greater widespread attention and rightly so is the youthful spirit of California’s Moxy And The Influence. Sitting somewhere between the shoulder blades of Paramore and Halestorm, but raised on a healthy diet of glam and some of the greatest rock bands to ever pick up an instrument, the three ladies and one gentleman that make up the band have already received glittering acclaim and plaudits from local media outlets on their unforgettable melodic hard rock battle cries. Despite only being a band for two years and having an average age of 18, what staggers me most is how seasoned and polished they already sound for a band that could still be considered in its infancy. Since their inception, there’s been a steady trickle of singles and material, all packed with the charisma, fire and passion that makes rock ‘n’ roll function and personally, none fulfil that more for me than the punk-fuelled statement of empowerment that is Alive. Though lyrics lead me to believe that this deals with not being comfortable in a relationship, it feels more like acknowledging yourself and that you as an individual has purpose in this world, which despite sorrow breeding poetry, the optimism and positivity is incredibly refreshing to hear. There’s an attitude and sass to vocalist Moxy Anne that becomes far more emphatic against the well-oiled engine of the fast but weighted buzzsaw chords, bass that vibrates deep through your bones and drums that dictate the form of attack. Yet while the chorus is a strong mantra for believing in yourself, there’s an unexpected feistiness in the near-screams of a later bridge and a damn impressive, smoking hot guitar solo that follows it. Moxy And The Influence are similar in nature to that of wildcats: in no way to be underestimated and certifiably no hope of being tamed. A band of superbly talented musicians, very well versed in rock ‘n’ roll with the earworm masterstroke and the potential to climb very high in the musical food chain.

Their Alive EP can be bought from their website in a physical capacity, or from most respectable music retailers if you want the immediacy of digital. They have plenty of other merch available too if you wanna look at all the other things you could be buying.

Show them some much deserved love on social media:

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And if you’re feeling generous and feel I deserve some love too, why not like, follow and/or subscribe to the blog? Or don’t. Your call:

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Destrage

When it comes to someone with the passion to actively seek out what music the world truly has to offer you, you come across many a colourful band every now and again. None seem to proving that theory any more right than roaming the rich plains of Europe’s metal scene. For every cookie-cutter metal or deathcore band out there, a weird and wonderful troupe dares to take metal and collide it with whatever exotic fruits they have to hand. Norway’s Shining are literal jazz metal and a sublime band. Sweden’s Diablo Swing Orchestra are an opera and big-band recital with electric guitars, and heavy at that. Greece’s Septicflesh are cinematic masters of scoring civilisations with a incredible string section and choir, against the backdrop of death metal. There are plenty of bands out there, like ores in the Earth’s rich crust awaiting their excavation. Then we come to Italy’s Destrage, for the most part an extremely tight tech metal quintet, but with the personality of a hyper scientist given a brand new chemistry set. They’ll take as may different components from the base materials and make it combustible in ways we could scarcely imagine. A twin-pronged guitar juggernaut, one prong more ferocious, the other more surgical, but equally as dangerous, form the brunt of their siege to their senses. But whether they rain metal hellfire, pummel with hardcore beatdowns, clash from contrasting time signatures or simmer to allow for the stunning vocal performance, the end result is nothing short of brilliance. Vocals themselves have to be given their own merits, dynamically shifting from frenzied yelps to lung-burning growls to occasionally emotionally touching and hard-hitting clean passages, sometimes all in the same breath. And drums, well, they just orchestrate the madness. Unpredictable utter madness. Last year’s Are You Kidding Me? No. is completely full of show-stealing instrumentation at literally nearly every given interval, and lead track Destroy Create Transform Sublimate is the total package. Insane tapping melodies, crunching guitar throwdowns, schizoid but terrific drum display, subtle but bone-shaking bass, an awesome rollercoaster of a vocal delivery and a pseudo-dictatorial speech complete with a rousing orchestral score that delves into dark jungle-style drum ‘n’ bass? What more could you ask for? Destrage are turning metal inside out, and for every person who signs up for their energetic brand of engineered chaos, brings them a step closer to dominating like they should be. A truly unbelievable force of a band.

