I don’t need mystic powers to tell you, Brisbane’s Killtoys are back, with a new dark rock single with the ominous title “DoomSayer.” As a three piece, these guys have a huge sound, are brilliant live and well seasoned musicians. Shoutout to Kings Street Studio where the Killtoys record.
Hail thee unto the fluid drums that are setting the pace for this gruesome telling of inevitable futility. Surrounded by the mists that only hold death and destruction, the fortune teller heralds in avenging angels while the bass grimly powers on. The lead guitar cuts through the mire, like a sword and the vocals waver between great loss and acceptance.
Maybe this is blasphemous, however this track has the hallmarks of that Aussie rock flavour, mixed with a heavy BlackSabbath like dirge, which is a combination of that droning bass and rolling drums. The band have cited the brilliant British band ParadiseLost as an influence, and that can most definitely be heard in the guitar work. “DoomSayer” has a glorious depth and if you love your rock then you really should not miss out on the Killtoys.
Some things are worth staying up for which includes horror filled Midnight Feature, and by luck, the UK trio have released a new single called “Rite Here.” The spirits are going to rise with this one.
Is that a cowbell? Oh, there should definitely more cowbell in our punk rock, and so behold the bell from the beginning of this track. It rings in the sawing guitars as we go down to swamplands, infested by creatures of night as they bide time in their place of rest, because it is ‘Rite here, rite here, buried in the graveyard,’ and they await your arrival.
Midnight Feature always seem to have a lot of fun when writing and performing their tracks, possibly because they don’t take themselves too seriously whilst immersing themselves in the gothic B grade movie thrillers that ignite their imagination. It’s “RiteHere” and right now, so get on down with the ghouls of MidnightFeature. And more cowbell!!
Since the release of their debut single “From The Grave,” psychobilly Brits Midnight Feature have quickly backed this up with a new track “HELL-A-VISION,” with a bonus video made by the band at the Eerie Ink Tattoo Studio, Walsall, UK.
The Evil Dead beginning of the video prepares for the blistering launch of the track. The chorus is belting out the title, that would definitely have moshers thrashing around in the pit screaming in delight. It is a frenzy of drums, cool guitar licks and riffs, and with vocals that are dark and egging you on to join him in the throws of a killer thriller.
If the Japanese have taught us anything, it is never open up and watch a dubious video tape. This might result in South African vampires and having a great band play at your place….okay, yeah play the tape! The music video is very kitsch fun and reminds me very much of TheDamned’s “Video Nasty” which of course was featured on The Young Ones, but it isn’t just the video that harks back to this track. The themes, energy and general joy of the genre come through in spades. You should get hooked on a “HELL-A-VISION” with the Midnight Feature.
UK record label, We Are Horror Records, have released the debut single for psychobilly band MidnightFeature, which is called “FromTheGrave.” Following in the great tradition of horror rockabilly groups, the band has four members with amazing names. There is Joshua Alucard (vocals/guitar), Markus Aticus (bass), Dr. Richard K. Straker (guitar) and THE BRAIN (drum machine). Well, okay, technically the drum machine isn’t alive, but after all, it is a horror outfit.
You are greeted with the famous line from Frankenstein (1931), ie ‘It’s Alive!!,’ so you already know you are going to be on a winner. You are then hit by the, frankly, coercively silken crooning vocals of Alucard, the wonder axe wielding and devastatingly thumping bass… oh, and of course TheBrain keeping that undead heart beating.
It seems these lads have been brought up on a diet of Hammer Horror and B Grade black & white horror, which I admit are my favourite types. All this lends itself to the imagery of both dead and undead ladies, such as vampires and reanimated corpses, whom we all know make the best goth girls. I love this track. It moves and shakes, incorporating all the best things about the horror punk genre. A great tune and a well wicked sense of humour. Is it gothabilly or is it psychobilly? Eh, I will let you be the judge, but I really hope people pick up on MidnightFeature and give “From The Grave” a listen.
South Australian’s BraveMistakes is now a fully fledged band, going from a solo project originally, created by a guy who thought he would challenge himself in putting out one song a month. That is pretty good going and says a lot about the character and song writing abilities of lead singer GarrettCooper.
