Song: Aggressive Raisin Cat - Cough Bin [2022]

For the longest time, the concept of metal bands and Singapore have never crossed paths in my consciousness, but after watching Alpha Wolf play live in Singapore, I was simultaneously introduced to three pretty solid local bands, one of which was Aggressive Raisin Cat. Biased for progressive metal or not, they were undeniably the best local act that night.

Cough Bin starts off with some stellar riffage that is definitely home to the progressive metalcore style, and the drumming to back it is pretty damn solid. The vocalist comes in and his screams are pretty solid, albeit his lows are a bit unenunciated. Despite that, his vocal range is definitely commendable, and his cleans are clean too. As the song goes on, the band goes through multiple passages, all in progressive nature, whether it's lovely chugs or colourful tapping leads, and the riff right after the chorus is tasty.

In true progressive metalcore style, there's a lot of complex drum parts and djent like riffs, electronic ambience and clean reverb lead lines, background oohs and synth melodies. They even throw a pretty fun solo at the end to top it all off, but not before finishing with the classic piano and strings outro. For a seven minute song, they might not score extremely high on originality or uniqueness but they definitely do very well in songwriting.

I remember them joking on stage between songs that they were basically "a knock-off Periphery", and although they do share the same genre space, I honestly think Aggressive Raisin Cat is on track to becoming a strong band of their own. Cough Bin is only their third song ever, and has surprised me with how solid it is. A band comprising members only slightly older than me, it's wild to me how well they've done in such a short time. I'm definitely looking forward to their debut record, and finally seeing what they're capable of by industry standards.

Rating: 3/5

Album: Manchester Orchestra - A Black Mile To The Surface [2017]

After falling in love with The Valley Of Vision, I figured the next stop on the Manchester Orchestra train would be their critically acclaimed A Black Mile To The Surface. I've seen this album on critics' year end lists and even decade top 100 lists, and I was immensely curious to find out what was in store.

A Black Mile To The Surface immediately made it clear that it was much more diverse and powerful than The Valley Of Vision, presenting itself as a concept album, complete with thematic imagery and consistent titling. It also feels much more like a rock band, instruments taking their place at the forefront of the soundscapes. This was closer to what I expected them to sound like when I first heard of them, and now having found out that The Valley Of Vision was essentially a B-side of songs recorded in the same sessions as The Million Masks Of God, things start to make more sense.

This album has a much more cohesive and expansive sound design which I love. Layers upon layers of intricate intimacy woven into each and every section, so full of life and yet sounding unreal. I love the energy they decided to go with for this record, it has this subtle, uneasy darkness to it that contrasts the overall sentimental and profound ramblings. Their climactic moments can get pretty powerful, reminiscent of how they ended Rear View but way stronger.

The vocals play a huge part in how the overall album feels. Andy's command of melodic intricacies is not to be reckoned with, but it really is their work with vocal layering, harmonies and background details that really makes the soundscape. A lot of what contributes to the atmosphere and vibe of this record is how present the vocals are in the front and the back, whether it's the main melody or the oohs and aahs in the background.

The instrumentation is surprisingly vibrant, I'm amazed at how expressive it is. Their production work is on point, making just the right additions to each track to make them come to life. Whether it's the calm and relaxing pace of The Alien, the bold and bothered energy of Lead, SD, the rough and confessional fire of The Wolf or the poetic and powerful journey of a song that is The Silence, they're all crafted with so much love and patience, perfecting every detail within.

A Black Mile To The Surface has become akin to a spiritual musical experience, regardless of the listener's affinity to spirituality. Amidst the vast intricacies and countless details of the album, it has become an experience well worth diving into, again and again. There's something truly remarkable about the way they piece together such profound material into a cohesive package that has completely stunned me.

It has to be commended how deep the story is, there is so much dark and human weight to the lyrics and meaning of the album as a whole. Few albums reach such a state of narrative potence but A Black Mile To The Surface has such an intricate and substantial story woven throughout each and every line, one that touches me deeply and shocks me in such a revelatory way that I cannot help but be impressed.

I now understand why Manchester Orchestra has such a reputation, and honestly, I'm now disappointed that they aren't more well known. Not just as a matter of quality, their music is at most pop-adjacent but a majority of it could fit snugly into the pop genre, and it's slightly saddening to see a pop artist's rendition of their work get more plays than the band itself. That aside, I'm ecstatic to have finally found out what Manchester Orchestra is really made of, and I have absolutely no regrets. As I look forward to diving into their older catalogue, I also hope that I'll be able to see new material drop in the near future.

