‘Bullets’ firing on all cylinders with new video

‘Bullets’ firing on all cylinders with new video

BULLETS AND OCTANE has once again set the stage ablaze with their latest release, “Space Lord Symphony.” This electrifying single is accompanied by a visually stunning music video that promises to captivate audiences worldwide.

“Space Lord Symphony” is a sonic journey that combines the band’s signature high-energy sound with a cosmic twist. Known for their powerful riffs, anthemic choruses, and relentless energy on stage, Bullets and Octane takes their music to new heights with this intergalactic-inspired anthem.

The accompanying music video, directed by Christine Fullwood, is a cinematic masterpiece that transports viewers into a mesmerizing, surreal odyssey. With mind-bending visuals and a narrative that complements the song’s theme, the “Space Lord Symphony” music video is a visual feast for fans and newcomers alike.

“‘Space Lord Symphony’ is the first single from the new Bullets And Octane album (TBD) due out in 2024. The band, firmly lead by the sober singer and main songwriter GENE LOUIS, is still as raucous, energetic and melodic as ever. The new music will punch you in the face and kick you in the nuts at the same time. Just good time hard rock n roll delivered with a punk snarl.” – UVT ENTERTAINMENT / BULLETS AND OCTANE

BULLETS AND OCTANE has consistently pushed the boundaries of rock music, earning them a dedicated global fanbase. “Space Lord Symphony” is a testament to the band’s evolution and their commitment to delivering fresh, innovative music.

The single is now available on all major streaming platforms, and the music video can be viewed on the band’s official YouTube channel.

Pre Order Here

Episode 14 The Podcast

Episode 14 The Podcast

The latest edition of the podcast brings a bunch of banging tunes from some of our favourite new, old, borrowed and blue albums. With exciting new tracks from Sami Yaffa, the Tony Slug Experience, Gagbags and T.S.O.L to name a few, as well as some fantastic covers from Then Comes Silence and The Hillbilly Moon Explosion.

The pair of neirdowells take you on a journey through some of the bands making the world a much better place

Then Comes Silence Signs To Metropolis Records and announce new ‘Trickery’ Album

Then Comes Silence Signs To Metropolis Records and announce new ‘Trickery’ Album

Iconic US-based label Metropolis Records is excited to announce the signing of beguiling Swedish post-punk outfit Then Comes Silence for the release of their seventh album, titled ‘Trickery’. This record celebrates friendship, unity and belonging to a group – your tribe. The first single – ‘Ride or Die’, which has already emerged in Germany’s authoritative DAC Charts, will be released on March 1.

“Metropolis Records is thrilled to announce the return of Then Comes Silence.  The new album “Trickery” will be the band’s first worldwide release with us. It’s a fantastic album and we are excited to get to share it with you. It’s a refinement of the band’s signature sound, a focused distillation of everything TCS has released to date. Metropolis will be releasing the first single from the record, ‘Ride or Die’ on March 1st,” says Jim Smith of Metropolis Records.

Hailing from Stockholm, Then Comes Silence was founded by Alex Svenson in 2012, originally inspired by frequent touring with A Place To Bury Strangers and an attraction to horror and the occult. Today he is joined by drummer Jonas Fransson and Hugo Zombie (Los Carniceros del Norte) on guitar.

“For this forthcoming album ‘Trickery’, we had a change of deal and went full member of the Metropolis Records family. We are ready to embrace the crowd again with our heart and can’t wait to get the album out,” says frontman Alex Svenson.

Recorded by Jörgen Wall (Jay-Jay Johanson, The Hellacopters) over three days at Stockholm’s Kapsylen Studio and mixed by Tom van Heesch (Rammstein, Apocalyptica, Backyard Babies), this album was mastered by Svante Forsbäck / Chartmakers (Rammstein, Amaranthe, Ville Valo, The Rasmus, Apocalyptica).

These sessions capture the heart and essence of rock. With electronic elements being essential to the new recordings, ‘Trickery’ is also a salute to punk music, to which Then Comes Silence traces their roots.