The vocals are very reminiscent of a soul filled BrianFerry, combined with bitter sweet lyrics of love , because as we all know that love can hurt just as much as it can fix broken hearts. There is a wonderful play between the guitars that swirls into your ears, with the drums underpinning it all.
“AchingEnough” definitely draws on the alternative Australian sound, and you hear the reverberations of guitar bands such as TheHummingbirds, TheHuxtonCreepers, TheTriffids or even TheScreamingTribesmen. This one really does pull at the heartstrings and there is a longing, leaving us waiting for more.
As promised, Killtoys are back with “Departed,” the final instalment of the trilogy release of connected singles that includes, in order, “BlindGod” and “AnotherRealm“. The Brisbane/Meanjin three piece, comprised of Mick Bristow, StavTsolakides and BevanBancroft, seem to be building up steam… so we are hopeful for an album release.
The guitar work, as always, is glorious, haunted by a whiff of horror inspired uncertainty, with deep sliding riffs, offset by the thrashing drums. The echoing and pained, or is it beseeching(?), vocals leave you with no doubt that the end is nigh, and Bristow welcomes the creeping shadows to come and take him.
Garry and Jess of Obscure Medium Art, have again created evocative cover art, mastered at 301 by SteveSmart in Sydney, and recorded at KingStreetStudio in Brisbane. ‘We arethe dead,’ is the climax to the trilogy and that in the end, as humans, we come into existence, have free will to create our own destiny and that for all of us is the eventual passing into the veil, hopefully to be greeted by those loved ones that went before us. You are never alone with the “Departed” and Killtoys.
MattWebster is a man with the soul of a poet and storyteller, creating alternative rock with his Bradford based project, SigniaAlpha. With the latest album Entropy, he has been joined by PaulGray (TheDamned) on Rickenbacker bass guitar with other musicians making appearances on tracks. Harris (Chaing, Grim, Nowt, Zed), Is one of these, who has co-written and sings on six of the tracks. To quote the release ‘Guitarist WulfIngham lends his psychedelic solos to a couple of tracks’ and ‘jazz saxophonist KeithJafrate and flautist ChrisWalsh sprinkle their melodic flourishes over several songs.’ I say flourish away!
Punk meets PinkFloyd is how one might sum up the track “Such A Shame,” with its pogoing rhythm married to bewitching guitar work. Simon ‘Nogsy‘ Nolan (SpyBand, Zed) sings on and co-wrote “On Diego Garcia,” a commentary on the disputed Island which is currently owned by the British, with a US Naval base present, while all the previous inhabitants were forced to leave. This was found to be illegal by The Hague, but was ignored by the UK and “On Diego Garcia” is a protest song about the injustices.
“A New Dawn” has a undercurrent dirge like the ocean water pulling and pushing at boats, a alluring sadness, perhaps the subject matter within the lyrics are looking for safety, only to be faced with another shoreline to leave and more dangers ahead. The bass is sublime in “Hourglass,” which goes through a gamut of emotions such as loss, longing and sadness, for as we get older, we realise the fragility of all. This is reflected by the music ranging from introspective to a guitar filled rage. Those flute flourishes can be heard in the “The Price Of Admission,” in conjunction with a more thoughtful sound that echoes with a life maybe less lived or rather, perhaps, limited in their choices.
The paisley park feel to the music is in stark contrast to the bleak words in the single “Feels Like Rain,” and that bleak story telling, which only those who have lived it or watched it first hand, can be experienced in the next track, “Building Castles In Spain.” MathewSeamarks (DisciplesofSpess) is the vocalist and co-wrote with Webster, with its endearing dreamer quality and the beautiful jangly guitar backing up those vocals. The airiness of the flute and saxophone, wants to fly you away but the vocals of Harris weigh you down in the knowledge that life is “Waiting.” Waiting for the end and the inevitable. I have to say that “The Atmosphere” caught me by surprise with harkening back to DavidBowie yet having that XTC musical sensibility. It is a simply a post-punk gem, while the last track, “Kaleidoscope Wheels” is a psychedelic trip with a hurdy gurdy of circling sounds and voices, melding into a maelstrom, destined to collapse.