Rating: 10/10

Tracklist:

1. The Maze

2. The Gold

3. The Moth

4. Lead, SD

5. The Alien

6. The Sunshine

7. The Grocery

8. The Wolf

9. The Mistake

10. The Parts

11. The Silence

Lyric Of The Week 78: Civilian

"Yeah, it's cause we're all so comfortable with the ways we bleed."

Structures - Civilian, from the EP None of the Above

Song: Paleface Swiss - Please End Me [2023]

This song is so blunt and unbelievably brutal. I haven't heard of them before, but the song was making its rounds within the YouTube metal reaction community, and I eventually saw one of them. It's rarer these days to find amazing songs from reactors because of how saturated the scene is, but every now and then there's a banger.

Please End Me leaves the listener with no time to process what's happening, coming in with extremely short intro sections and a relentless pacing. The first breakdown comes in at just sixteen seconds, calling out the song title and going for nasty triplets. His growls are solid, for sure, and his scream-rap vocals are surprising to say the least.

They don't ever take a break at any point, going into section after section. Between groovy rhythms and tasteful vocal cadences, they leave their extremely heavy sound surprisingly accessible. The vocalist gets to spitting quite fast at some point, and although some of the phrasings get a bit funny ("tell me why I shouldn't kill my life"), it's nonetheless enunciated quite well and solidly distorted. The riffing is mostly simple with the chugs but the subtle licks are appreciated. The drumming is super tight and plays well to every section, with a great understanding of dynamics.

And because it is a heavy hardcore song, we obviously have to talk about the breakdowns. The four-on-the-floor breakdown eighty seconds in is feral, with a vocal cadence that is a divine fit for the groove. The slowdown after that is ruthless sludge, but the real deal is the final breakdown that they spend a good while building up to. Mosh pits are going to spill blood with this one, going even slower and throwing out an even bloodier callout, only to slow down again and throw some absolutely demented screams into the mix.

Paleface Swiss is a band I quickly learned after that has a reputation for stupid heavy songs, and Please End Me was a surprising but very welcome find of 2023. Despite its dark lyrics and imagery, I cannot deny how fun the heaviness is. Maybe I no longer relate to the words, but I can always relate to the desire to headbang.

Rating: 4/5

Album: Johnny Booth - Moments Elsewhere [2023]

Johnny Booth very quickly shaped up to be one of the most interesting heavy releases of the year after I caught the singles, and I was pretty excited to get into it when it finally released. Despite being a chaotic blend of hardcore and metalcore, there was something surprisingly enticing and catchy about their music, one that I was hoping to get more of.

Moments Elsewhere turns out to be as surprising as the singles. The blend of melodic metalcore elements and heavy hardcore elements continue to intrigue me, and the directions some of the songs go were really unexpected.

When it comes to heavy, they absolutely delivered. 2040 is a punch that never stops punching, short but relentless, Ring Light Altar is a rager that never stops with its flaming sardonicism, No Comply has some seriously sinister breakdowns and an unforgiving fury to it, and Modern Dialogue is a perfect sludgefest to close out the album. Their dynamicism in heavy territory is unmatched, able to build effective moments and remain interesting in a realm many others fail to.

What I didn't expect was such a strong presence of melodic elements in the album. Why Becomes How is a full song of cleans and a shoegaze-like soundscape reminiscent of Loathe, a standout in a very unexpected way. Beyond that, many other moments in the record boast a melodic flavour, like the intermission of Only By Name, the surreal chorus of The Ladder, the tastefully dissonant sing-scream chorus of Gatekeeper, and the unbelievably catchy chorus of Bright Future. For every memorable heavy moment, there's a melodic one to match.

Given where they stand of the heavy music spectrum, it's easy for bands where they are to get lost in the masses of other bands looking to sound the same, but Moments Elsewhere manages to stand out, no doubt due to a perfect combination of stellar writing, quality production work and unrivalled performance. I found myself coming back to it way more than I thought I would, putting the record on even when I couldn't put a finger on what exactly I wanted to hear.

Johnny Booth has definitely hit it out of the ballpark with this one. Despite not having heard them before, they sold it for me in a matter of months, earning my earnest interest in just one album cycle. Moments Elsewhere is definitely making it onto the year end lists, and one that will stay on rotation for time to come.