After debuting with their eponymous album in 2012, Then Comes Silence put out two more albums before releasing ‘Blood’ via Nuclear Blast in 2016. Their subsequent ‘Machine’ album was jointly released via Oblivion/SPV and Metropolis Records in 2020.

Then Comes Silence unexpectedly became a three-piece just ahead of their 2022 US tour, then setting out to answer the question “could they continue with only three members”? Proving to work well, the band transformed into a trio, their metamorphosis leading to a different way of creating music and performing live.

Then Comes Silence has toured and played live with The Fields of the Nephilim, The Chameleons, A Place To Bury Strangers and most recently with The Bellwether Syndicate and Vision Video. With many festivals to their name, highlights include M’era Luna, Wave Gotik Treffen, Amphi Festival, Castle Party and W-Festival.

The ‘Ride or Die’ single will be unleashed digitally everywhere on March 1. The full ‘Trickery’ album will be released on vinyl and CD, as well as digitally, on April 5. In March and April, Then Comes Silence will be touring North America extensively with Vision Video.

Keep up with Then Comes Silence
Website | Bandcamp | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok | Apple Music | Spotify

‘Ride or Die’ single pre-save  https://ingrv.es/ride-or-die-qgn-r
‘Trickery’ album pre-order  https://thencomessilence.bandcamp.com/album/trickery
Album pre-save  https://ingrv.es/trickery-fqf-x
Tour tickets  https://linktr.ee/tcsontour

Various Artists – ‘All Systems Go – The Neat Singles Volume 1’ (HNE Recordings/Cherry Red Records)

Various Artists – ‘All Systems Go – The Neat Singles Volume 1’ (HNE Recordings/Cherry Red Records)

One of the most fascinating books you are ever likely to pick up regarding the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (or NWOBHM) is John Tucker’s fact packed “Neat & Tidy – The Story of Neat Records”.  Granted it might just focus on the evolution of one of the scene’s many influential players during the dawn of the 1980s, but what a player Neat Records were. The Northeast of England based label provides us denim and leather clad rockers both here in the UK and worldwide early exposure to such seminal names as Tygers of Pan Tang, Venom, Raven, Tobruk, and err Crucifixion, all supported by their groundbreaking (for the time) mail order business.

It’s perhaps no surprise then that HNE Recordings have asked Tucker to not only annotate but also compile this outstanding 4CD salute to the label, ‘All Systems Go – The Neat Singles Volume 1’.

Kicking off with Tygers Of Pan Tang’s 1979 debut ‘Don’t Touch Me There’, and taking us through to Venom’s mighty ‘Warhead’, released in 1984, this set takes in the 37 singles label boss (and studio owner) David Wood’s unleashed on the world during that timeframe (he also released 20+ albums in the same period). Which is an incredible amount of new music from an independent record label, and one that earned Neat Records the tagline of ‘Allegedly Britain’s No.1 Independent Heavy Metal Label’.

My first experience of the label came via a then mate of mine who had picked up a copy of Venom’s classic debut ‘Welcome To Hell’ upon its release back in 1981, which promptly confused the fuck out of us teenage rockers all crammed into his bedroom trying to get our heads around, and not really getting to grips with, just how much of a landmark recording that album actually was, and still is to this very day.

The likes of Tygers Of Pan Tang, White Spirit, and Fist – the first three NWOBHM bands to release singles via Neat (and all captured back to back here as the introduction to the set’s first CD) – had already been snapped up by MCA by this time, so for us, we were immediately playing catch up via records by like likes of Raven, Blitzkrieg, and of course from the very depths of hell, the mighty Venom.  

