RMP Magazine #25 by RMP Magazine

THANKS TO

Executive Staff

Writers

Kenny Leys // CEO

Cameron Smith // Copywriter liaison

David Marote // Managing Editor

Dana Maslykhina

James Cross // Photo coordinator

Renske Gommer Jonas Hoflack Holly Reijs

Design Jolien Krijnen // Chief designer

Editor Frederik Geuvens // Editor in chief

Photography Carl Battams Elizabeth Rae Joe Sheridan Jurriaan Hodzelmans Jake Lahah

www.rock-metal-punk.org 2

RMP Magazine #25

David Gilmore

CONTENT

I n t e r v i e w / / Tr o p h y L u n g s

Inter view//De Staat

6 I n t e r v i e w / /Homer

14 I n t e r v i e w / / Ignite

Inter view//Max Raptor

Album r eviews

RMP Magazine #25

THE EDITOR

A W

FROM THE EDITOR

Hello again! Welcome back! We at Rock-Metal-Punk.org are proud to present our 25th issue of RMP Magazine. Another team effort of enthusiastic music lovers uniting their minds to bring you the latest on rock, metal and punk. Browsing the web for the newest bands, visiting bars, clubs and venues to check the pulse of the live music scene, sending out our dedicated team of photographers to bring you the best shots from the front row as if you were present frontstage. No effort is too much for us. That's why I would like to thank all of you for keeping RMP Magazine going for over 25 issues. From our international team of volunteers who write down the reviews and interviews you indulge on to the vastly growing photography team who invest their money and time into documenting the live scene. Let's not forget our editors who help coordinate all of this madness and of course the designers with the golden touch who create a visual treat each month. And of course, you, the reader and supporter of RMP Magazine. With winter almost gone and spring at the door, the festival season is taking shaping. Time for us at RMP to start scheduling our summer. It looks like a busy one again. As an annual tradition we will be kicking of the season with Groezrock again to bring you front row journalism. But we have plenty of more fests and shows to attend: Punk Rock Holiday in Slovenia is looking attractive and the tickets are going fast. With nearly 5 months left they are close to selling out already.For now, we bring you our monthly selection of exciting bands with interviews featuring Dutch rockers De Staat, Orange County hardcore legends Ignite and Bostonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s punks Trophy Lungs, a fresh batch of album reviews to guide your quest to the record store and of course the eye candy that our photographers have provided for you with their amazing live shots from all over the planet. Enjoy and thanks for 25 issues of RMP Magazine!

David Marote

Managing editor RMP magazine

RMP Magazine #25

YOU MAY WANT TO LIS

STEN TO... De Staat – O De Staat hails from Nijmegen, The Netherlands, and has been conquering the lowlands for some time now with magnificent releases such as “I_CON” and its completing remix album “Vinticious Versions”. Both unveiling the sound and direction that the state is heading for. Now “O” has hit the streets and expectations are great. Kicking off with previously online teaser track “Peptalk” you instantly get sucked into the De Staat universe. Hop along on the magical ride, when “Peptalk” ends and the rest of the album goes further it turns into a rollercoaster ride through styles and sounds. Some of the tracks that stand out on “O” are “Murder Death” with its mesmerising beat or the “Life Is A Game (ladadi ladadada)”, chaotic madness à la De Staat. On other tracks like “Time Will Get Us Too” and “She's With Me”, the band takes a more intimate and slowed down route. De Staat went all out on recording this album and that's even more obvious when checking the album’s artwork. Gearheads will cheer this evolution as the artwork holds a full on description of all the gear used in recording the tracks. Each track mentions the guitars, basses, microphones, pedals, actually everything that was used for that specific song. Overall, “O” is a well-rounded and diverse album, although something leaning too heavily to the experimental side for my taste. De Staat has stepped it up another notch and I'm excited to see what's next.

Or gaanklap – Panic !At The FEBO Another Dutch band, but this time speaking in their native tongues, 'Algemeen Beschaafd Nederlands', is Orgaanklap. A bunch of crazy Dutchmen who like to perform scarcely clad and elevate toilet humour into a new art form. Musically they rage through the songs with heavy rock and punk influences chiming in, accompanied by their Dutch fun lyrics. Touching into delicate topics as one's love for leather leggings or a track about getting acquainted to the vocalist’s cock. Sometimes delving into pubertal fantasy, other times crazy train of thoughts about deejaying during a train trip. Tongue in cheek jokes are the glue to the whole album, from the album title referring to the Febo, the Dutch snack vending machines you may have seen when visiting Amsterdam to the numerous pop punk riffs and references in “We <3 Pop Punk”. For those who can grasp the lyrics, it will become quite clear that Orgaanklap doesn't walk the political correct path or even care about anything civilised at all. Hilarious banter, naked men jumping each other and bodily fluids flowing as tsunamis is probably one of the only ways to present this band. "Panic! At The FEBO" thrives on the use of words like 'kwak', 'geil' en 'lul'. Google translate those and you'll know what you're up for.

David Bowie – Blackstar This one is more of a posthumously honouring to the legend of David Bowie. Except sharing the same first name and having seen the Thin White Duke perform once, I never have been too heavily into those 'classics'. Of course I knew most of the known tracks from Ziggy Stardust to the magnificent duet with Freddy Mercury, who doesn't? "Blackstar" was David Bowie's final piece of art to the world before the blue bird flew off, his 25th and final release. After seeing the video for “Lazarus” after his departure, one of the tracks on “Blackstar”, I delved in deeper to give “Blackstar” a spin. From opening track “Blackstar” I got sucked into the epitaph album that “Blackstar” the album turned out to be. The song “Lazarus” with its prophetic vision serves as a sort of eulogy. Never scaring the experiment “Blackstar” fuses the trademark vocal chords of David Bowie with eclectic beats and plenty of saxophone. A true closure to a legacy.

RMP Magazine #25

Writer // David Marote

RMP Magazine #25

S G N U L Y H TROP B

oston-based Trophy Lungs consists of three average Joes according to themselves, who will deny anything when asked. But once they get their weapons of sonic destruction out of the shed, all hell breaks loose. Their latest release â&#x20AC;&#x153;Day Jobsâ&#x20AC;? on Bearded Punk Records is another example of fierce punk rock that even almost led to an award. If that hasn't drawn your attention yet, then it's time to meet up with Trophy Lungs and their favourite drinking game.

