rock/metal
Live: We Came As Romans – The Key Club Leeds, 4.12.15
This six piece metalcore outfit are well versed in club shows so it’s no surprise how easy they make performing freely look on a stage as small as The Key Club’s. Regenerate is the perfect set opener, being both a fresh lease of life from the new self-titled album and having the combination of their …
Not Forgotten: Jethro Tull – Thick as a Brick
There are some albums that don’t just define an act’s career, or a moment in time, but a whole musical movement. It’s those albums where the act haven’t just pushed themselves creatively, but have comprehensively outsmarted each and every one of their contemporaries and produce a musical statement which the listener doesn’t just go ‘Wow, …
Feature: Top 20 albums of the year – Backseat Mafia staff pick
How do you judge what were the best albums of the year? Well, here at Backseat Mafia its a collaborative affair, where everyone that writes for us has as much of a say as everyone else (how did I let that happen?). Happily, in line with the widely and wildly varied nature of our ethos …
EP: JOHN – Validation
Fancy something heavy and riff-y this Christmas? Duo, JOHN, have just released their gritty second EP, Validation, and it’s more than worthy of going on your Christmas list this year. JOHN are exactly what they say on the tin, sort of. They’re a duo made up of two members both called John and a love …
Album Review: Sikth – Opacities
After 9 years away Sikth have come back to embarrass everyone else in the scene by just being brain meltingly brilliant. Their new mini-album Opacities is exactly what modern forward thinking metal should be, exciting, unpredictable and unique. Without missing a beat Sikth have just continued where they left off and re-emerged as frontrunners of …
Live Review: Bring Me The Horizon, Neck Deep and Pvris, Doncaster Dome, 26.11.15
After the release of 2013’s Sempiternal, Bring Me The Horizon solidified themselves as one of the world’s biggest young rock bands. However, if it’s at all possible, they’ve managed to take yet another step up into rock’s stratosphere with this year’s far more commercial offering, That’s The Spirit, which is a far cry from the …
Live Review: Judas Priest, Wolverhampton 26.11.15
Leather, Spikes and Roaring Motorbikes! So where to start reviewing such Legends of metal? After numerous changes (how many drummers?) and constant evolution of their sound over 45 years the Midland Metal Gods are making a return to their homelands, and what could be better? With Black Sabbaths “War Pigs”, blasted to introduce the band, …
News: Fearless Vampire Killers added as support to Escape The Fate tour
Fearless Vampire Killers are shaping up to be quite the unrelenting force these days. With 2015 almost behind us, in this year alone FVK have a headline tour under their belts, as well as playing in a support capacity with In This Moment and Black Veil Brides, and racking up slots at festivals such as …
Live: Nordic Giants. Belgrave Music Hall, Leeds 16.11.15
¥ What makes man different from others – is that he is aware of himself, he is able to reflect upon himself and analyse how his environment influences him. Millions of years of evolution has passed and the exploration of consciousness seems to have been forgotten – Are you ready to expand your consciousness ? ¥ …
News: Metal Scene Comes Together After Horrific Collision Involving The Ghost Inside
Anyone paying attention to the news recently will have realised that horrific events can either bring people together or drive them apart. An endearing example of the former happened when writer Brian Storm set up a Go Fund Me after hearing about the horrendous vehicular collision that band The Ghost Inside were involved in. The …