Hard to pick a favourite out of this lot as everything is just class, but for me, probably, “TheAtmosphere” definitely transports me back to another place. The attitude throughout is very much a punk one, pointing towards what is wrong with the world, but not the anger of young men. Rather, we are seeing these issues through the eyes of the world weary, knowing that life is precious and telling you the stories that deserve to be heard. The musicianship is grand and you really couldn’t ask for a better bunch contributing. Entropy is the measurements of thermodynamics, and the energy given by SigniaAlpha is nothing short of pure musical wizardry.
They say Brisbane is a place out of time, and the Killtoys are a proud Meanjin band, back with their latest track “Another Realm,” as they serve up their concoction of heavy and dark on the rocks. This track is the second of a trilogy, where the first single, “BlindGod,” introduces you to the story of a human corrupted….tainted by vampiric blood and his struggle as he falls from the world he knew.
The beginning is a simple guitar and vocals, where you start to hear the unnatural joy replacing horror, as a monster realises that he is no longer constrained by human law, which is when the track rushes forth on doom laden wings. The drums and electric guitar vie for dominance, while the vocals are unsettling in their intensity.
“AnotherRealm” follows the tale up with the fiend, taking up the mantel of Prince of Darkness, conceding that he has lost the vestiges of humanity. The vampire staring off into the bloody night for the cover art has been created by the talented duo of ObscureMedium, whom are also based in Brisbane, and create some really rad horror toys/dollies and art pieces for those with an eye for the grimly beautiful. The track contains unholy vampires, blood/power lust, plus guitar riffs and intense vocals that early OzzyOsbourne and BlackSabbath would have been proud of. What is there not to like about this track? Not a damn thing!
I don’t think I can quite explain how much Glaswegian band, The Jesus And Mary Chain (JAMC), held me in awe, as a kid in the 80s, with drawling vocals and waves of guitar reverb filling your ears. Label, FuzzClubRecords, is poised to release the live album for JAMC, aptly named Sunset666, on August the 4th, where all tracks were recorded at the Hollywood Palladium, in Los Angeles, in 2018. The single “Half Way To Crazy” has been dropped to give us a taste of what you can expect on the album.
Rightly so, the quality of the recording is actually beautiful and clear. William Reid’s Gibson guitar transports us away, together with his brother, Jim Reid’s distinctive vocals, reminding is of what a magical powerhouse JAMC have always been.
“Half Way To Crazy” was originally released on the 1989 album Automatic, and the new Sunset 666, has all up, a whopping seventeen tracks, including “Blues From A Gun“, “Just Like Honey“, “Teenage Lust“, “Some Candy Talking” and “Head On“. Apparently, the recording isn’t a mirror, with occasional wrong notes, and imperfect timing, but that’s the point of live music, because it is alive at that very moment of time, and it has been captured in all its raw brilliance. As far as sonic rock music goes, The Jesus And Mary Chain have been responsible for creating songs that you feel in your gut, but also hugely influenced other musicians to push the rock envelope. This is bliss.
When the guys from the Swiss band, FarAwayFromAllThis, asked if I remembered them…. well, of course! The shoegaze/alt rock stylings of duo VEGA (guitars) and IX (vocals, bass, synthesizer, drums) are highly rememberable. And, too that end, we have the latest single, dropping on the 17th of July, called “ToDreamTheUniverse.”
The bright and upbeat beginning is a front. The glorious guitar laden wall of fuzzy sound, is crowned with the vocals that want to float away to other realms, unbound from this world. Delicate at times, causing shivers down the spine, and melodious shoegaze noise that reminds me ever so much of the late 80s rise of the genre, which then proceeded to mould the alt rock sound of the 90s with grunge. With the return of Scotland’s TeenageFanclub this year with a new album and touring, Far Away From All Of This are just adding to the mounting joy that this style of music brings, as they take you on the epic journey “To Dream The Universe“.
Onyx Music Reviews 