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INTERVIEW // TROPHY LUNGS

Hello, Congratulations with your latest album, “Day Jobs”. It was released in October last year, how has the response been so far? I think the response has been better than any of us could have imagined. So many people have been awesome enough to include us in their ‘best of 2015’-lists, and even though we (rightfully) lost, we were nominated for Punk Artist Of The Year by the Boston Music Awards. All of our friends and family have been super supportive and we’re just glad it’s finally out. For the European CD release you teamed up with Bearded Punk Records, a new label from Belgium. The vinyl is on another label. How did you get connected to them? Bearded Punk reached

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out to us saying how much they loved the record and asked if we had any interest in releasing it in Europe. We obviously said yes, and within a month “Day Jobs” was out on CD, in countries we never thought our music would be played in. Gregory and Bjorn are two of the nicest dudes we’ve ever had the pleasure of working with and we’re incredibly stoked on what they have planned for us later this year. The album title “Day Jobs” refers to the fact that you all work fulltime jobs next to the band. Could you tell us what you do in the daily life when not living out the rockstar fantasy? Most of us work in the hospitality industry. Growing up in working class families and

"THERE’S A LOT OF POWERFUL MUSICIANS WHO WEREN’T AFRAID TO WRITE ABOUT CONTROVERSIAL TOPICS,..."

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INTERVIEW // TROPHY LUNGS

living in one of the most expensive cities in the states, it’s hard to maintain a decent paying job while taking the time off to be in a band. Finding a balance isn’t easy, but playing shows and going on tour is something we absolutely love, so we’ll always find a way to make it happen. You all played in different bands before starting Trophy Lungs in 2012, any bands that we should know of? Definitely not [laughs]. Interestingly enough, everyone in this band was a drummer before we started and we all came from different cities playing different styles of music I think that’s one of my favourite things about writing with these guys. You can really see the

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different influences come through when we’re playing. If the band was to play a special occasion playing

"We really just write music that we think sounds rad and is about things that are important to us."

a cover set of the band that influenced them, what band(s) would you cover? We actually did that a few years ago. We were going down to Fest in Gainesville and played

some shows along the way, including an Alkaline Trio cover set for a pre-Halloween show in Brooklyn. If we had to do it again, I’d say it would be a tie between Dillinger Four and Banner Pilot. The song “Bathroom Graffiti” on the album is about losing people and how you remember them. But what artists that are no longer with us would you like to encounter if given the chance? There’s a lot of powerful musicians who weren’t afraid to write about controversial topics that we’ve love to sit down with if they were still with us. Joe Strummer had a lot of guts to name a record “Sandinista!” at the time when the US government was at war with a group of

the same name. Joe Hill was a labour activist who was killed by a firing squad in 1915 because his songs were too powerful. Given the chance it would be incredible to sit down with musicians who knew music could be a lot more than noise. Trophy Lungs is considered pop punk by most. Do you agree on that or would you call Trophy Lungs different? I think people get way too caught up in genres and titles. You shouldn’t have to fit a certain niche or style to be a good band. We really just write music that we think sounds rad and is about things that are important to us. Let’s not forget that ‘pop’ is short for ‘popular’ which is something we certainly are not. You refer to the XFiles in your online bio.

The new episodes are coming soon of the Xfiles, after almost two decades. Do you believe Mulder will find the truth (and Scully)? Just like the opening credits say: “The Truth Is Out There”. Now that the album is out in Europe, can we expect Trophy Lungs on trip across the pond soon? We’re incredibly lucky to be part of the Bearded Punk family and we’re so stoked to say that they’re working on a two-week European tour for us later this year. All dates and venues will be announced later on but I can definitely say that it’s going to be awesome.

Europe. Originally told to us by our buds in The New Warden, this is a drinking game that involves beer, fire, and brown paper bags. What you do is get at least three friends to stand in a circle. Twist the top of the paper bags into hats and place them on your head. You then proceed to light the top of the hats on fire and the first person begins to drink their beer. After every gulp it’s the next persons turn to take a gulp. The point of the game is to finish your beer until the fire gets down to your head. And to get drunk. Good luck, you’re welcome. New album : "Day jobs"

Any last words, plans or maybe even crazy stories you want to share with us? Please let us introduce the game ‘Firehat’ to

Out now!

facebook.com/TrophyLungs

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O2 Forum Kentish Town 2016, UK Photographer // Carl Battams

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e Staat are one of The Netherlands emerging bands. With a sold-out tour in their home country and branching out to other European countries, we at RMP took the opportunity to witness De Staat live during the leg of their Belgian shows at the infamous Ghent-based cafe, Charlatan. Vocalist and guitar player Florre Torim took some time off to chat with us regarding their latest release â&#x20AC;&#x153;Oâ&#x20AC;? and the ongoing tour through Europe.

RMP Magazine #25

Writer // David Marote

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INTERVIEW // DE STAAT

Hello Torre, first things first, congratulations with the new release “O”. It's been out for some weeks now and the first part of the tour in The Netherlands is over. How has it been this far? Very good, real nice. That tour was completely sold out. It's great to be back on the stages again. At least now in The Netherlands, for the bigger shows, we brought along visuals for the first time. It's something different for us too. We're putting on a different show than before. It's a step forward on all fronts. Lots of cool stuff happening Yesterday you started with the conquest of Belgium, all shows are sold out already. Is Belgium falling for De Staat? I hope so. It's smaller venues of course but it hasn't happened before

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that venues in Belgium are also packed. I'm very happy. They say that Studio Brussel (Belgian radio station) is very important and for the first time in my career as a musician they are playing one of our songs at night. I'm already very happy with the way things are going in Belgium. We've waited for a long time to witness it going good over here. Slowly but surely the people are getting to know us and come out. But I love playing this sort of venues. It sure seems to be busy times for you guys, still a part of Europe to tour in the nearby future and at the end of March you're booked as the support band for Muse in Germany. What cab we expect from this show? Well, I don't know what to expect myself really. I know we are playing

on a round stage. That’s actually nice for us since our whole album is based around a circle. We are going to perform in a circle. But we don't know yet how this will be done. We don't know either what they're expecting from us from Muse’s side. It's going to be awesome anyway, it's basically an arena. We don't know if it's on invite of Muse themselves, it was just one of those moments you get a phone call. Of course it's a result of building the band over years. Where you happen to be a name on a list. I'm very happy with this. I suspect that the band proposed it, I'll know for sure when we play the show. The new album was recorded in your own De Staat studio in your hometown Nijmegen (NL), the old venue Doornroosje has been

"WE'RE PUTTING ON A DIFFERENT SHOW THAN BEFORE. IT'S A STEP FORWARD ON ALL FRONTS."

