THE NEW BLOOD Few can doubt the immenseness that was 2009 for alternative music - be it death metal, thrash, progressive doom or avant-garde two-tone folk pop that tickled your fancy, every genre had something to say for itself in a year of countless highlights. The bad news, of course, is that 2009 is long gone, but the good news is that its sequel is already shaping up just as nicely. So, while the year is still fresh and Spring is about to break in all its glory, Soundshock thought we’d take the opportunity to gauge some of the most promising upcoming UK acts that will be bursting your ear drums in 2010. Read on, check out our choices, and don’t be whining when we start dropping “I told you so”s come December…
No Made Sense
BAND: No Made Sense FORMED: Reading SOUNDS LIKE: A brutal, sprawling menagerie of proggy delights. CURRENT RELEASE: ‘The Epillanic Choragi’ (Basick) HOMEPAGE:http://www.myspace.com/nomadesense WHY YOU SHOULD CARE: Since exploding onto the UK metal scene with their hugely promising 2007 debut EP, progressive Reading trio No Made Sense haven’t looked back. Last year’s face-meltingly awesome ‘The Epillanic Choragi’ not only garnered rave reviews across the board for its scope and intriguing concept, but made it into Soundshock’s very own end of year lists. 2010 will see Messrs Leonardo, Joseph and Samuel enter the studio to record a much anticipated sequel to ‘TEC’, as well as crown their current tour with a potentially scintillating performance.
“The plan for 2010 at the moment is to play Hammerfest, then wrap up the last 12 months of promoting ‘The Epillanic Choragi’ by playing it in its entirety in [Blue’s Loft] High Wycombe,” muses singer/guitarist Leo Dennett. “The next album is going to document the last few days of events that occurred in ‘TEC‘, but from another person’s viewpoint. Musically I wouldn't expect a carbon copy of our debut; in theory it is more listenable, there are shorter songs (albeit also longer songs!) and we are playing around with melodies more. Lyrically, as well as musically, it's generally a lot darker and slower, but most importantly, this is still us three guys playing whatever the hell we want with scant disregard for how other people will perceive it, so that Kerrang! poster pullout is still a bit off in the distance, for now.”
Triaxis
BAND: Triaxis FORMED: South Wales, 2005 SOUNDS LIKE: Proper fookin’ heavy fookin’ metal. CURRENT RELEASE: ‘Key To The Kingdom’ (Self-released) HOMEPAGE:www.myspace.com/triaxisuk WHY YOU SHOULD CARE: If you’ve been under the impression that Wales’ contribution to metal in recent times has only wielded Bullet For My Valentine, lostprophets and…er… Funeral For A Friend, then you probably need Triaxis in your life. A female-fronted five piece of true heavy metal torch-bearing, chest-beating morale, the Cardiff quintet have slowly but surely blazed their trail across the UK in the half decade since their formation, leaving behind a fearsome live reputation and an impressive clamour surrounding last year’s excellent debut ‘Key To The Kingdom’.
This year will allow Triaxis to continue playing live shows in aid of ‘KTTK’, as well as start work on its follow up. Comments guitarist Clare ‘CJ’ Hale; “We are keen to get back onstage soon and gigging nationally, and will soon be working on new material looking to refine the Triaxis sound. We are very excited about expanding on the experiences of 2009 and seeing where this can take us as a band and with our writing. We hope to be sharing some of this in the summer of 2010 and then getting back into the studio to create the follow up to 'Key to the Kingdom'.”
Secondskin
BAND: secondskin FORMED: Glasgow SOUNDS LIKE: Mastodon dry-humping Tool with hooks that’d catch a whale. HOMEPAGE: www.myspace.com/secondskin CURRENT RELEASE: ‘Captive Audience’ (Union Black)
WHY YOU SHOULD CARE: Glaswegian awesome foursome secondskin merge the scope of more modern metal acts such as Mastodon and Tool with classic 70s progressive song writing, to thrilling and often unexpected effect. With hugely promising debut album ‘Captive Audience’ set to blow more than a few minds at the arse end of March, this year could well be there for the taking for one of the UK’s brightest prospects. However, far from being content with simply setting the prog metal scene alight this Spring, the Scots are already looking to the more distant future, with plans for the follow up to ‘Captive Audience’ already in the pipeline.
“We are still in the very early stages of writing and we aren’t rushing anything,” states secondskin singer-songwriter Ian McCall. “At the moment we’re just taking our time and enjoying the writing process - I guess the one thing we are pretty conscious of is trying to approach it with no musical constraints. We aired one of the completed songs at the tail end of last year, and it went down pretty well. Someone recorded it with a handheld camera, and you can check it out on Youtube to give you an idea of where the music is headed.”
TesseracT
BAND: TesseracT FORMED: London, 2007 SOUNDS LIKE: Crushing progressive metal of the heaviest variety. HOMEPAGE: www.tesseractband.co.uk CURRENT RELEASE: ‘One’ (release date/label TBC)
WHY YOU SHOULD CARE: Initially conceived as a solo project by guitarist Acle Kahney in 2003, TesseracT emerged as a fully-fledged, five-man band in spring 2007, quickly making huge waves across the UK thanks to their intriguing brand of immensely heavy, prog-friendly alternative metal. Grabbing critical attention and accolades from respected peers including the likes of Meshuggah and Textures, TesseracT’s current lineup was finally realised by the addition of vocalist Dan Tompkins in 2009. Since then, the group have only made further progress, and with debut release ‘One’ ready to drop at some point later this year, few can doubt their potential to become genuine heavyweights.
