Curated by DJ Astrocreep
Back behind the wheels of steel again is DJ Astrocreep for the latest edition of the Singles Club. Monk is on the (virtual) bar, prepping the whiskey and the rest of the drinks. The club is set and it’s another bumper edition with the highlights of our latest submissions. With no further ado, let’s get straight into the music and cut the BS!
There are few places better to start than the often weird and always wonderful Igorrr with their dystopian track ‘Downgrade Desert, blending Middle Eastern traditional instruments with their prog metal approach.
Keeping a similar vein, we have London’s Elephant Tree with ‘Bird’, a psych-doom track with laidback, melodious guitars telling their tale of having a child and raising them, hopefully on the right path.
Pop-punkers Trashed have their latest track ‘Disgusting’ with a slice of something that sounds like it’s straight from the mid-2000s Green Day catalogue, with a tight, energetic track.
Pop-punk/alt-rock veterans All Time Low have come a long way since their early days of ‘Dear Maria, Count Me In’, as the latest track, ‘Monster’ will attest to, with a feel that’s as close to the likes of 21 Pilots as it is to their back catalogue!
Las Vegas quartet Otherwise have been going at it for nearly 15 years now and ‘Crossfire’ is a good example of why, with the harder edge of modern rock on show showcasing their talent to the best of their ability.
Night Demon are on to their third album now, with ‘Empires Fall’ being a good inclination of their old school approach to songwriting, with a sound heavily influenced by the NWoBHM greats and songs that would fit well alongside both them and modern power metal legends Sabaton.
One of Thrash’s best up and comers now, with Hazzerd and ‘Waking Nightmare’ showing a wide range of influences from the veteran Nuclear Assault to the next wave likes of BFMV in their approach to the genres and riffs.
Modern melodic prog metal royalty Haken are back themselves with another storming track in ‘Prosthetic’ (from their appropriately named new album ‘Virus’), continuing the excellent groundwork they have laid down on so many previous occasions!
Blackpool’s Boston Manor are back in the club with something a touch different from their previous releases, as they stray a bit further than previously into a more melodic alt-rock territory with something that is truly becoming an earworm for me.
Something rather different now, with avant-rock artist Martin Bisi and ‘Let It Fall’, something that sounds truly different from much of what you would generally hear. A real mixture of different styles, from prog to jazz, to opera and much beyond!
Palace Of The King are another of the Aussie upstarts looking to usurp the throne from the likes of AC/DC and Airbourne, with a blues-rock track in ‘Tell It Like It Is’.
Moving more than a bit more up-tempo now, we have Smiling Assassin, the up and coming Yorkshire hardcore punkers, who are rightfully gaining a great reputation even prior to the release fo their debut album next month, with ‘Coping’ being a great example of why!
Proto-doom overlords Cirith Ungol are back again and ‘Before Tomorrow’ showcases all the ability the band have, showing that the many years that span their releases have not blunted or rusted up their songwriting abilities any, despite the lengthy break between releases.
Having been blown away by Sheffield juggernauts Malevolence on their tour with Knocked Loose last year, the DIY metallers are back with another strong and positive EP, with ‘Remain Unbeaten’ showing quite why they continue to gain support across the metal board with another track that sits exquisitely alongside the likes of Hatebreed’s best.
A discordant different from many other things, as usual, Young Knives seem to mix electronica, rock and somewhat off-kilter other bits, melted down into a concoction that will equally bewilder and enthuse many people with ‘Sheep Tick’ a good showing from latest album ‘Barbarians.
Cinematic post-rockers iiah have created another great soundtrack to be cruising around the outback to in ‘Aphelion’, with a perfect showcase of everything good and chilled about the genre.
Our penultimate track for this sit-in session is a band that until now were entirely unknown to our resident DJ, with dark atmospheric rock project Dreamspy showing a remarkable songwriting ability with ‘Livin’Dead’, a track that seems to call from the darkness within you, full of disquieting menace, yet never truly threatening.
So, it’s last orders and we need a song to close off the night, so it’s time to get some post-punk into your ears with Less Win and ‘The Hanging’, a track that would sit as well alongside the likes of Joy Division as much as The Cure and similar acts – a quality track to see us home with.
So, that’s yer lot, you locked in mofos, at least for another two weeks, when Monk will be back behind the wheels of steels and driving the death decks to the limits… until then, keep ‘er lit, keep ‘er between the hedges and, in the words of the poet of the internet, the great Samuel L Jackson, #StayTheFuckInside. See y’all in two weeks…