Rating: 10/10

Tracklist:

1. 2040

2. Collapse in the Key of Fireworks

3. Full Tilt

4. The Ladder

5. The Mirror

6. Only by Name

7. Why Becomes How

8. Ring Light Altar

9. Gatekeeper

10. No Comply

11. Bright Future

12. Modern Dialogue

Lyric Of The Week 77: Would've, Could've, Should've

"You’re a crisis of my faith."

Taylor Swift - Would've, Could've, Should've, from the album Midnights

Song: Johnny Booth - Full Tilt [Moments Elsewhere, 2023]

I caught the Johnny Booth hype train off of bogdanhxc, and after the first two singles I was honestly quite intrigued and started following the album cycle. Right up until the album dropped, Full Tilt remained my favourite of the singles, and even know it might be my favourite off the album.

Johnny Booth has this more progressive kind of hardcore at their disposal, one that they blend with elements of metalcore. Full Tilt is the best example of that off the record, complete with electronic synths and intermissions, anthemic sing-scream passages, and a sizeable number of sections in a very non-conventional song structure.

There's this electronic sample going on for the intro, and it's pretty long, but I think it sets the tone surprisingly well. After that, they get straight into the riffing, which could very well be pure modern metalcore work, and the vocals are sublime. Straight cutthroat screaming with a very robust timbre. The drumming is intense yet dynamic, and the guitarwork is bouncy and chaotic, making for a super fun, restless and relentless soundscape.

Throughout the song, they dip up and down a lot with their energy levels, making use of calmer transition sections coloured with clean arpeggios, hi hat barrages and smooth synth chords. There's a pretty sizeable intermission going into the final section that boasts a different synth melody of the same sample from the start, soft reverb-drenched vocals roaming the back and ambient dialogue, and I actually do really love how the calmer soundscapes sound and how they contrast the louder ones.

I found they way they juxtapose the harsh vocal lines on top of guitar lead lines very interesting, because it creates this illusion of a vocal melody for me. I remember thinking that the line "it's the room that's in a constant spin" felt like it had melody to it, and then going back to it and realising it didn't. Their vocalist has pretty good control, I'll commend that, being able to traverse the minute differences of the gradient between sing-screaming and pure screaming.

Their hardcore roots are evident, seeing that rhe breakdowns are simply ruthless. Low-tuned guitars and tasteful production work amp up the impact of these chugs, not to mention great buildups and callouts. Although their breakdowns are pretty simple, I think their production work and tight musicianship gives it some novelty and keeps it from running into genericism.

Full Tilt overtook Collapse in the Key of Fireworks very quickly as my favourite song from them when it released. Even now, there's a lot to love about Full Tilt for its diverse soundscape, even with Moments Elsewhere finally out and killing it. Johnny Booth has definitely been a surprise for this year, and I'm glad to have had this song hook me in and keep me interested for the album release.

Rating: 4.5/5

"Moments Elsewhere" Album Cover

Album: Under The Rug - Homesick for Another World [2023]

This album was a completely left field addition to my 2023 catalogue, one that a friend of mine recommended to me unprompted. It was an unexpected but welcome pick, given that I haven't dipped my toes that much in indie folk rock, so I let it spin and I was pleasantly rewarded with an honestly amazing listening experience.

Under The Rug's brand of indie and folk rock is one not lacking in pop sensibilities, and it's easy to get hooked onto any of the tracks on this record. Their instrumentation is pretty homely and nothing much of wild, and their lyrical content may get a bit wacky here and there, but by and large it's a strangely calming sense of poetic. Coupled with soothing yet lovely vocals and great melodies, and the occasional grit, the performance in this record is nothing short of exquisite.

The folk elements in this album is readily apparent, and is integral to the core sound of many of the cuts. I love the accessibility of it, not losing the soul of folk yet easy to listen to. I caught the vibe pretty early on and it has only grown on me since, despite being a decent few steps away from my musical comfort zone. I love that they have the capacity to enter a bolder and louder soundscape when they feel the need to, like Dead Man on the Lawn's final chorus, or Skeleton Tree's bridge. For the most part though, their confessional folk rock sound is their home turf, and it is solid.

I will always commend albums that manage to catch and keep my attention when they're so far out from my usual tastes, and Homesick for Another World is exactly that. Despite its short runtime and minor misses, this album has me coming back to it a lot, and is an extremely enjoyable album in general.

