Can't Swim - Fail You Again Can’t Swim are evidence of an underdog story come to life. Imagine being that well known and that amazing at what you do that you’re signed before your first album has even been made let alone dropped. This is the life of the five piece New Jersey outfit, so all that was left to cement their way into the industry was a debut to put any doubters to shame. This is ‘Fail You Again’. The introductory track comes at you like a brick to the face. The chorus of “Hey Hey Hey, what’s the big idea” feels like it should be screamed along with the band while doing your best fist pump into the air. So obviously after getting hemped up with that head pounding track what’s next? Something that sounds more like indie than metal. ‘We Won’t Sleep’ feels more like a modern indie anthem and almost like a completely different band. The chorus is catchy and most definitely radio friendly. It becomes an anthem in its own right and that’s just the second track on the album, it’s easy to see why these guys were signed so quickly. ‘50000000’ (yep, had to count them zeros) goes back to the more rocky aspect this band aim for, it almost displays some Queens of the Stoneage traits. This is one of the tracks where the true power of lead singer Chris LoPorto comes out in a blinding fashion, one minute he has the melodic aspect and next he’s got a certain roughness to his voice that would make the heaviest bands jealous. It’s nice to see that this band aren’t totally against broadening the horizons of the rock genre. ‘Friend’ is almost resonate of a pop punk track with the speedy riff and more rough than melodic vocals, the lyrics certainly does propel it toward this genre too. Totally opposite to this we have the likes of ‘One Shot’ which although is slower holds a much darker tone to it, the slow impending bass lines turn this song into a rock track seemingly unintentionally. Can’t Swim are the band that had a record deal without even having enough songs for their debut album. They have totally pulled this debut EP out of the bag and every single track is awesome. RO
Death Blooms - Self Titled Manchester and Liverpool joint act Death Blooms are just the latest in a long string of alt metal acts to come out of the UK and follow in the footsteps of the big boys of the genre. Only these guys actually make that difference to the already growing sub category of metal. It’s safe to say that there’s been some shit bands. Straight from the off it’s clear that this is a dark EP, kicking off with the more metal than “alt” ‘Hate:Die’ we’re introduced to who this band are and what they do. Of their debut EP vocalist Paul Barrow says: “Lyrically, the EP has ended up on the darker side of things. It wasn't done intentionally, but it's how it came out.” It’s clear that this is a band that are ready to tackle the big issues in life, their song ‘Last Ones’ is a lot about tackling the big problems namely mental health. I think a lot of people will definitely be able to resonate with the message that’s being put across by this band. It’s on this track that the vocals really kick into their own and it’s a lot like Beartooth which is nothing to shy away from. ‘I’m Dead’ is with no other description a two minute head bang fest. The chorus is catchy and the rhythm is so easy to bounce along to at any moment. A truly standout track for these guys. Ending with ‘Sick’ which is probably the most radio friendly of all of their songs, it mixes into an almost Alexisonfire sound. The mix of the rough vocals and the melodic is used very well on this last track and it really shows that this band could be a high horse in the alt metal scene. RO