There’s a few albums of theirs floating around, most of them on most respectable music retailers, but just as easy to go get them from their website directly. They’d probably appreciate it as much if you went and got a t-shirt or two from them as well. Oh, and if you’re in Germany, go see them at Euroblast in October.

If you don’t love them already, go love them now here:

https://www.facebook.com/Destrage?fref=ts

And if you enjoy what I’ve written about these awesome gentlemen, maybe consider sending me some love too via whatever social networks you use, you don’t have to, honestly:

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Formalin

I don’t know if those who are reading this right now are into science much, but if you ever need a go-to name for a band or musical project, chemistry more often than not, will not fail you. Alkaline Trio kinda leaps out at me straight away as the most well-known example of a chemical reference in mainstream music, as well as my personal favourite Bullets And Octane, but lurking deep within the realms of the musical underground, there are many names derived from the periodic table of elements, chemical reactions, biological chemistry and so on and so forth. Sometimes that name can stand out so much, it starts to become educational. In the origin of Formalin’s name however, it’s not only scientifically educational but culturally educational, if you are familiar with the works of a certain Damien Hurst. Formalin, is also known as formaldehyde solution, of which formaldehyde is responsible for Hirst’s notorious shark exhibit being preserved for as long as it has been. Sorry, you came here for music, not A Level Science. But the synthesis of formaldehyde into formalin, shares a common property with the band itself, in their music is obtained through the synthesis of wavelengths and frequencies to create a aesthetically darker electronic pop hybrid. The production duo from Berlin are a growing name on the European electro-industrial scene for their fusion of clean, air-tight percussion and gritty but entrancing synth lines, all drizzled with a little sleaze for dancefloor seduction. There are some nuances from EDM and commercialised dubstep in there too, just to give a little harder edge and sharpness to the electronics, but there’s a whole realm of lavish future-pop melodies to take command of the exquisite rhythms and atmosphere. This year’s Supercluster is a testament to how crisp every note, beat and vocal comes across from these gentlemen, and by far one of this year’s most enchanting synth-driven albums. The empowering Above The Sun is perhaps the strongest case for this argument, its deep, penetrating drum pulse powering the architecture and precision of each synth layer for maximum effect. Some sparkle, some twitch, some scream and shout, and some throb, but all thread together to move your body in ways you had no idea it could. Of course this all plays into the hands of the vocals which speak directly to your aural channel, playing the devil’s advocate if it were, persuasive in tone but with a devious intention. There’s true substance in the Formalin recipe, a dazzling but ocean-deep formula, complete with the marvels and menaces of the marine kingdom to boot. The duo from Berlin are providing a sterling addition to the electro-industrial underground, produced with laser-precision calibre and with an addictive sensibility that deserves to breach forth into the spotlight.

Formalin’s three albums, this year’s Supercluster, 2012’s Wasteland Manifesto and 2010’s Bodyminding are all available from most respectable music retailers. A select few of their tracks are available on Soundcloud for your listening pleasure and they are due to be touring later this year too.

