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Cherry Red [Release date : 26.06.26] The seventies were Classic Rock’s golden years. And this boxset is rock ‘n’ roll gold. Five remastered Nazareth albums from 1976-1979. With an abundance of bonus tracks. CD1 : Close Enough For Rock ‘n’ … Continue reading →

The post Album review : NAZARETH – Born Under The Wrong Sign (5 CD Boxset, 1976-79) appeared first on Get Ready to ROCK!.

Dustin Lynch has built one of the most successful song catalogs in modern country music, turning hits such as “Cowboys and Angels,” “Where It’s At,” “Hell of a Night,” “Small Town Boy,” “Good Girl,” and “Thinking ‘Bout You” into country radio favorites. Raised in Tullahoma, Tennessee, Lynch developed his songwriting skills while attending Lipscomb University in Nashville, frequently performing at the famed Bluebird Café before signing with Broken Bow Records. Since releasing his self-titled debut album in 2012, he has issued six studio albums,  Dustin Lynch, Where It’s At, Current Mood, Tullahoma, Blue in the Sky, and Killed the Cowboy, while scoring numerous number one

The post Complete List Of Dustin Lynch Songs From A to Z appeared first on ClassicRockHistory.com.

Music is basically mathematics, and there is a rule. A simple one. One that is always correct. Two plus two equals four. When people start talking about supergroups, they seem to think this doesn’t apply. Prince Of Failure are a new project consisting of the instrumental virtuoso Paul Ortiz of Chimp Spanner and vocalist Daniel Tompkins from Tesseract. That is what it is. There can be no multiplier effect. However, the thing about art is that a value has weight, meaning that two plus two can equal a really good four. Once you understand how that works, you can immerse yourself in this beautifully calculated self-titled debut.

The great thing about supergroups is they answer a question: what happens when you combine two creators? That’s where the two plus two thing becomes relevant. Either the separate sounds are intertwined, or they become something else entirely. What they don’t do is magically become more. What’s interesting here, or perhaps uninteresting, is that both artists work in a similar medium. Chimp Spanner’s work is a form of modern technical metal which is akin to how Tompkins sings in Tesseract. Despite this (or perhaps because of it) Prince Of Failure’s debut album is absolutely striking.

Although their writing process has been kept secret, it’s fair to assume that multi-instrumentalist Paul Ortiz is responsible for the music. As with his work with Chimp Spanner, it combines stark guitar parts with synthesisers to create carefully crafted soundscapes that feel ‘sci-fi’ – particularly the soundtracks to dystopian, cyberpunk films released toward the end of the 1980s. Although the songs are based around djent-style guitars, each uses them in a different way. They’re varied, leaning into different grooves and always thoughtfully deployed. As a consequence, the whole album feels powerful, deep and atmospheric. It’s a contrast to the sterile, mechanical sound of Tesseract and closer to a band like Monuments or even Northlane.

Naturally, it makes sense to compare Prince Of Failure to Tesseract. There are plenty of similarities, depending on how technical you want to get. They share similar sounds and an epic sense of scale but there is something different here, it feels less restrained and more gritty – imagine the difference between shooting a movie on film or in digital; it’s more grainy and tactile. It also avoids the coldness and distance which can be a product of the djent guitar style. Rather than leaning heavily on single notes or grinding rhythms, this is warmer and, although it’s aggressive when needed, it never feels like it’s too much, and that’s partly due to Daniel Tompkins.

Daniel Tompkins is an incredible singer, but he’s also a calculated one. Indeed, it’s fascinating to learn how he works. Obviously a singer doesn’t just step up to the microphone and spill out a melody, but the way he describes his working methods is more like a craftsman taking to a piece of wood, carefully and deliberately making each choice, practising until it is precisely what was envisaged. Listen to Tompkins’ work with Tesseract, his work with White Moth Black Butterfly, or as a solo artist, and you hear that restraint. It’s often beautiful but the passion is not raw. In a way, his style erects a screen between himself and his feelings so for this project he chose to embrace them. The whole album is built around a specific topic, his experience of neurodivergence. This is a deeply personal thing but crucially to do so he has allowed himself to relax. It’s not loose or even close to feral but on songs like ‘Horizon‘ or ‘Heartless’ you hear a different character that is full of emotions; bitterness, disappointment, frustration – he’s found something new.

In this context his lyricism is striking. Notably the phrase “dream stealer” on the so-titled track, points to his own inability to fulfil his desires. It’s an idea that reappears throughout the album; the sense of feeling trapped or lost within himself, which sits neatly with the explorative music. For example, the amazing keyboard tone under ‘Moonlight’ sounds like rising bubbles, giving it a sense of claustrophobia and reflection. It’s complex and beautiful and would also make a fitting soundtrack to an underwater city.