It’s the lesser-known bands such as (the surprisingly very good, and Celtic Frost approved) Aragorn, Bitches Sin, and Raw Deal (again, all captured on the set’s first CD) that have me taking that same voyage of discovery all over again, albeit four decades on. Plus, as this set progresses it also throws up such other lesser known names (well they were to me anyway) as Steel (who somehow manage to blend Maiden riffs with KISS-like melodies and are fronted by a Jon Deverill wannabe), Valhalla, and the aforementioned Crucifixion, so there’s plenty to get stuck into within this set even if you consider yourself to be something of a die-hard (see what I did there?) fan of Neat Records.

If you have been around the NWOBHM block more than once or twice you may notice that this set is actually very similar to Sanctuary Records’ long since deleted ‘The Neat Singles Collection’ volumes one and two (both of which command an eye watering price on online auction sites right now), however, what this set does that those didn’t, is run the singles’ A and B Sides concurrently, so you’re not having to flip CDs or create playlists simply to play all of Venom’s ‘Warhead’ for example (sadly though the 12” extended version of ‘Warhead’ is once again missing here), plus with ‘All Systems Go – The Neat Singles Volume 1’ you also have a  glorious 20-page booklet with John Tucker’s excellent sleeve notes expanded to forensic levels to completely fill in any knowledge gaps you might have regarding the releases.

If you were too young to experience the NWOBHM first time around, this 82-track collection (which hits the shops on 16th February 2024) is as fine a place as any to visit to inspire you to construct your first denim cut-off, or perhaps step out wearing a bullet belt or studded gauntlet, whilst for those of us with slightly more faded denim cut-offs (that no longer fit us) this is a most welcome trip down memory lane, one that stinks of fags, patchouli oil, Newcastle Brown and is the very birthplace of Black Metal.  

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Author: Johnny ‘Double Denim’ Hayward

Motorhead – ‘The Lost Tapes: The Collection (Vol. 1 – 5)’ (BMG)

Motorhead – ‘The Lost Tapes: The Collection (Vol. 1 – 5)’ (BMG)

What’s that you say? More posthumous live material from Motorhead? Do we really need that? Of course, you do! It’s fuckin’ Motorhead!! And there WERE rock and roll!

This collection consists of decades of shows from Motorhead’s long and illustrious career. The Lost Tapes have been coming at us in dribs and drabs over the last few years and this lovely box set has added the latest set from the Download Festival in 2008 to complete the collection… There may be more, who knows? I’m sure there’s plenty more live material floating around.

The first blistering set is from Madrid in 1995, it’s a varied set with a few gems such as Dog Faced Boy and Over Your Shoulder from the Sacrifice album that they were touring at the time. We even get a cover the Hawkwind classic Silver Machine that sounds great given the Motorhead treatment. Phil Campbell & his Bastard Sons still play Silver Machine to this day. There are 24 tracks here, granted, 2 of those are drum and bass solos but that’s fantastic value for money.

From Madrid we head to Norwich for the next batch of Motorhead madness. This set dates to 1998 and we get another quality set from Lemmy and the lads. All the standards are here including Iron Fist, Overkill, Ace of Spades, Killed by Death, as well as few numbers including Civil War and the title track from the Overnight Sensation album.

Next up, we head into the millennium with a show at the KB Hallen in Malmo, Sweden dated November 2000. Opening with We Are Motorhead, which was a mainstay in their set from this time onwards until Lemmy sadly passed away in 2015, the band delivered another noise-ridden cacophony littered with classics as well as their brilliant cover of the Sex Pistols God Save the Queen.

We go all the way to 1984 for the next disc of greasy goodness with a show from Heilbronn, Germany. Great to hear Nothing Up My Sleeve and Steal Your Face getting an airing here. The amount of material that Motorhead amassed over the years is incredible. We also get a turbocharged version of Ace of Spades; this is probably the fastest version of that song I’ve ever heard! Full on thrash pace!

Lastly, we get the set from Download in 2008. Opener Doctor Rock kicks the proceedings off with style, we have another full-on set of classics including In the Name of Tragedy, Metropolis, Going To Brazil, and a fantastic version of Overkill with ex-guitarist Wurzel putting in a guest appearance.