Rating: 8/10

Tracklist:

1. Turkey Vulture

2. Skeleton Tree

3. Panacea

4. Dead Man on the Lawn

5. Armadillo Crossing Road

6. I Needed Love

7. Little Heads

8. I Should Be Sleeping (feat. Ariel Posen)

9. Bolo Tie

10. Lonesome & Mad (feat. Ariel Posen)

11. El Presidente Intro

12. El Presidente

Song: Caroline Polachek - Sunset [Desire, I Want To Turn Into You (2023), 2022]

I only knew Caroline Polachek from her hit song So Hot You're Hurting My Feelings, and to be honest, she was not on my radar at all. But there was this one day where I ended up on the Wikipedia page for album releases in 2023, and happened to see that she was dropping an album, and with my album a day project going on, the pieces fell together. I spun Desire, I Want To Turn Into You, and Sunset caught my eye as my favourite of them all by a large margin.

In the midst of all the pristine art pop and unique art pop offerings, Sunset is a heavily flamenco-inspired traditional folk pop cut, driven by perfectly polished vocals and romantic instrumentation. The main melody layers are exquisite, beautifully complementing the sharp and centered vocals. The percussion work is on point, shaping the dynamics precisely without overpowering any focal elements.

Her vocals have been a focal point for most tracks, and this is no exception. She sounds surreal with a blend of an elegant tone and a mechanical rhythm, and her cadences are so much fun to listen to. When it gets to the oohings, she sounds borderline angelic. It's a great moment, and I'm glad they let it run for almost half the track. Letting it run alone with the percussion for a few measures before bringing back the instrumentation was a great choice too, letting it shine.

I love the soundscape, I think the production work on this is subtle but perfect, encapsulating the entire vibe of this imaginary ideal "riding into the sunset" romantic happy ending. The instrumentation choices, the melody choices, the vocal techniques, they all play their part in bringing this amazing song to life.

Caroline Polachek's presence in art pop is one I'm yet to fully comprehend, as the genre rarely intersects with my tastes, but it's undeniable that she has some seriously great music going on. Sunset remains a highlight of the year since I first listened to it (I know it came out last year, I'm late to the party, alright?), and it is such an addicting tune that I simply cannot see myself ever skipping it anytime soon, maybe ever.

Rating: 4.5/5

"Desire, I Want To Turn Into You" Album Cover

Lyric Of The Week 76: Wendrid

"I’m in between two wrongs, a head-tilting scene."

Tallah - Wendrid, from the album The Generation Of Danger

EP: Manchester Orchestra - The Valley Of Vision [2023]

Manchester Orchestra has been a name that I've been seeing around the rock and metal scene for a while now, on critics' top albums lists and as features on other bands' songs. I never really found the time to listen to their existing catalogue, but when I saw that they were releasing an EP, I figured I might as well take the chance to find out what they sound like.

Contrary to their name, they're actually a rock band and not an orchestra, but I was a bit surprised to find them leaning towards the soft side of alternative rock, I figured with where they were in the scene they might've been at least a bit louder. Still, I was pleasantly surprised to find that their music was not only subverting my expectations, but also exceeding it entirely.

Capital Karma starts off this EP, taking a slow and steady route of easing the listener into the experience. Andy's calming vocals are put against an elegant backdrop of soft keys and beats, never picking up the pace for most of the track. In the last minute, they switch it up and things start to get stronger, rolling with a faster vocal melody and throwing in some big harmonies, although the instrumentals remain largely the same. Going out with some "oohs", it's a great starting track with immense atmospheric calm, which sets up the EP's expectations quite nicely.

The Way is the popular track of the EP. It sounds like it could pass off as a pop song, only it's pretty obvious that the songwriting and sound design far surpasses the average quality of pop music these days. There's this refrain at the start that lowkey sounds like a violin and the main keyboard melody, both of which have made permanent residence in my brain. Their succinctness with soundscapes is one that awes me, doing so much with so little, and every nuance feels justified. Using stronger vocals for the chorus, which by the way is an amazing chorus, is such a smart way of making the different sections distinct without having to change much. I love his softer, whispery vocals in the post-chorus, it makes it feel oddly human. The second verse rolls out the same way save for one particularly lovable addition, that one scream that is so drenched in echoey reverb, it really feels like it shouldn't work but it does. By the time they get to the bridge, the soundscape has become surprisingly powerful, between the strong vocals and exquisite layers behind it. Not to mention the lyricism throughout has been a great blend of poetic and minimalist, coming off as profound but not pretentious.