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INTERVIEW // DE STAAT

transformed into your very own workplace. How it the new location? You're up to date! It's really great. We've been over there for over a year, a year and a half actually. It took some trial and error at first. I used to own a small home studio and our rehearsal space was somewhere else. But now it was the first time we brought those two together. It was a learning process for me to find out how to handle it. It's basically just a black box where paint chips of the wall. Just a rock 'nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; roll hole. It's very sweet, we're having a lot of fun over there where we can work in peace and quit. I wouldn't want it any other way than like this. It's a really nice method of working. A while back, you also invited 25 fans through

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"WHEN AN ALBUM IS ABOUT TO RELEASE, YOU START THINKING THAT IT'S CRAP ON ONE SIDE WHILE ON THE OTHER SIDE YOU THINK IT'S REAL GREAT WHAT YOU'VE DONE." a contest to witness live recordings of two new tracks in the studio. How was the response? It was very exciting. They hadn't heard anything yet, for the first time they were going to listen to the new tracks. The response was very good. There were a few journalists present

who said it was the best material they heard from us so far. It's a very uncertain time. When an album is about to release, you start thinking that it's crap on one side while on the other side you think it's real great what you've done. And then you think it's quite boring what you've

done. You've been at it so long that you can't judge it anymore and then you are dependent on other people their opinions. Then you realise ‘Yeah, this is actually quite good’. It was a very interesting period but it was fun doing so. The video clip for “Witch Doctor” from your previous album has really become a hit. YouTube views alone are over a million and a half. It's a visually very attractive video with the CGI circle pit and apparently it's also becoming a hit during live shows where people perform the dance around you in the middle of the crowd? It's going in the direction of two million as we speak. It' s not really a circle pit, it's more of a dance than a pit. Sometimes blogs write about the circle pit during De Staat show and

then some methalhead start responding that's not a real circle pit. And they are right, I agree with them. If it happens these days, also live, then everyone is neatly into formation and dancing around me. Not much happens during the dance.

But you also have a new video in the make. Something with a circleshaped stage. Yes, that's right. It' going to take a while before it is released, but it will be something special. I can't talk about it yet; it's set for release in two

months. The new album gravitates around cyclic movements, from artwork “O” up until the track “Round”. What attracts you to these mysterious circles? That is something that grows organically. When we recorded over half of the tracks, I realised that I needed to go all the way. I'm a fan of clear concepts. ‘Theme’ on its own is a wrong definition but I always try when releasing a new album to make sure it's a certain thing. One story, it can go all directions into my mind. By accident all tracks in the beginning of the recording seemed to have a mutual theme regarding repetition, about cycles, about infinity or about quitting something, the void what translates to 0. Not all tracks fitted this scheme. When we reached the end of the

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INTERVIEW // DE STAAT

recording there were almost no other titles than this one. But I'm very pleased with it. The artwork to the album is quite basic and contains all instruments inside marked with a tracking number. Inside the CD-booklet each track holds these numbers to define what instruments where used on a certain track. I noticed a lot of analogue instruments and effects, certainly in this day and age of digital recording. A conscious decision? Yes, that's also because basically the recordings were all digital with a computer and mixed from there, I've mixed it all digitally in the box. We just work with those materials because they are so great to work with. It's more practical to play live the same way. Everyone has their own little station with their effect pedals and

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with those we make the sounds and record them. If we want to use more digital effects, then it would become more complex. It's just fun to work with a pedalboard and two synths that have their limitations, with that you instantly have your sound because of the limits of the machines. When you try to do everything digitally, then suddenly a whole array of possibilities appears and then it can get hard to pick the proper ones. That is one of the reasons. I won't say that we will record digital in the future. It's not that we find it very important to record analogue. I'm no Jack White concerning that topic, who wants and needs everything analogu. I don't find it that important. We've been using more synths throughout the years. Compared to â&#x20AC;&#x153;I_CONâ&#x20AC;? is the same amount of

synth used. Only this time they get a more central part and the guitar sounds sound more like synths, but that has all to do with the sort of pedals we used. Any plans concerning De Staat in the nearby future you want to share with us? I can't really tell all too much, we do have plans. We're going to play festivals this summer, also a few Belgian shows are coming up. What we will be doing by the end of the year, I can't tell yet. I hope to be going abroad again, chances are big.

New album : "C"

Out now !

facebook.com/destaat

11.03 VK BRUSSELS MAYBESHEWILL(GB)

02.04 DE VELINX TONGEREN MOONSPELL(PT) (AU)

13.03 KAVKA ANTWERP DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT(DE)

+ TREPANERINGSRITUALEN(SE) + YOUR HIGHNESS(BE) + BATHSHEBA(BE) + SOULLINE(CH) ---------------------------------------------------------------

+ DESTROYER 666 + BÖLZER(CH)

+ SPEAKING IN ITALICS(GB) ---------------------------------------------------------------

+ HARAKIRI FOR THE SKY(AT) + THE GREAT OLD ONES(FR) ---------------------------------------------------------------

13.03 M.O.D. HASSELT (DE) MADBALL(US)+ RYKER’S (US) + CROWN OF THORNZ

+ KNUCKLEDUST(GB) + LAST HOPE(BG) + TAUSEND LÖWEN UNTER FEINDEN(DE) ---------------------------------------------------------------

14.03 KAVKA ANTWERPEN TRACER(AU) + THE WEYERS

03.04 KLINKER AARSCHOT DECAPITATED(PL) + HEART OF A COWARD(GB) + CARNATION(B) ---------------------------------------------------------------

08.04 MAGASIN 4 BRUSSELS SATAN(GB) + BLIKSEM (BE)

---------------------------------------------------------------

08.04 KAVKA ANTWERP CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX(GB)

+ ACRES(GB) + CASEY(GB) + VALLEY(BE) ---------------------------------------------------------------

12.04 ZAPPA ANTWERP BRIAN FALLON(US)

(CH)

19.03 M.O.D. HASSELT BURNING DOWN ALASKA(DE)

+ SECRETS OF THE MOON(DE) ---------------------------------------------------------------

& THE CROWES

24.03 KAVKA ANTWERP CROWNED KINGS(AU)

+ GOOD OLD WAR(US) + JARED HART(US) ---------------------------------------------------------------

+ BLOODHSED REMAINS(AT) + PUSHED TOO FAR(BE) + LEGION TO KILL(BE) ---------------------------------------------------------------

15.04 M.O.D. HASSELT FOUNDATION(US)

+ XREPENTANCEX(GB) + REDEMPTION DENIED(BE) + DESTINED TO BURN(BE) ---------------------------------------------------------------

27.03 MAGASIN 4 BRUSSELS GORGUTS(CA) (AU) + PSYCROPTIC

+ DYSRHYTHMIA(US) + NERO DI MARTE(IT) ---------------------------------------------------------------

02.04 TRIX ANTWERP (GB) THE TOY DOLLS (BE)

+ THE KIDS + FUNERAL DRESS(BE) + VICE SQUAD(GB) + SHAM 69(GB)