https://www.facebook.com/formalin.music?fref=ts

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Fashion Bomb

Fashion and music seem to have gone hand and hand with each other over the years, ushering each other’s development to the forefront of popular culture. There’s all manner of subcultures from punk, to goth, to emo, to skater, that was very much influenced by the music you listened to and vice-versa. It used to be about showing support and appreciation for the band you like (I’m sitting in a Killing Joke shirt at the time of writing this for example), which is still the status symbol it embodies today, but nowadays it’s become far more commercialised. Anybody has readily available access to a Ramones, Rolling Stones or Guns ‘N’ Roses t-shirt without ever having heard of their music. I wrote my dissertation based around this subject for my Media Studies degree, and as somebody who recognises their position as a producer and consumer of media content, the change over the decades has become far more poignant to this argument. Thankfully, Fashion Bomb are the right side of cultural consumption, looking and certainly playing the part of an accomplished industrial metal troupe, looking for the next fix of bodies to bludgeon. This five-piece hailing from Chicago evoke the ire of Manson in his industrial youth, but coursing with the intensity of punk, even stretching as far as hardcore’s brightest stars. Every nuance of their musicianship is packed with jagged-edged riffs and melodic hooks that etch themselves deep within your skin and across both their albums, they’ve proved a fierce presence on the industrial underground. 2008’s Devils To Some Angels To Others may share more common traits with a jackhammer, but it’s 2011’s Visions Of The Lifted Veil that elevated those pandemic levels of infectious melodies to their greatest height and yet The Meek is the perfect balance of musical grace and heavyweight destruction. And those destructive credentials are put on display right away. Almost from the get-go, the first wave of pounding metal might bulldozes all those unsuspecting, before the harmonic chorus reminiscent of the timbre of Orgy’s heyday casts piercing light through the brief but bruising beatdown. Each verse is a methodically paced lesson in creeping danger, sensing that the previous teasing of the show of strength can only develop into a longer headkicking, while the voice of the vindictive pours salt into the wounds. The resolute performance of the drums also takes starring role in keeping the soundscape tense in a tribal fashion, but nonetheless exciting. But that’s Fashion Bomb in a nutshell, another exciting, passionate breed of energised industrial metal, poised to declare war on those not compliant. Their fashion may be to walk in the shadows, but they sure hit with the force of a bomb when in plain sight.

Fashion Bomb’s two albums are only be available via most respectable music retailers it seems, but are in the usual social media circles and can be found on Last.fm too. They do have a website as well if checking that out is your bag, but go support them in the relevant method you see fit.

https://www.facebook.com/xFashionxBombx?fref=ts

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Track of The Week: Tacoma Narrows Bridge Disaster – Orogenic

I’ve made no secret my feelings on this band, detailed in my token of amour-cum-landmark 100th post on this blog. Know simply that their name isn’t just to identify a curious structural collapse in the 1940s. Their name is an event, and the music of such a striking namesake matches the grandeur, completely and absolutely. It’s been three years since the release of their phenomenal sophomore album Exegesis, an album I hold as being the best album I’ve ever listened to. Line-up tweaks and performances aplenty have taken place in that time period, but appear to not have not blunted their drive whatsoever to reach for the stratosphere. Hot off the heels of their heralded ArcTanGent appearance comes the much anticipated third album Wires/Dream\Wires.

For those who have never crossed paths before with the mighty Tacoma Narrows Bridge Disaster, what you are essentially getting is a colossal atmospheric waltz through life, the universe and everything via an awe-inspiring progressive post-metal masterclass, mentioned in the same breath as Isis, Pelican and Tool. Such interstellar impact and beauty seemed inconceivable until I first came across their art of graceful annihilation. 2009’s Collapse was an earth-shattering introduction and Exegesis was a rift-inducing exclamation point, where does Wires/Dream\Wires stand in the timeline of this incredible band of musicians? They remain as stalwart as ever. Wires/Dream\Wires actually returns to ground level for their third instalment, but in no way possible do they falter with their stopping power. It may be shorter than their previous efforts, with only one track breaching the 10 minute barrier, but it’s far more emotionally involving than previously encountered, almost inferring an air of tragedy unlike previous albums. Precision engineered to strike with riffs that crush you fifty feet underground and an ambience that makes you pilot of a world in melancholy and mourning, these are nine songs of inspiring musicianship that flick the switch to conquer in the face of adversity and personal loss.