Quietly follows as the third track, true to it's name for the most part as it runs with a calm melody and muffled beat pattern in the back. Much like Capital Karma, it's a song mostly defined by its softness and it getting louder more than halfway in. It has a much better verse and chorus melody than Capital Karma, though, and there's this homely feeling to it that I can't really explain. The sound design continues to awe me, really reaching a balance of calm and intentful, subtle details selling the sound. I love the part where the song starts to pick up speed, his cadences never fail to hook me in, and how and when chooses to use his stronger cleans is done in a very smart way to accentuate the dynamics. Even with super distorted drum beats, they make the ending sound super anthemic and open, and it just amazes me how polished it all feels.

Letting Go is one of the less interesting tracks, one that feels more like an interlude on an already pretty soft EP. The soundscape remains pretty low-energy for the most part, the only significant change throughout the song is the drum beat getting stronger. It definitely has a calm and relaxing vibe to it, and it ties in to the lyrical sentiment quite well of finding peace.

Lose You Again is probably the calmest song on the EP, most of its runtime coloured solely by an acoustic guitar and vocals. Its slow pace and low energy makes it very lullaby-like, but it definitely has the makings of a soft cut. Much like the previous song, it feels a lot like an interlude, and I do skip both of them quite often, not because they're bad songs, they're just not very exciting.

Rear View is the deep cut of the EP, and took a while to grow on me but eventually became my favourite track over The Way. Within six minutes, the band manages to shape a journey of a soundscape, complete with a climactic moment that I absolutely love. The song starts out with this spacey and echoey sound design to compliment Andy's soft vocals, again with a lot of the subtle but nuanced production choices that make it feel alive. The chorus is ethereal, his whispery vocals show their prowess again, evoking a feeling I cannot explain but gives me goosebumps. As another lyrically mysterious verse goes by, the second chorus sees more action, longer notes, more layers, and the same goes for the third chorus. I just love how they slowly amp it up, getting more powerful and angelic all the way up until the final section. I love the way everything collides so beautifully in the climax, between the drums, the keys, the vocals, the synths and the repeating dialogue samples. They pull off one of my favourite tropes, where the climax of the song is just a grand collision of many intertwining layers that sounds so loud and busy yet everything fits and makes sense, it's the best kind of overstimulation.

The Valley Of Vision was such an unexpectedly great find of the year, I didn't expect to love it so much but I did. Their sound, especially with their palette of softer sounds, feels like a midway point between the profound kind of alternative rock that I thought they would sound like, and Coldplay, which they surprisingly reminded me of a bit more than I think they actually should. Ever since I listened to this EP, it's been on consistent rotation and also slowly made its way into some of my playlists. I've also listened to A Black Mile To The Surface since, and I can see the similarities and differences of their sound since then. This EP is definitely a highlight of this year, and my interest in Manchester Orchestra has definitely been piqued.

Rating: 9/10

Tracklist:

1. Capital Karma

2. The Way

3. Quietly

4. Letting Go

5. Lose You Again

6. Rear View

Song: Silent Planet - Antimatter [2023]

Silent Planet is back and they have switched up their game in bold fashion. Iridescent has been slowly growing on me ever since it dropped and has become one of my favourites of 2021, and this single beckons a new era of their sound that I think I will love even more.

The moment it starts, you can tell it's different. Rolling in with an electronic synth wobbling and techy beats, with Garrett's vocals in a processed and chill R&B-like texture, it's unlike anything they've done before, yet catchier than ever. The heavy instrumental that follows is exquisite, between tastefully simple chugs and a well-patterned synth melody, one that goes on to form the backbone of the chorus.

The verse that follows keeps the electronics but adds the band in, fully rocking. The production is amazing and the subtle scream vocal layer in the back is such a smart way to smoothly amp up the energy. Even the clean vocals get stronger and you can tell they're building up for something good.

They bring back the heavy refrain but shape it into a chorus, complete with their signature poetic lyricism and Garrett's amazing screams. The whole band sounds on point and this new sound feels fully realised with this moment, all the pieces of the soundscape in place. It's a really cool futuristic industrial metalcore sound that really sets itself apart from everything else right now.