+ THE FEATHERZ + MIDNIGHT TATTOO (GB)

(BE)

21.04 KLINKER AARSCHOT KEN NARDI (ANACRUSIS)(US) + BLIKSEM(BE) ---------------------------------------------------------------

25.04 MAGASIN 4 BRUSSELS KARMA TO BURN(US) + KAMCHATKA(SE) + SONS OF MORPHEUS(CH)

26.04 KAVKA ANTWERP (FI) ROTTEN SOUND(US)

+ ABIGAIL WILLIAMS + CULT LEADER(US) ---------------------------------------------------------------

08.05 M.O.D. HASSELT CROWBAR(US) (US) + TROUBLE

+ HEDONIST(BE) ---------------------------------------------------------------

12.05 TRIX ANTWERP THE WORD ALIVE(US) + COLDRAIN(JAP) + ANNISOKAY(DE) + POLAR(GB) + COYOTES(DE) ---------------------------------------------------------------

16.05 KAVKA ANTWERP BITTER(DE)END(US)

+ RISK IT + LOTUS(BE) + ANIMAL CLUB(BE) ---------------------------------------------------------------

25.05 KAVKA ANTWERP POWER TRIP(US)

+ TOXIC SHOCK(BE) ---------------------------------------------------------------

31.05 VK BRUSSELS BONGRIPPER(US) + GHOLD

(GB)

---------------------------------------------------------------

01.06 TRIX ANTWERP ISSUES(US)

---------------------------------------------------------------

22.06 KLINKER AARSCHOT MUNICIPAL WASTE(US) + HAMMERCULT(DE) ---------------------------------------------------------------

04.08 DE STIP HAM WHILE SHE SLEEPS(GB) + POLAR(GB) ---------------------------------------------------------------

05.08 M.O.D. HASSELT FLAG(US) + T.S.O.L.(US)

RMP Magazine #25

Texas 2016, VS Photographer // Elizabeth Rae

RMP Magazine #25

Writer //David Marote

RMP Magazine #25

HO MER P

unkrock and Belgium, it appears that in every corner and crevice of Belgium a band is formed. From city, town to the smallest village possible, everywhere people are getting together, making music and building their own scene while they are at it. One of those particular vibrant scenes is the Hageland scene and Homer has been fronting the banner for the Hageland for over 17 years already. With their latest release â&#x20AC;&#x153;Loved Lossâ&#x20AC;? being released end of last year and plans for a new full album buzzing around, we thought it was time to hear what the members of Homer liked to share regarding their future endeavours.

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INTERVIEW// HOMER

Last year you released “Loved Loss”, a six-track EP. How has the crowd responded so far? Johan: So far the reactions are really good; a whole lot of people that follow us for already for a long time were surprised because it sounds different. Still Homer, but different; or like some of our friends expressed it: ‘Homer – the next level’. The reviews so far have been great too and now we’re booking the shows for his year, it’s looking better and better! The new EP seems to be one the most diverse records Homer ever released. From different voicings to the musical styles applied, almost a magnus opum for Homer. How do you feel about the new songs? Mattias: It seems like the older we get, the more diverse the songs become. It’s not inter-

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esting for us to keep doing the same thing over and over. We are influenced by so many different styles and they all find their way into the music. We are also trying to approach the way we write songs from different angles and keep growing. These songs have been more refined in preproduction together with Edje (Arizona, NØFX,…) and in the studio with Ace. One of the songs that has taken a twist is “Death Is A Threat”, with the blastbeats and guitars I'm guessing some black metal influences. Is metal and extreme music an inspiration to the band? Mattias: Metal has always been an influence for all of us. In “Death is a Threat” they might be more visible with the blastbeats and chaotic parts, but you can prob-

ably find traces of metal in most of our songs. I don’t really pay attention to it. During the release the band also incorporated visuals into the show. How did this enhance your performance? Mattias: Hard to say because we were on stage looking in the other direction. We had the opportunity to work with Sam for visuals. I hope it made the show a bit more special for our audience. They made an effort to go out and paid money to have a good time and to support us, so it’s cool if we can give them something extra.

"WE ARE ALSO TRYING TO APPROACH THE WAY WE WRITE SONGS FROM DIFFERENT ANGLES AND KEEP GROWING."

The artwork for “Loved Loss” is very tight and a visual treat. A graphic representation of some sort of gem stone on a blue background. What was the main idea about this design?

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INTERVIEW// HOMER

Mattias: Hanna has made the artwork for pretty much all of our records. She came up with this design. It’s very atypical for a heavy record, but who wants to be typical? We didn’t even make a typical Homer records, so it’s perfect. Johan: To be more concrete about the design: it kind of reflects the title because you can recognize a diamond in the design which stands for something precious, something of a certain kind of value (literally or symbolical). It stands for something nice, something you love. The diamond is shaped as a tear, which stands for loss, grief and regret. If you look at the design, you have a visual interpretation of the title “Loved Loss” and it has the Homer logo in it too, so that makes it complete.

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Your producer on the EP was Ace Zec, known as drummer for Customs and his Oceanside recording studios in Ostend. Ace also has quite a punk and hardcore background. Did that help out when working with a producer? Mattias: It probably helped that he has the punk background, just because he understands where we come from and where we are trying to go. But he knows music in general, which helped us to do things we haven’t done before. It makes no sense to work with people if they don’t have anything to add to our ideas and knowledge. Our last record was selfproduced, this is the first time we worked with a producer and it takes it to the next level. I think finding the right person for your band to produce your record is essential.

Johan: For me it turned out great. Ace is a very creative person and someone who isn’t afraid of pushing the people he works with. He’s that kind of guy that gets things out you didn’t even realise you had in you. He can give constructive comments and makes you look at things from another side or perspective. That worked great and made me discover some new musical ranges. “Loved Loss” is actually more of a teaser for the upcoming album that is ahead. Could you let us in on how and when we can expect the bomb to drop? Mattias: That’s not really how it is. “Loved Loss” is an example of what you can expect from us in the future. We are currently not working on a new album. The plan is to play shows with the

new songs this year and we’ll start writing new stuff soon. In the new track “Indifference” there's a line about 'These times I see'. Given the political and economic climate. Could you give us an insight on what Homer sees as the sign of the times? Johan: Wow, first off: we’re not that kind of band that likes to shove our opinion down someone’s throat. In the lyrics, be it personal or more related to socioeconomic topics, we like to touch issues we are confronted with. “Indifference” deals with the fact that people these days are treated like puppets that are a part of the economic system. It seems that leaders and politicians look at all problems from an economic side of view. The economy has to become big-

" FINDING THE RIGHT PERSON FOR YOUR BAND TO PRODUCE YOUR RECORD IS ESSENTIAL."