This box set gives you plenty of bang for your buck with 8 CDs chock a block full of Motorhead mayhem. It really is a must for any true Motorheadbangers collection. That’s the way I like it, baby!

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Author: Kenny Kendrick

J Mascis – ‘What Do We Do Now’ (Sub Pop Records)

J Mascis – ‘What Do We Do Now’ (Sub Pop Records)

Better known for his band Dinosaur Jr and his style of guitar-slinging mixed with his part croaky part winey vocal style he is often seen as the ultimate slacker with his long gray hair and quiet soft demeanor Mascis also has a solo career mainly steeped in acoustic folk rock style mixed with his searing solos often the two are inseparable and I dunno why one is his name whilst the other is Dinosaur Jr maybe it’s one of those things like chicken or the egg dilemmas.

On ‘What Do We Do Now’ you are greeted on entry by the upbeat ‘Can’t Believe We’re Here’ with its big acoustic chords and vibrant drum punches on what can only be described as classic Mascis. I love the body-swaying melodies and the middle eight where we drift off toward one of his trademark fuzzed-up solos that just soars. The title track offers more of the acoustic guitar being the lead instrument over the stripped-back band approach. J is joined on by keyboards by Ken Mauri of The B52s, and steel guitar by Canadian psych/folk/experimental musician Matthew ‘Doc’ Dunn and after only a few plays this is his brightest and most solid set of solo songs I’ve heard on first impressions. Five solo records in and this is instantly gratifying. On finishing the first couple of run-throughs from one to ten I feel refreshed and uplifted with the overall feel of this record. ‘Right Behind You’ is a joy. The format is solid and pretty much runs throughout the album with ‘I Can’t Find You’ being led by a bright piano and guitar in the intro with a twisting melody through the verse that takes the song somewhere different from what’s come before it and that’s the slight variety but the quality is front and center in all the songs on the record.

Halfway in and the strongest track in my humble opinion is ‘It’s True’ It’s like he is channeling his inner Neil Young and the groovy ‘Set Me Down’ follows like something the alt-country bands will swoon over. It’s Wilco meets Jesse Malin but totally J Mascis. I love that the format of Acoustic Guitars, Keys, Bass and basic drums have been the cornerstone throughout the record with the occasional fuzz solo and organ adding texture here and there making for a mellow yet really uplifting hopeful album and fans of MAscis will be delighted with what’s on offer and the fact he’s touring this is exciting I only hope I can get to hear these live that would complete ‘What Do We Do Now’ for me.

We’re only just breaking into February and I’ve heard some amazing records and J Mascis has certainly delivered one of them with this gentle offering compared to the full-force fuzz of his day job this is the perfect yang to the Dinosaur Ying. Beautiful record, Perfect for a wet rainy day just looking out the window as the world drifts by with the stereo turned up and a hot drink in your hand that’s what we do now. Buy it!

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Author: Dom Daley

Middlenight Men – ‘Issue #2’ set for April release.

Middlenight Men – ‘Issue #2’ set for April release.

The Middlenight Men announce new album ‘Issue #2’ to be released April 12th via Middlenight Records

Pre-order the album HERE:

Album launch show confirmed May 3rd at the London Camden Underworld – Tickets HERE: 

Although The Middlenight Men first came to life in 2019, singer and guitarist Nick Hughes has a long and rich history in music. Having attended Bretton Hall College in 2000 to study music, he formed a bond with drummer Leon Cave (who went on to join Status Quo as their full-time drummer in 2013), and the pair went on to play in many bands together throughout the early 2000s, before going their separate ways only for Nick to rejoin Leon in the band Crane Brothers in 2007. There has rarely been a break in twenty years where these two haven’t been in a project together since.