There's this really great sounding intermission as they build up to the climax, which isn't really a breakdown but has a very familiar Silent Planet full-force anthemic punch to it. I love the ambient and atmospheric elements going all the way to the drop, the processed echo vocals and the main synth sound, and how seamlessly it blends with the band. When the drop hits, the lead line is epic, the lyrics are so unmistakably Silent Planet's, and the atmosphere is incredible. It's the kind of sound that only they can pull off to this degree, and I love that this section keeps the song from feeling too far out from their sound. The song ties up quite nicely, nothing new left to offer but running the chorus once more to seal the deal.

Antimatter is a surprising change from their sound, even compared to recent releases like :Signal: and Iridescent. It's another great genre-defying release that's perpetuating through the modern metal scene as of late, one that is highly appreciated and extremely exciting for both the band and us listeners. They've said online that the next album will be a variety of new sounds, which is setting high expectations, but I'm sure they'll hit the mark and go beyond. Until that happens, this is a banger and definitely going to be high on the 2023 list.

Rating: 4.5/5

Lyric Of The Week 75: Memory Fiction

"Lessons that I find in love that we left behind."

ERRA - Memory Fiction, from the self-titled album ERRA

Show: Alpha Wolf Live in Singapore (Asia Tour 2023)

It's my first ever music show! I've been to a few orchestra concerts over the years but never a show by any musical artist or band, and it was only after the Coldplay and Taylor Swift craze in Singapore recently that the thought finally came to my mind: why don't I go and see bands live? And coincidentally, Alpha Wolf announced their Asia tour with Singapore as the first stop, and I grabbed the early bird ticket before I could regret it.

It was a bit wild to think about at first, having my first show be deep in the heavy side of modern metal, and of course I wasn't sure what to do about moshing and all, but after a while I just decided I'll go there and find out, even if I get a little bumped around.

The line-up featured three local acts, two of which I managed to find time to listen to a bit before the show itself. I thought it was super cool that Alpha Wolf would have so many local acts play with them, and I was surprised in general that our Singaporean heavy scene was so much stronger than I expected. These weren't just your run of the mill let's-start-a-band kind of band, they had skill and talent and have been around for a long while.

Reaching the venue 20 minutes late, I found out we still had to wait another 20 more minutes before anything happened. I took the time to just take it in, being back at Aliwal Arts Centre after 5 years, and also (without looking too creepy) take a look at what the rest of the showgoers look liked. I was a bit surprised to see a few NS boys, one even freshly shaved, but the majority of the crowd kind of met my expectations: heavy band merch, some tattoos, emo and goth adjacent fashion and makeup. I guess I was just surprised at all that there were in fact other heavy metal listeners in Singapore, I've gotten so used to the idea that nobody I know listens to metal so it must be really rare (To be fair it is still a small crowd of less than 200 people).

When we were finally let in, I was lucky to be in the front of the line. I didn't realise how much it mattered because I just beelined for the merch booth, but when I looked back at it half a set later, all of Alpha Wolf's shirts had sold out. I'm glad I bought mine first instead of going to watch the band play (no offense ARC), gotta get merch at shows yaknow? Anyways, I'll talk about the bands in order of appearance.

Aggressive Raisin Cat! This band shocked me quite a bit, I'll be honest. They're strongly rooted in progressive metalcore, and their influences are pretty obvious, but they honestly pull it off quite well. Their discography was quite short when I first looked at it weeks before the show, so I thought maybe they weren't particularly experienced, but they put on a damn good show. The instrumentals are insanely tight, I love the drumwork and hearing fast double kicks live hits different, and the guitarwork was pretty damn technical but they killed it. The vocalist had a respectable harsh vocal range and although he seemed a bit out of breath here and there, he threw down otherwise. His stage presence is particularly vibrant, I must say, he talks in Singlish like it's nobody's business and sounds extremely Gen Z (although he might be a millenial? I'm not counting), entertaining guy indeed.

Tariot came next, I think they're the oldest local act on the list. They had some technical issues starting out and it was kinda cool to know that 1. these things happen, 2. people don't really remember it once the music starts (unless it's really bad I suppose). Their music was mainly hardcore or hardcore adjacent, in stark contrast to the previous band, but I could definitely notice a lot more moshing. They even got a wall of death in, which I was surprised that it happened with the number of people moshing at the time. Their set had a lot more things going on, I think another vocalist from a different band ran on stage to scream for a bit, and on their last song their guitarist ran down to the floor and played there. Solid hardcore stuff honestly, but I think the energy outweighed the actual quality of music by a lot (not to say it was bad music, it's just that I wasn't focusing on the music as long as I could headbang).