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INTERVIEW// HOMER

" DON’T LET NEGATIVISM GET YOU DOWN!"

ger, better, have more results and if that turns out great, people will get better too. That’s kind of the way things are treated these days. While a lot of the global problems like war, refugees and environment issues are things that should be looked at from an empathic, social and caring kind of way. People should be put in the first place,

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not economy or whatever. Luckily enough, if you look for it, you see that there are people standing up who offer alternatives for a society that’s based on economy. But those people, collectives are often shouting in the dark. It all has to do with the sort of collective of ‘individuals’ our society has become instead of a collective consisting out

of united individuals. It’s sometimes hard to be positive these days, still I think it’s very important to stay positive. Becoming a fatalist about everything is standing still and that’s never a good thing. On title track “Loved Loss” you get some backing vocals by fellow punk rockers: Hans from F.O.D. and Teun

from Generation84, both great vocalists from Belgian bands and an excellent choice for this track. Where they the first who came to mind when you searched for backings?

Mattias: They are two of the best voices we have around us. It’s really a no-brainer. We invited them to the rehearsal room, we made some bad jokes, they nailed everything in the first takes and we were done. Homer always releases on the label of vocalist Johan, Funtime Records. What are the plans for Funtime in 2016, new releases we need to know about? Johan: Well, since about two years, the label is a collective again of eight people who work with their heart and soul for everything Funtimerelated, so you can con-

sider Funtime Records and concerts anno 2016 as a collective, just the way it started about 20 years ago with the magazine and the concerts. It has always been a family of likeminded people and it still is today. We have been releasing records on Funtime since the very beginning and it always worked great for us; although we also worked with other labels in the past like Indiebox in Italy, Bad Mood in Switzerland, Meter Records in Canada and Thanks But No Thanks for the live CD/DVD we put out a couple of years ago. But as said before, it’s great and easy working together, so why change it? About other releases on the label: Funtime is putting out the new Belvedere record in May, F.O.D. is planning a new album and there are some more things coming up,

but I can’t tell you much about that at this very moment. Thank you for the interview, any last words? Johan: Well, it has been said a thousand times before but seems more relevant than ever these days: become an active participant of the scene, put up shows, write, participate, go support local and underground bands. That’s very important if you want to support music that operates outside the mainstream. And in general: don’t let negativism get you down!

New album : "Loved Loss"

Out now !

facebook.com/homerband

RMP Magazine #25

O2 Ritz, Manchester 2016, UK Photographer // Joe Sheridan

RMP Magazine #25

I I

gnite, the burning match that comprises their older logo sums it all up: volatile hardcore punk delivered at a scorching pace. With their previous release some years ago, the Orange County outfit set out to release their latest album â&#x20AC;&#x153;A War Against Youâ&#x20AC;? in the beginning of 2016. And the responsibility of releasing a new album means touring the hell out of it for these guys. Luckily Europe was graced with The Persistence Tour passing by some time ago and Ignite was headlining it. Time to find out some more about the revived Ignite and their new album with bass player Brett Rasmussen.

RMP Magazine #25

Writer // David Marote

RMP Magazine #25

INTERVIEW // IGNITE

Congratulations with the new album called “A War Against You”. It was released last week and you just started the Persistence Tour in Europe. How are the first reactions from the fans? So far it has been really good! A lot of the reviews in magazines and online have been really positive and the emails and messages that we have received from our fans have been really good as well. It is nice to get such positive feedback from fans and critics early on.

“A War Against You” is the follow up to “Our Darkest Days” and almost took a decade (9 years). Zoli played in Pennywise in between the two records and the other band members also ventured off into other projects. How did you experience this slowed down

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process of writing and recording? Well, to be honest the writing and recording experience was very similar to the previous album. But yes, there were a few extra years of us playing in other bands or projects that prolonged the time in between albums, but when we actually started working on the songs it was very similar. The team that we had (producer Cameron and Sergio), the same recording studio here in Orange County, the basic same line-up of the band gave the whole recording process a very comfortable feel. The new album is 'classic' Ignite material if I may say so, but with a touch of evolution. An even more melodic and mature sound. How did you experience this album?

I think that you really have to somewhat recreate yourself each album. I think bands sometimes make the mistake of trying to emulate a previous album exactly, instead of taking the basic DNA of who your band is and expanding on it. I think you need to surprise your listeners

"I THINK THAT YOU REALLY HAVE TO SOMEWHAT RE-CREATE YOURSELF EACH ALBUM."

in a good way, instead of re-hashing something that you recorded years ago. I always love when I put a new cd on from a band that I know and hear unexpected great things in the style or flavour of what made the band great! It’s a delicate balance, but when done right it makes for

great albums! The new album was released on Century Media, how did you end up with them? We put out our last two releases on Century Media (“Our Darkest Days” in 2006 and “Our Darkest Days Live DVD” in 2012), so we were very familiar with the

CM team and we trust them and how they work. One of the songs that is quite emotional is “Nothing Can Stop Me”, regarding a friend lost from cancer. Writing such personal and emotional song must be hard to perform live sometimes?

RMP Magazine #25

INTERVIEW // IGNITE

Actually the girl the song is written about is recovering. She has shown a lot of strength and determination to beat cancer and we wish her all of the best of luck in her continued fight! You can check out some details here. http://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/ blele_01634932 Ignite has been tied up with The Sea Shepherds since long time, since the mid-90's or so. Now the movement of Paul Watson has become quite popular with touring bands and in the hardcore scene. How do you feel about this evolution? It’s great. Zoli was the one who brought this environmental aspect to the band back in 1994. Zoli was involved with all of these environmental organizations like Sea

RMP Magazine #25

Shepherds, Earth First and Pacific Wildlife Project long before Ignite started. When we started working together, Zoli asked all of us in the band if it was cool that he addressed these issues on stage and with lyrics. He didn’t want to push a cause that the entire band didn’t believe in. Zoli educated us on a lot of these issues. This is something he would be involved in and supporting today even if Ignite never became a band. Pelican Rescue Team, Zoli’s non-profit organization, is the only organization in Southern California dedicated solely to the rescue of pelicans and other seabirds in distress. Zoli serves as board president, executive director, and primary rescuer. Machine Head covered

“Our Darkest Days/ Bleeding” some time ago. Must have been weird to hear them play one of your songs? We were pleasantly surprised when we heard that Machine Head was going to cover two of our songs. I read the blog that the singer wrote about what our album meant to him and it was a really cool thing to hear them play those songs on a record and to hear them play the songs live too. I think one of the biggest compliments somebody can give you is to cover one of your songs. Then we heard the 10” from them and we were blown away. Very cool! Dee Snider of Twisted Sister is supportive to the new album. He gave it much praise on YouTube. Was Twisted Sister and Dee an

"I THINK ONE OF THE BIGGEST COMPLIMENTS SOMEBODY CAN GIVE YOU IS TO COVER ONE OF YOUR SONGS."

influence to you? Dee Snider has been a big supporter of Ignite for years now and we are humbled that he likes our music so much, it’s very cool. We grew up in the 80’s so we watched Twisted Sister on MTV like most other kids did at that time. But the coolest thing that Dee has done, in our eyes, is when he went in front of a Senate hearing in 1985 to stand up for the first amendment and our right to free speech in America.

