Do not resist this one!

Review of Silent Resistance E.P ‘A Thousand Voices’

Everyone is aware of the phrase ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’; a handy piece of advice which should be taken into account with Silent Resistance’s E.P‘A Thousand Voices’, do not judge this E.P by its artwork, you will be misled into thinking you are about to listen to heavy metal screamo, which is entirely not the case.

The predominately Leicester based rock, loosely ‘metal’, band released ‘A Thousand Voices’ in 2010 as their debut E.P. Silent Resistance have recently finished their 2011 touring with a set at OXJAM in Leicester, and have also been seen supporting the likes of Glamour of the Kill and Yashin, from which they have obviously drawn musical inspiration from.

The first track on the E.P is not really a track at all, more of an introduction or, as it is titled, a ‘prelude’ of things to come. The sound of pouring rain indicates that the following tracks are not going to be about butterflies and double rainbows, but simply builds up an eerie intensity making what follows more of an anticipated event rather than just the next song; which, after having such a dramatic intro, luckily does not disappoint.

The second song on the E.P is ‘Death Stare’ which digs its teeth straight into the listener with an intense guitar riff, and mild screaming to start. The high energy start turns into whispery blunt vocals accompanied by additional screaming before picking up to even more kick-ass instrumentals working perfectly with the melodic chorus sung by vocalist Ryan Tailor.

Silent Resistance’s token ‘slow song’ is track number six on the E.P titled ‘Demons (They come for me)’ which combines some screaming with, but is mainly, a harmonious lyrical track complemented by powerful drumming from Danny Lodge and some more excellent riffs from guitarists Jai Flannery and Alex Roddis, of course being given depth by the always underappreciated bassist, who in this case is, Dan Slipper.

Although collectively and individually the debut E.P is a fantastic one, some parts which contain attempted ‘growling’, as it is put in metal terms, should have been omitted. It doesn’t add anything to the songs it is featured in and also does not come across well on the E.P; nevertheless the energetic, hair raising, self-confessed face melting instrumentals, sporadic screaming and strong, passionate vocals are enough to make this E.P an epic addition to any rockers music collection, and provides a taster of even better things to come.

Silent Resistence’s E.P ‘A Thousand Voices’ is available from http://www.silentresistance.bigcartel.com

This is The Blackout!

And You WILL Find Out That They Put On A Hell Of A Show.

Recently deemed best live rock band in the UK by Kerrang! magazine, The Blackout had a lot to live up to when they played at the Birmingham O2 academy on November 4^th.

Gig-goers often have a mixed view of having three support bands before the headliners. For one thing it takes more energy, and for another it delays who you really came to see. In this case however the crowd were not disappointed by the late addition of Page 44. The Brummy rockers were already psyched to play the gig in their home city, but with the added positive reception they received during their set, their home ground did them proud. The upbeat music partnered with well sung lyrics by Adam Vygus showed that Page 44 were perfect for a starter band, sufficiently warming the audience and getting them ready for more.

Canterbury were next on the line up, the band from Basingstoke were definitely eccentric, undeniably unique, pushing personalised sticks of rock as part of their merchandise. They managed to keep up the vibe that Page 44 had left. Unfortunately, the band’s instruments (though well played) drowned most of the vocals out. Nevertheless the audience seemed to enjoy what Canterbury were handing them, and their enthusiasm definitely could not be faulted.

Third and final support of the evening, continuing with the theme of British rock band goodness, was We Are the Ocean. Previously seen with The Blackout at the Nottingham mini festival, Hit The Deck, earlier in the year. One thing everyone will immediately notice about the rock/metal Londoners is that lethargic is not a word in their vocabulary. As soon as this band hit the stage it was like having a shot of adrenaline to the heart whilst drinking pure caffeine. Front man, Dan Brown, is borderline insane as he makes it his mission to immerse himself in the crowd completely by standing on the barrier, running through the crowd and surfing on them. The technical problems the band faced at the beginning of their set, suffering from some feedback, did not deter them from putting on an awesome show, maybe too great to be supporting anymore as they definitely wore most of the crowd out.

Finally, the ones we had all been waiting for, The Blackout. The audience progressively started to chant ‘We are the Dynamite’, the title of the band’s first album and a chant featured on the track ‘Tick, Tick, Boom’ on that album. The music stopped, the house lights went down, and ear drums definitely burst with the shrill screams of hundreds of what were mainly teenage fan-girls. Straight away blasting off their set with the energy pumping track off their latest album ‘Hope’, ‘This is our Time’. The crowd surged in a desperate reach for the barrier, some danced, and some jumped - whatever the movement, no one on the floor was still. The six-piece from Merthyr Tydfil, in Wales, recently spoke to Kerrang! magazine about the struggle it took to make the album ‘Hope’, having to partake in the Pledge for Music scheme to raise enough to fund their third album; however after a fantastic reception of the new album, at festivals and whilst on tour, it seems that The Blackout may have just put their troubles behind them in the climb to rock stardom.

The night’s set list consisted of a mixture of material, though heavily balanced towards their new album, being the ‘Hope Tour’. The band threw in a few tracks from the rest of their discography: the offensive yet brilliant ‘I’m a Riot? You’re a f*cking Riot!’ from their mini-album ‘The Blackout! The Blackout! The Blackout!’; ‘Spread legs not lies’ from their first album ‘We are the Dynamite’; and a few popular tracks from the album that really launched them onto the scene, ‘Children of the night’.

The best thing about seeing The Blackout live is the onstage personality and audience interaction. Some bands will sing their songs and get off stage, with this band it is obvious they belong on that stage and enjoy it whilst they are. Adding various crowd-involving gimmicks to their set, such as getting everyone in the standing area to crouch down during a part of ‘Save Our Selves’, which with a room filled with people is not easy! When all had obeyed the order, not a moment sooner, they were then told to stay down until the music kicked back, and when it did, they were then instructed to ‘Jump the f*ck up!’ causing the walls of the venue to vibrate.

Co-front-man Gavin Butler’s, vocals were outstanding - from the speedy upbeat lyrics to the melodic vocals of the slower tracks, every note hit and could not be criticized throughout. Similarly, though less harmoniously, screamer Sean Smith managed to keep his yelling top notch all night, giving the heavier depth the band needs to separate them from the generic pop-punk bands of today.

The rest of the band tend to shy away from the spotlight and can therefore get slightly over-looked with such strong frontmen.  Nevertheless the guitar riffs from James Davies and Matthew Davies were definitely hair-raising, especially the solo in ‘The Devil Inside’, with their completely flawless playing deserving certainly more praise than they receive. Rhys Lewis accompanied and bettered the guitar playing further by adding deep bass all the way through. Last but certainly not least on the drums, Mr Gareth ‘Snoz’ Lawrence; always sporting a massive grin, he gave his all-pounding, kick ass percussion to every song, keeping the smile whilst doing so. The chemistry between this band, and the fact they are all good friends just enhances the experience of seeing them live, with no false modesty; after every show the band graciously thank the crowd as they are reminded of the uphill battle they had to get where they are today. Where they will be tomorrow will only be so much better with the sheer talent and charisma they have in their hands.

Are The Blackout the best live rock band in the UK? From the show at the Birmingham O2 academy, without a doubt; make sure you buy (not steal) their albums and catch the next tour - it will blow your minds!

The Blackout’s fourth album Hope is available on iTunes, HMV, Amazon and from the band’s website www.theblackout.net