Tell Lie Vision was the last local act, and the least heavy too, but not by much. In fact, I think they picked the heavier songs from their catalogue just to match the energy. They did have a lot more clean singing in comparison to the rest of the bands, but I have to say that his screams sounded the clearest by far, and it was honestly pretty impressive. They had that post-hardcore vibe especially with all the pop sensibilities and electronic infusions, but they had a great set overall.

Alpha Wolf! The main act everyone was here for. They had us leave the venue for a bit so that they could set up without ruining the surprise, so the anticipation was reignited. When we went back in, the banner had changed, and a lot more people crowded to the front (me included) and it already felt more lively. The Alpha Wolf boys came in and started the set with 60cm Of Steel, and the energy in the room shot up tenfold. Their playing was immaculate, drums were hard hitting, guitars were heavy and pissed, and vocals were monstrous. His screams came through the speakers so clearly and loud, and the difference compared to the studio version was minor. They sounded amazing live, is what I'm trying to say. As their set went on, the energy only continued to rise, and a lot more people were moving around and moshing. They got a circle pit going during Hotel Underground and Rot In Pieces, they had a wall of death for Restricted (R18+) and by the end of the set they had people diving off the stage left and right. Part of their set included older material like Black Mamba and Sub-Zero which I honestly wasn't too familiar with, but the rest of the set was all exclusively from A Quiet Place to Die and their half of The Lost & The Longing. I liked that they included bleed 4 you and don't ask..., I wasn't expecting the more emotional songs to get on their setlist but they killed it, and having the audience sing for bleed 4 you felt really nice. Getting to see the Acid Romance breakdown live was amazing, it was such a banger, and Ultra-Violet Violence live sounded insane too. And of course, their most popular song Akudama closed out the set, and the whole place was going crazy. People were climbing on stage and diving off, it was getting rowdy, the Aggressive Raisin Cat vocalist screamed part of the song, and by the end of the song there were like 20 people on stage doing god knows what (and they popped a bottle and sprayed it at the crowd too). The guitarist also did some stage dives which was cool, and it was just a super fun vibe to experience.

I have absolutely no regrets on going to this show, especially with the $40 price tag. I was pleasantly surprised by how lively the local heavy scene was, and it honestly felt like it was a place where everyone was enjoying themselves. People going ham with the moshing, even a little bit of lowkey crowdkilling during the Tariot set, it was definitely an eye-opening experience. I also learned a few good things, like how great earplugs are, how important being in front is if you want merch, and that holding your phone up to record even one song gets tiring real quick. Better build up that arm strength.

(Asia 2023 tour graphic)

Setlist (I'll think about if I want to do this consistently)

Aggressive Raisin Cat:

1. (unreleased track?)

2. Cough Bin

3. Ramen

Tariot: (I don't remember all the songs or the order)

1. Sink in Deep

2. Hell Hole

3. Alas (with Kevyn from Reserate doing Novelist FR's Tobias Rische's vocal parts)

4. ???

5. ???

6. ???

Tell Lie Vision: (This too, but I think half the songs were unreleased anyways)

1. Benign Neglect(?)

2. ???

3. ???

4. ???

Alpha Wolf:

1. 60cm Of Steel

2. Creep

3. Black Mamba

4. Hotel Underground

5. Acid Romance

6. Sub-Zero

7. Ultra-Violet Violence

8. Golden Fate; Isolate

9. bleed 4 you

10. Restricted (R18+)

11. don't ask...

12. Akudama

EP: Adjy - June Songs Vol. 1 [2023]

When I opened up Spotify on 2nd June and saw the Adjy had just released an EP, I got metaphorical whiplash of the highest degree. I had just fallen in love with Adjy for both their The Idyll Opus (I-VI) and Prelude (.3333), and like a coincidence gone right, I get another one from them just like this, no waiting? I felt blessed that day, for sure.

June Songs Vol. 1 isn't as significant to the main storyline, but feels more like an exploration of the world the narrative is built in and the lives of the people in this world outside of the main plotline. The sonic textures are largely the same as its predecessors, but it's narrative nature is not as heavy as The Idyll Opus (I-VI). It does hit the nail on the head pretty well as a small collection of songs that revolve around the life of the character June, both in how he is represented narratively and sonically throughout The Idyll Opus (I-VI).