That was awesome!

Good luck!

The vinyl release of “A War Against You” holds like ten colours or so. Are you aiming on the collectors or just loved to have so many options? We had a bunch of the distributors asking for exclusive vinyl colours, that’s the main reason why there are so many colours. We picked one colour (green) that we sell on the road and the rest of them are done at the request of different distribution places.

Any last words? Thanks for all the support, hopefully we will be getting out and touring a lot of different and new places on the album!

New album : "A War Against You"

Out now!

facebook.com/igniteband

RMP Magazine #25

Trix, Antwerp 2016, BE Photographer // Jurriaan Hodzelmans

RMP Magazine #25

Writer // Kenny Leys

ax Raptor, fierce punkrock brought to you by four Midland, UK lads who are gaining popularity each minute. BBC's Radio One has already picked up on them and we at RMP Magazine couldn't stay behind with Auntie Beeb. Time to find out what Max Raptor has been up to lately, with a new album on their rĂŠsumĂŠ and tons of stories to share about Swiss cheese and Premier League football for one.

RMP Magazine #25

INTERVIEW // MAX RAPTOR

"WE WERE EXPECTING SMALLISH CROWDS AS IT WAS OUR FIRST TIME THERE BUT LOADS OF PEOPLE SHOWED UP AND WENT CRAZY."

You’ve got a busy summer ahead: Hevy Fest, 2000 Trees, mainland shows and so on. Which show are you looking forward to the most? 2000 trees has always been amazing for us and there’s such a cool vibe at that festival. I suppose it's a real mix there so you get an awesome range of music lovers from all over the country. Hevy of

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course is a huge festival and we loved playing it a few years back and the line-up is insane: Shikari, The Bronx, Refused! We’ve travelled these past years from mainland Europe to Hevy Fest and are a bit disappointed about their location change. How do you (and the UK scene in general) feel

about the relocation of the festival? Well Hevy is now up in Derbyshire and it's a cool little spot; right in the hills, pretty beautiful place. It's great for us as it's just up the road from where we're all from. It's also just down the road from YNOT festival which is another cool festival and well-worth going to. As for the UK

scene, we've definitely experienced loads of tours with great bands and there are pockets around the UK where you get an amazing music scene with some really passionate people behind them. I think it's pretty strong. We're on tour at the moment with All Us On Drugs and Press To Meco that are sick UK bands so at the moment with bands like Enter Shikari, Architects, Bad Sign, Bring Me The Horizon and Lonely The Brave it feels real good.   You recently toured mainland Europe for the first time, how did that go? We played in Switzerland, just two dates but they were both so good. It really surprised us, we were expecting smallish crowds as it was our first time there but loads of people showed up and went

crazy. Can't wait to get back The band will release their new album on April, 22 via Hassle Records. What can we expect? We had a real concentration on getting the tracks sounding as live as possible so the crossover to live is almost the same. They're 12 tracks with some raucous punk rock ‘n’ roll, anthems and we're real proud of it. There are also some tracks where we have definitely progressed in our sound. One being “Old Romantics” which Radio One have been playing and the response has been great. How did the recording process go? Has the process changed or evolved as you guys get older?  We've always concentrated on tones and live

recording and getting some brutal vocals down as you'd hear at our shows. I guess as we've gotten older it hasn't really changed. I think the writing process has changed. Pete (drummer) wrote a bunch of tracks for the album as well as Ben and Matt so it's really dynamic and takes a load of all of our influences. How was working with Jag Jago (ex-Ghost Of A Thousand) as producer? He is just great, GOAT were also one of our influences when we were starting out. He's got some great ideas and has had some massive successes on albums he has worked on recently (Maccabees) so we're hoping for the same response for our new record. He's a good laugh too and we've got a really great

RMP Magazine #25

INTERVIEW // MAX RAPTOR

bond as mates and as musicians which is really important.   In what way is Hassle records different now than it was when you signed? Has your collaboration changed over the years? They've been hugely supportive and everything's moved really quickly since we signed which is awesome. We want to get as much great music out there and Hassle has loads of cool ideas and enthusiasm. They're fiercely independent and wellrespected in the industry and have released some top records over recent years (Lonely The Brave, Cancer Bats, Brand New, Alkaline Trio, Frank Iero,

Alexisonfire). The band even made a soundtrack a couple of years back. Is there anything you haven’t done? We’d love to tour the states and Japan…

"ANY LOCAL

you received after a show? [Laughs] The six slabs of Gruyere cheese we had as part of our rider in Bulle, Switzerland. Any local delicacies are always welcome on our rider. We don't want to just eat crisps. You get a real feel of a place when you're eating local dishes. It makes it more interesting than rocking up, playing, eating shit food and leaving. We like our food.

DELICACIES ARE ALWAYS WELCOME ON OUR RIDER.

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WE DON'T WANT TO JUST EAT CRISPS."

and sell thousands of records!  We spotted a few food photos on your Instagram feed. Any foodies in the band? If so: what’s the best meal

Who has been a bigger influence for the band: David Bowie or Lemmy Kilmister? You know they both had and still have so much to offer and that will be the case for decades to come.