Clearly, this is a record about emotional responses. While the lyrics make it explicit, the music deliberately explores the same themes.  The synthesisers give ‘Fragile Crown’ a deeply anxious undertone, while on ‘Dream Stealer’ they sound like a stressful swarm of bees. It’s not all a downer though. The strummed guitar opening to ‘Saturn’s Shadow’ indicates the song is heading off on a different trajectory and feels brighter as a result. At its most impressive, the riff underpinning ‘Silent Throne’ has a real Tool vibe, particularly during its middle section, where it echoes back on itself and back on itself and back on itself … becoming more and more stressful until it releases in a huge explosive finale.

‘Jaded Mantra’ feels like an exhale, finally breathing out everything Tompkins has been holding inside. It’s the kind of long drawn-out sigh that ends in a sob. The song unravels its emotional self carefully, until its final moments when it becomes a huge powerful scream before dropping to a low end for its closing note. It’s an incredible way to end the journey.

Two plus two can never equal five, but as a four, the album feels whole. By working together, Tompkins and Ortiz have found a new way to express themselves. In doing so, they have made the most emotional and focused record either of them have been involved with. Prince Of Failure is a stunning, heartfelt project that has produced an equally breathtaking album.

IAN KENWORTHY

Poppy has shared a delightfully dark music video for ‘Dying To Forget’, and it features a few familiar faces.

Taken from her latest album ‘Empty Hands’, the industrial-laced track has been given the video treatment thanks to director Orie McGuiness, who also collaborated with Poppy on the videos for ‘Guardian,’ ‘Bruised Sky,’ and ‘Time Will Tell’.

Featuring Poppy and her band performing in a dimly-lit, narrow corridor filled with a raucous crowd made up of real fans, you may also notice a couple of familiar faces in the form of Isaac Hale of Knocked Loose and Stephen Harrison of House Of Protection, who are both credited writers on ‘Dying To Forget’.

Check out the video below:

‘Empty Hands’ is out now via Sumerian Records.

Poppy will be back over in the UK & Europe for a run of shows this September, including a milestone performance at London’s O2 Arena.

Take a look at the full list of dates below:

SEPTEMBER

8: LEEDS First Direct Arena
10: MANCHESTER Co-op Live
11: BIRMINGHAM Utilita Arena Birmingham
13: LONDON The O2
16: BRUSSELS Forest National
17: PARIS Accor Arena
19: FRANKFURT Congress Center Messe Frankfurt
20: DORTMUND Westfalenhalle
22: AMSTERDAM Ziggo Dome
23: HAMBURG Barclays Arena
25: BERLIN Velodrom
26: MUNICH Olympiahalle
28: CASALECCHIO DI RENO Unipol Arena
29: ZURICH Hallenstadion

OCTOBER

1: BADALONA Olimpic Arena Badalona
2: MADRID Palacio Vistalegre
4: LISBON MEO Arena

The post Poppy Shares Delightfully Dark ‘Dying To Forget’ Music Video appeared first on Rock Sound.

unpeople have shared a wholesome, heart-filled music video for latest single ‘friends’.

With the band’s debut album ‘we are unpeople’ set to arrive on October 09 via SharpTone Records, the video – directed by Zak Pinchin – comes straight after they smashed their main stage slot at Download Festival over the weekend.

Speaking about its creation, Jake Crawford has shared:

“With ‘friends’ being a love song (in a sense) we wanted to go with very traditional, borderline kitsch, themes and visuals. I think it offsets the seriousness and uncertain nature of the lyrical content quite nicely!”

Check it out below:

The rallying ‘friends’ will feature on the four-piece’s full-length debut ‘we are unpeople’, alongside previously released tracks ‘the garden’, ‘waste’, ‘smother’ and ‘clouds’.

On the release of their first album, they have said:

“‘we are unpeople’ is released into the world on October 9th and we couldn’t be more proud of it… We collectively put our absolute everything into it and we can’t wait to share it with you all!

Rock Sound caught up with the band backstage at Download Festival to chat about the album, getting to tour with their old friends in Don Broco, and their dream collabs.

Check it out below:

Take a look at the artwork and tracklisting for ‘we are unpeople’ below:

1. clouds
2. friends
3. the garden
4. swallow
5. bottle it
6. blueprints
7. haunted
8. waste
9. look up
10. kangareuben
11. smother
12. as you were

The post unpeople Share Wholesome Music Video For ‘friends’ appeared first on Rock Sound.