Stepping in the Same River Twice starts off with just drums and sudden vocals, with that kind of lyrical rhythm that feels homely to Adjy, before the rest of the band comes in. I love that they continue to reuse melodic motifs from the same universe to reaffirm that it's all from the same story, while modifying it just enough so that the song remains unique. This song for the most part has the same youthful energy of some of the main album tracks that I associate with June (and July), like the two A Boy Called June tracks.

June Song takes a bit more of a calmer and laidback approach, acting as a pseudo title track. Also reusing melodic motifs, June Song also goes a slight step further and reuses a few lyrical motifs (but not before changing it up a bit). The lyrical content as a whole feels more poetic and closer to the story, especially with lines like "in terminal need now we race to the center of life" feeling like a callback to how The Idyll Opus (I-VI) ended. They continue to evoke a lot of the literary meta-narrative that goes as far back as their Prelude (.3333) EP (and maybe even further back to their Grammatology EP, I've yet to find out). Sonically, this song does not see too much variation, but it's the lyrical standout.

Here Here has the most country folk vibe of them all, and also feels the most like what I imagine the soundtrack to their countryside would be like. Between the folkier music elements and the different vocal melodies and cadences, the song just has a general outside, carefree vibe. Much like June Song, it doesn't see much sonic variation, but lyrically it really feels most akin to worldbuilding. It's musical narrative worldbuilding, if that's a thing.

Idioglossia is the softest song on the EP, yet may be the most profound-sounding track. Bringing back older lyrical motifs of white stones and throwing in some very poetic divine-related lines, "killing Abel never made God proud" being a repeated one. The calmnes gives this song a curious resemblance to the Secretus Liber track off the main album, albeit not as long or as emotional.

One 4th of July sees the most elements of Adjy on one single track. The whole band in play, weird and choppy lyrics that they somehow make sound nice, generous use of gang vocals, reusing lyrical and narrative motifs, and tying a lot of it to the literaries of extensive mythologies. The main concept of time that perpetuates through The Idyll Opus (I-VI)'s story shows itself again, and through the lyrics we can see exactly how much of their previous works continue to tie in to each other, between pinions, fireworks and centers.

June Songs Vol. 1 writes like an expansion of the world of The Idyll Opus, and in certain ways can be viewed as songs that June himself wrote (it is, after all, mentioned in the narrative that he has a band). The timeframe of these songs aren't exactly linear or relative, but they serve to give listeners a new perspective of other parts of the story, and I love that. I'll admit that I was a tiny bit disappointed it didn't have the same emotional weight and poignancy of The Idyll Opus (I-VI), or the kind of sonic excellency that Prelude (.3333) had, but I'm happy nonetheless that I get to experience any new music from them at all.

Rating: 8/10

Tracklist:

1. Stepping in the Same River Twice

2. June Song

3. Here Here

4. Idioglossia

5. One 4th of July

Song: Structures - 6 (feat. Brendan Murphy) [None of the Above, 2021]

Structures' little comeback EP back in 2021 was a short but potent punch of metalcore, and I actually enjoyed this EP a lot more than I thought I would've as I listened to it more. This was back when Nik Nocturnal dictated 99% of my metal discoveries, and his reaction to 6 kind of cemented this song as my favourite of the EP, although it is a banger song in its own right.

It comes in straight away with this ridiculous heavy groove, complete with bends and scrapes to let the listener know it's pissed. The verse is angry, rolling with a modified version of the intro riff underneath, chugs galore. The layered screams are great, and as it goes on, they add some dissonance and some cheeky licks, just in time for the first breakdown, which is a smack and a half. The chugs are nasty and the whammy stuff is just wicked, and when the breakdown ends it doesn't get any less relentless.

War drums leading up to the final breakdown, riffing getting more chaotic, and Brendan Murphy of Counterparts comes in. What a screamer. The lyrics are downright furious, the dual layer is monstrous, letting the instrumentals drop out for a bit is cheeky, that short blast beat is just rude, and the flatline soundbite is the cherry on top. That breakdown riff too, jeez, simple but effective. Always love a well placed pick scrape. I love how vicious the outro is too, with the ominous lead going on while the screams continue.

None of the Above is a great EP from 2021 but it's really 6's breakdown that makes this one song in particular so memorable. Just stellar sound design and a series of well-crafted moments that elevate the intensity of these three minutes, worth a headbang for sure.

Rating: 3.5/5