Bowie's amazing ability to adapt and change his style is incredible and no one will ever come close to that. Lemmy on the other hand, a man who stuck to his guns throughout his career and never wavered away from his rock ‘n’ roll sensibilities. They both didn't give a damn about what people thought about their image and that's how it should be. It’s the band’s 10-year anniversary this year. Any specific plans to celebrate this, except the tours and the new album? Oh fuck, 10 years?? Is it? I think we really started taking it seriously as of 2009 and our first release wasn't until 2011 so we'll hold off until 2021 for our 10-year party. Looking back on those years, would you’ve

changed something? I think no; no regrets.   Do you still think about those days? Are you still in touch with Barney Hall? [Laughs] Yeah, from time to time we see him about. He's really tall now and we're always reminded of that day where we played in his bedroom off the back of a Facebook campaign. 4000 people tuned in online. So much fun. He's big into music now and sings for a band called Pale Cheeks. The Premier League has been insane: ManU and Chelsea are disappointing, Tottenham and Leicester are the revelations of the season. If I’m not mistaken, you’re from the Leicester area. Are you cheering for them to win the league? We are from the area

but I'm an Arsenal fan and we really need a trophy that isn't he FA Cup. But saying that, I'd be so happy if Leicester wins the League. It would be insane. On a par with Forest winning the European Cup or Blackburn winning the Premier League! It would be a great shakeup for the League. Is there anything else you’d like to say to our readers? Just come down to a show when we're in Europe. It's our first time so you bring your punk spirit and we'll bring ours! Next album : "Max Raptor"

April 22th

facebook.com/maxraptor

RMP Magazine #25

playing …and out come the wolves

Me First & the Gimme Gimmes © face to face FRANK TURNER AND THE SLEEPING SOULS Sick Of It All © Less Than Jake Four Year Strong © Dillinger Four

excl. benelux

excl. mainland eu

terror © Dag Nasty © The Movielife © Emmure © Letlive WALLS OF JERICHO © DESPIsED ICON © NORTHLANE © BROKEN TEETH Saosin (with Anthony Green) © Juliette & The Licks © No Fun At All © iron chic Youth Of Today © BlessTheFall © The Aggrolites © burn © snfu Modern Baseball © Venerea © Flatcat © Success © Night Birds Rozwell Kid © Siberian Meat Grinder © Bad Cop Bad Cop © Pears NIE T O P D E O P E N B A R E W E G G O O IE N

+ more to be announced

APRIL 29/30 | MEERHOUT (BE) TICKETS FRIDAY €65/€75 SATURDAY €70/€80 DOORS: FRIDAY 15.00 SATURDAY 11.00 CAMPING THU 18.00 COMBI €98/€115 CAMPING €15/€20 CAMPING TICKETS ARE NOT SOLD SEPARATELY

W W W.GROE ZROCK .BE

RMP Magazine #25

IL L U S T R AT I O N A N D D E S I G N : © D O MINI C VA N H E U P E N / V U : G R O E Z R O C K V Z W – H O V E S T E E N S E W E G 8 8 , 24 5 0 M E E R H O U T

30 years anniversary

ALBUM REVIEWS

Joe Matera Now And Then Joe Matera is an Australian guitarist and journalist whu used to play in the band Geisha. “Now And Then” is his third solo album. The first song is immediately my favourite. I played it over and over again. It's called "Louder Than Words”. It's a soft rock song, but the chorus is just amazing. The rest of the album is still good, but not as good as the first song, and that’s a pity. Some guitar solos are too long what makes it boring to me. The song “Slide” is a perfect example of that. Over all, it's a solid rock album, and fans of the older rock will surely appreciate the album, but for me it's not a topper. Songs on the album that are surely worth a listen are “Louder Than Words”, “Shining Star” and “Slave To The Fingers”.

By Jonas Hoflack

RMP Magazine #25

Drowning Pool Hellelujah

Ray Rocket Do You Wanna Go To Tijuana

To be honest, I had never really listened to Drowning Pool after their first album and lead singer Dave Williams’ tragic death. Since then the line-up has changed quite a few times, but whatever their history, whatever their struggles may have been, one thing needs to be said: "Hellelujah" is a freaking kickass collection of songs!

Ray Rocket, it sounds slick and smooth like a greased up rockabilly in a lube pit adjusting his engine. Ray Rocket is the new moniker for Ray Carlisle from Teenage Bottle Rocket to fame his solo project. Acoustic guitar in one hand, heartfelt lyrics in the other, bringing it back to the bare essentials.

With smashing drums, formidable riffs and raw melodies, this album is everything a good hard-rock/metal album should be. The only downside to it may be that it’s not a very innovative album. None of the songs are really eccentric or different. But in the end, does that really matter when all you want to do is rock? All in all, I can’t really say Drowning Pool has gained a fan, but they definitely have regained one.

From title track “Do You Wanna Go To Tijuana”, the listener gets treated to the melodic talent of Ray, transposing his pop punk to six strings and vocal chords, but not steering away from adventure the 11 tracks on this album incorporate sounds from handclaps to ukulele. And the perfect treat for a wellrounded album always is a cover, in this particular case it's “Pet Sematary” by The Ramones. Ray Rocket has surely blasted off.

By Renske Gommer

By David Marote

ALBUM REVIEWS

Face To Face Protection Face To Face turns 25 so what better way to get into a midlife crisis by taking it back to the basics. “Protection” is the new long-awaited album by our favourite Californians and features melodic skate punk like it was the nineties. To bring it full circle Trevor and co even signed up with Fat Wreck Chords for the release of “Protection”. Eleven songs are all they need to convince you that this band helped define its own genre back in the days. Still remaining relevant today and touching base with hot topics in their lyrics such as stardom and fundamentalist thinking in tracks as “14:59” and “Bent But Not Broken”. Face To Face is back and here to stay, their Groezrock performance is one I'm looking forward too. Dance like It's 1994!

By David Marote

Petrol Girls Some Thing

Aborted Termination Redux EP

Female-fronted punk bands are quite rare nowadays, so it’s a pleasure to see that there are still some kickass ladies in the scene. “Some Thing” has a nice Tsunami Bomb-ish touch, yet I really missed the softer, more melodic vocals.

With this new EP, the Belgian Aborted released a superfast, dirty and mind blowing set of tracks. “Termination Redux EP” kicks off with the short “Liberate Me Ex Inferis”, which is an ominous interlude to what will come: a skull crushing wall of sound with tons and tons of power and aggression.

Girls, you don’t have to sound like The Restarts, even though it’s hardcore punk! In general, ‘punk’ is not the best word to describe this album, because it sounds somehow dramatic. I remember punk tunes as stuff that gives you a boost of energy and inspires you to go against the flow rather than lock yourself up in your room and cry. I’m really missing that feeling on this album.

By Dana Maslykhina

The four songs that follow indulge in one constant: tight, shattering blastbeats, menacing guitar riffs and hellish vocals. Nonetheless each song has an own sort of personality for you to discover. Top song on the EP is title track “Termination Redux” which enrols into a haunting piece on the piano and changes back to demolishing your ears in just a few clicks! Aborted showed us again that Belgians should not be messed with!