In an album completely devoid of lulls in quality, the decision to cherry-pick one track of a shining collection was tough, like trying to decide which child to eat and cook for dinner tough. But I think there’s a unexplainable but highly satisfying pacing in the seven and a half minutes of Orogenic that leaps out at me as the favourite on this album. Swirls of keyboard lead in a vulnerable sounding series of notes, a warm bass groove shortly coursing through the musical veins with a toned down but still rhythmically complex skin-clattering joining the fray too. If this is your first Tacoma Narrows experience, then strap yourselves in. Their musical build-ups are world-class, insanely tight compositions that slowly raise tension before combusting into a flare of seminal, scorching playing ability. A sorrow-tinged melody weaves in and out of the first mesmerising musical passage, before the heavier artillery arrives in a fierier guitar bombshell and double kicks that sound off like high calibre rounds. This is only two minutes in. Succeeding the first siege is a smaller, but far tenser build-up of just the bouncing of fingers on bass and a more primitive-sounding drum pattern that still holds its complexity, like spurring on competitors in the hunt. Then they pounce. What follows sounds like they’ve successfully acquired a trophy from an encounter with Mastodon, the sheer seismic scale of the barrage reminiscent of the metal heavyweight’s prowess. That incredible bruising moment then transitions back into another build-up, splitting the guitars into a distorted riff with a nature of assertiveness to it and the second into an ominous, soothsaying voice of caution, with drums mediating between as a powerful pacemaker. The isolated last calls of that second guitar voice, like a haunting doomsday trigger word, is one of the best moments on the entire album. It unleashes the final inferno, a blistering explosion of all the instruments decimating anything within a 10 mile blast radius. The lead guitar, almost screaming above the density and incomprehensible force of the sound, is just astonishing, bringing that emotional turmoil to full fruition in the wake of musical devastation. Several more destructive hammer blows later and this cinematic experience comes to a close.

For something to be orogenic, it would cause a structural deformation, such as destabilising the ground we walk upon, of the outermost shell of a planet. This song visually speaking does just that, and does that job jaw-droppingly so. As previously noted, the music of Tacoma Narrows Bridge Disaster is an event, an event of such magnitude that sometimes it becomes unfathomable to sum up into words. Orogenic and Wires/Dream\Wires as a whole not only cements TNBD’s place as one of the best in UK post-metal, but to be as bold as to say as one of the UK’s best bands around.

Tacoma Narrows Bridge Disaster officially launch Wires/Dream\Wires on the 4th September at The Black Heart in London. Go buy a ticket. In the meantime, everything else you could ever want from them can be found on their Bandcamp page, including digital and physical copies of Wires/Dream\Wires. I would like to politely implore that you do it.


https://www.facebook.com/tnbduk?fref=ts

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Liquorworks

I sit back and think to myself every so often and wonder this: Is the best music in the world always composed when the musicians themselves are hammered? There are cases for the prosecution and the defence here. In favour, the undisputed gravel-driven poetry of Tom Waits’ The Piano Has Been Drinking, even if not woven together inebriated, at the least the piano was. But on the defence, alcohol has ruined careers and even concluded them, bar Hendrix’ infamous demise and recently Sum 41 frontman Derrick Whibley being a few more millilitres away from being in the ground. So where does Liquorworks fit into this puzzle? Aside from the not-so-subtle elbow in the ribs of their namesake, the Finnish duo’s music, while ultimately brilliant, has an aura of being under the influence in that it’s so unpredictable and wild, the results will likely take you aback. Thankfully, it’s in a wonderful way. The two gentlemen from Vimpeli, Finland craft a form of technical, progressive metal that flourishes from the additional twists of stand out instruments including a saxophone, occasional keyboard and even an organ in patches. Think of it as an orchestra conducted by a mental institution and you’d be about there. While their first album Nonsense had more than a few moments of dizzying excellence, 2013’s Muscle Explosion took that bar to the next level. Final track Robotektor takes on the form of an intense metal pursuit, but one that manages to distil some comedic undertones into the madness. Across the four minute running time, arpeggios of keyboard ascend, guitars shred, drums are destroyed and organ casts down judgement, all at incredible pace. The lunacy on show is more than enough to hardened metal militia happy, while those standing from a technical stand point will be blown away. Despite there being only two of them, the illusion of an insanely tight chemistry between a full band makes the mouth water at the prospect of a live performance. Credit where credit is due, Liquorworks are unbelievably good. Tech metal seems to take itself a little too seriously at the best of times, but one sitting with this wacky, creative behemoth of a metal band and happiness can only follow. Best served in a pint glass with a cocktail umbrella. Cheers.

Liquorworks’ most recent efforts, last year’s Cosmos Compost EP and Muscle Explosion can be bought from their Bandcamp page for a reasonable fee, whereas 2011’s Nonsense and Moist Computer EP can downloaded for free from their Soundcloud page. Most respectable music retailers also apply.

https://www.facebook.com/Liquorworks?fref=ts