“We’ve actually just mastered our debut album, and are in deal negotiations at the moment,” states guitarist James Monteith. “There will be an album out this year, but we can’t say when or with whom yet. The video to the track ‘Deception - Concealing Fate Part Two’ will be getting extensive rotation on Scuzz later this month, and we have a bunch of UK shows coming up and a European tour in May. Hopefully we should have more live news soon!” Miss them this Spring at your peril.
Oaf
BAND: Oaf FORMED: Brighton, 2007 SOUNDS LIKE: A disgraceful, punk-infested racket. CURRENT RELEASE: ‘Botheration’ (release date/label TBC) HOMEPAGE:www.myspace.com/oafuckoff
WHY YOU SHOULD CARE: Wondering when someone would finally provide the missing link between Nomeansno, Napalm Death and King Crimson? Probably not, but that didn’t stop Oaf. Formed from the ashes of long-defunct Hemel Hempstead punk troupe The Shatners by long time chums Dom Lawson and James Rayment, Oaf take just about every ugly and gloriously offensive aspect of punk, metal and jazz, chew them up and projectile them all directly into your ear drums via the medium of an irresistible vomitory racket. With debut album ‘Botheration’ looking to see release some time later this year and featuring production from Russ Russell (Napalm Death, Evile) and a guitar-widdling cameo from one Justin Hawkins, it’s probably safe to say that you’ve rarely heard anything quite like this.
'''Botheration’ is an eruption of petty rage and existential despair, performed by two desperate men in their late 30s” admits Dom, whose day job includes writing for the likes of Metal Hammer and Classic Rock. “An ugly, pummelling onslaught of monstrously distorted bass and nimbly-twatted drums, the first Oaf album is all kinds of wrong and all the better for it.” Be afraid.
Chimp Spanner
BAND: Chimp Spanner FORMED: 2003, Essex SOUNDS LIKE: A progressive journey through time and space. No room for vocals. CURRENT RELEASE: ‘Imperium Vorago’ (self-released) HOMEPAGE: www.chimpspanner.com
WHY YOU SHOULD CARE: Genuinely compelling instrumental rock and metal albums are few and far between these days. Normally a vessel for tedious guitar wankery and showmanship over musical prowess, it’s a rare occasion when something comes along that is not only unique, but utterly gripping and unpredictable in its orchestration. Enter Chimp Spanner (Paul Antonio Ortiz to his mum), whose 2004 debut ‘Imperium Vorago’ sent waves skimming across the UK prog scene with its startlingly sumptuous and progressive ambient metal, and paved the way for an eventual deal with Basick, who will be releasing his sophomore ‘At The Dream’s Edge’ through their label this April.
Mr Spanner is certainly not short of confidence in his work’s ability to transcend contemporary songwriting, claiming that “‘At The Dream’s Edge’ is an instrumental concept album that transports the listener into a future of unbridled human progress, sentient computer viruses running amuck, devastating alien wars and journeys to the edges of space and imagination. All these events are charted in 13 tracks ranging from hard-edged technical metal to glossy euphoric rock, finally closing with a subdued and reflective vibe.”
Godsized
BAND: Godsized FORMED: Croydon, 2005 SOUNDS LIKE: Big, fat, beardy riffs. And then some. CURRENT RELEASE: ‘Brothers In Arms’ EP (self-released) HOMEPAGE: www.godsized.co.uk
WHY YOU SHOULD CARE: With their current lineup becoming finalised in late 2008, Godsized have spent the last 18 months laying the UK live circuit to waste with their blend of massive, dirty southern riffs and rock ‘n’ roll swagger, as well as putting the final touches to their ‘Brothers In Arms’ EP. Mastered in LA by Brian Gardner (Lamb Of God, Avenged Sevenfold, Alter Bridge), the record speak volumes of the meaty quartet’s potential to stamp their mark all over the UK and beyond, and with another slab of touring set to take Godsized well into 2010, you’ll rarely find a better time to catch them.
As lead guitarist Neil Fish is keen to point out, the lads have no intentions of slowing their already considerable progress any time soon. On the band’s plans for 2010 he states; “Godsized plan to capitalise on a busy 2009 spent relentlessly gigging around the UK and self-releasing their debut EP ‘Brothers In Arms’, with even more gigs and tours and hopefully some slots on the major UK rock festivals this summer. The band plan to release an as yet untitled, brand new four-track EP in the summer, to be followed by their first full length album in late 2010.”
Mutiny Within
BAND: Mutiny Within FORMED: Blackpool/New Jersey, 2002 SOUNDS LIKE: Addictively hook-riddled progressive metalcore CURRENT RELEASE: ‘Audition’ (self-released) HOMEPAGE: www.myspace.com/mutinywithin
WHY YOU SHOULD CARE: Blackpool is rarely at the summit of things when it comes to producing exciting new heavy metal bands, but when college chums Chris Clancy and Dan Bage made the jump across the pond to New Jersey to hook up with a one-time Children Of Bodom covers band, few could have predicted the immense rise to prominence that would follow. A record deal with Roadrunner eventually emerged, and with the group’s hugely promising, self-titled debut now due to break into shops at the end of April, it seems like the UK may have finally contributed to an outfit that can snatch Killswitch’s metalcore crown.
On the imminent new album, bassist and founding member Andrew ‘AJ’ Jacobs comments; “Keep it heavy, keep it fast and keep it clever. Never pace to anything. It is an active record. We dedicated our whole lives to this. Two guys dropped their lives in England and didn’t know if it would work, since we weren’t signed at that time, but we had the dedication to go for it. We played 30 shows with Chris and then got signed. Now it’s time to get in the van and tour, tour, tour.”
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Breaking The Waves 