By Frederik Geuvens

RMP Magazine #25

Silver Spring, Maryland 2016, US Photographer // Jake Lahah

RMP Magazine #25

ALBUM REVIEWS

Light Years I’ll See You When I see You

Light Years have released their brand new second full-length album, “I’ll See You When I See You” and it is an absolute banger! The pop punk four piece from Cleveland has finally released the 13-track album and it is sure to bring a lot of pop punk to your ears. It shows the band moving on from teen angst and maturing into adults. Opening track “Are You Sure” is an upbeat tune with an energetic pop punk feel. The electric guitar riffs and big drums make the track unique so that you want to continue to listen to the other 12 tracks. Throughout the album, there is a deeper, emotional side to it, like the track “Let You Down”. A similar deeper song called “Funeral”, which is only over 1-minute-long really brings a downer towards the end of the album. Light Years wants to bring a little bit of everything to the album: happiness and sadness crammed into one. So everyone can relate to the album. It is a mixed opinion, standard pop punk album, although a lot of the tracks sound very similar to one another. It will be interesting to see what Light Years produce in the coming years.

By Holly Reijs

RMP Magazine #25

Years Young Hiraeth

The alternative rock quartet from North Lincolnshire has finally released their debut EP. The 4-piece band has already earned the title ‘One of the most anticipated bands of 2015.’ If you like bands like Don Broco, Biffy Clyro and Mallory Knox, you need to listen to this album! The six-track EP has a lot of depth to it. Strong vocals, awesome chord progressions and assertive lyrics are just a few things what the EP is all about. “Hiraeth” means ‘A homesickness for a home you cannot return to, or that never was’. Opening track “Miracles” starts off pretty mellow after the first thirteen seconds, but then it fulfils your ears making you want to hear more. The lyrics: ‘Home is where the heart is while you’re running away,’ expresses that the band want their fans to think about their lives from the past, present and future. “The Sign” is a song about rebuilding. The beat throughout the whole track is powerful and memorable. With this song the band expresses how important it is to know who you are and where your life is leading to. The band has really thought of their fans and new listeners, this song is a song you can listen to and really revaluate your life. The EP is full of catchy choruses and haunting hooks, and it shows that Years Young is more than ready to take on the rock world. By Holly Reijs

ALBUM REVIEWS

Toothgrinder Nocturnal Masquerade

A blend between total onslaught and beautiful melody, Toothgrinder exceeded expectations on their debut release, “Nocturnal Masquerade”. The New Jersey natives had previously released an EP in 2014, titled “Schizophrenic Jubilee”. It was a solid release, yet never something I listened to much. Although three songs from the EP also appear on the full-length album, the musical complexity, concept, and progressive flow make “Nocturnal Masquerade” an essential record for the heavy metal masses. The album begins with “The House (That Fear Built)”. Toothgrinder wastes no time establishing the main facets of their sound including heavy whispered vocals, aggressive screamed vocals, powerful drums, and heavily distorted guitar. Justin Matthew’s spitfire vocals reminds me of Corey Taylor at his most vicious. Although I generally do not endearingly compare bands to Slipknot, Justin manages to maintain enunciation with speed, while still remaining overwhelmingly brutal. These vocals overlaid on the frantic drumming and guitar riffs was also quick to remind me of The Dillinger Escape Plan. A great record that deserves to be heard.

By David Gilmore

Across All Oceans Homegrown

Five-piece emo/pop punk band from Middlesbrough, in the UK, Across All Oceans, have released a brand new six-track EP for all you pop punk fans! Having only formed in 2012, they released their debut EP in 2014, and are releasing their brand new EP, “Homegrown” in February. The first track “Everywhere But Home”, is very energetic. Vocalist, Andrew Thomson has a very aggressive vocal style. This made me think the next tracks were going to be outstanding. “Permanence”, the second track on the EP, shows the band’s pop punk in a nutshell. The very first second of the song sounds so pop punk, you know it is going to be a standout track. Andrew’s vocals are so raspy, your ears get attracted to the sound, making you want to carry on listening to the rest of the EP. The third track “Monophobia” has some great sing-along moments. It starts off slowly with just guitars and vocals but then the band picks up the tempo slightly from an emo sound to make it a blend into a sincere punk sounded balled that can’t be avoided. Title track “Homegrown” jumps back to a more typical emo sounding sound where Andrew’s vocals are a lot less destructive. The song is about questioning where you are in your life, or where you should be in your timeline. They’re an incredible band and I can see them going far in the pop punk scene!

By Holly Reijs

RMP Magazine #25

ALBUM REVIEWS

Muncie Girls From Caplan To Belsize

Three-piece punk rock band Muncie Girls from Exeter, England, has released their brand new debut album “From Caplan To Belsize”. Kicking off the album is the first track “Learn In School”, and it is clear to hear from vocalist Lande’s voice that the band’s English. She hasn’t changed her voice to fit in with the usual pop punk act. It really stands out, and gives the band a unique sound. The whole album addresses the issues of modern living as a self-aware young adult, describing everything from interpersonal relationships to politics. The fourth track on the album “Balloon” is a reflective and hopeful song, indicating a past break-up. It has a different feel then the rest of the tracks. “Social side” is a reflective song about family and loneliness, and how Lande got influenced into music from her brother. The guitar is really powerful throughout and halfway through the song, it really picks up. The best thing about the album is that there are no breaks in between each song, they just carry on playing. “Gas Mark 4” is an upbeat track with powerful riffs and a loud drum beat. Lande’s voice is strong and she sings with such passion that your ears could listen to her singing all day long. Muncie Girls are in for a very good year, especially now as they are playing this year’s Download Festival!

By Holly Reijs

RMP Magazine #25

Jon Creeden & The Flying Hellfish Demo

Canada, home to maple syrup, ice hockey and Jon Creeden. I'm moving over asap. Jon Creeden is an Ottawa, Ontario native that is blessed with a golden voice and a dedicated heart. Be it at just voice and guitar on his acoustic material or the more rocking material with his friends acting as guest band The Flying Hellfish, Jon will strum that axe to pieces and persuade you of his passion by voice. His 2015 demo has been digitally released at the end of last year but will now get a limited edition 100 pieces cassette tape-approach by the fine folks at Bearded Punk Records in Belgium. Opener “Nailbiter” will get you jumping to the edge of your seat by the first verse. Rough vocals and sweet melodies are the glue to this demo tape. Six tracks will keep you on that edge of the chair dangling for more. From “Nailbiter” to “Sensible Underpants”, this trip to the other coast is worth the miles and Jon Creeden is touring Europe as we speak, so go catch him live.

By David Marote

RMP Magazine #25