Nick then met producer Andy Brook (who has produced, engineered, and toured with the like of Status Quo, Ginger Wildheart, Wonk Unit, Role Models and Hayseed Dixie etc) upon joining the soho based power pop band The Role Models in 2015 and quickly a friendship was formed. Collaborations with the Danny McCormack led-UK rockers The Yo-Yos and Terrorvision (Nick has been a full-time touring member for the last eight years) soon followed, but after years of being told to write his own album, Nick finally found the inspiration when out on a South American tour with Duncan Reid and the Bigheads (featuring Duncan ‘Kid’ Reid of ’77 power-pop band The Boys). During a three-day stint in Buenos Aires, with no ability to speak the language, Nick found himself being driven to parties in the middle of nowhere and struggling to find his way from gig to gig. Out of this experience came The Middlenight Men…

The first Middlenight Men album ‘Issue #1’ was recorded with Leon and Andy at the end of 2019 and arrived in 2021, making an instant impression with its huge pop-rock licks and infectious melodies. Fast forward a global pandemic, and the last two years and The Middlenight Men are set to return with ‘Issue #2’, a second batch of songs with a heavyweight backbone, gelled perfectly with Nick’s unmistakable pop sensibilities. It features Leon Cave on drums once again and was produced largely by renowned producer Jason Perry, formally of Brit-rockers A.

Today we get to hear the first taste of ‘Issue #2’ in new single ‘The Middlenight Men Theme’, an irresistible song with an accompanying video that sees the band take a nostalgic look back at life in the 1990s, dreaming of starting a band.

“The Middlenight Men is somewhat of a cartoon band, and doesn’t every cartoon need a kickass theme tune? I’d always loved classic tv tunes accompanying animated series or old school 80s super-hero movies that had a bit of a rock edge,” explains Nick. “Even “the red car and the blue car had a race” from the milky way ads made a music appearance in one of our Issue 2 songs and then you looked at things like bananaman and turtles. It all [fucking] grooves. Plus, if they ever get picked up for sync, I’m one step closer to the guitar shaped swimming pool, huh? So, I decided I had to write my own. It just seems to be an apt song to say “HEY, We’re back, and we’re coming for you!”

Why The Middlenight Men? The Middlenight Men not only represents the thoughts that invade our dreams in the night, but it also signifies the philosophy of the band and all its collaborators. The band is greater than the sum of its parts. It’s the Marvel Avengers of the rock and roll world.

‘Issue #2’ is released April 12th via Middlenight Records and available to pre-order HERE:

Album launch gig confirmed for May 3rd at the Camden Underworld in London. Tickets HERE:

Brigata Vendetta – ‘This Is How Democracy Dies’ (Pirates Press Records)

Brigata Vendetta – ‘This Is How Democracy Dies’ (Pirates Press Records)

Brigata Vendetta are a new band to be reckoned with in the famed Bay Area punk rock scene, but the three members are anything but newcomers! Frontman & bassist Darrel Wojick and guitarist Mike Caputo will be familiar due to their involvement with Harrington Saints – well, they are joined by Bum City Saints drummer Brian Zobel. Those familiar with the Harrington Saints won’t be disappointed when the needle drops on Brigata Vendetta rather they’ll be suitably impressed and thoroughly pleased with this offering.

‘This is How Democracy Dies’ is the debut LP on Pirates Press Records. It’s 13 songs of smarting rapid uncompromising hardcore punk rock and boy does it get the blood pumping. Written over the course of 3 months and recorded in workmanlike marathon sessions at Oakland’s Sharkbite Studios in a single weekend, with frequent Harrington Saints collaborator Scott McChane manning the board it sounds like it was a band on a mission bristling with energy and ideas and finding the vehicle to let it all out. It’s like being hit in the face with an anvil but enjoying it so much you want to do it again.

What began as a side project for Darrel and Mike became their prime focus after Harrington Saints went their separate ways, and despite their familiarity playing together, the new band brings with it fresh sounds and fresh perspectives. Make no mistake this is punk as fuck and as hardcore as the likes of Bloodclot or any of the Agnostic Fronts of this world. Park The Saints and Suede Razors this is fuckin’ brutal and in your face. The likes of ‘1000 Cuts’ or the epic ‘Nothing Left’ would give a raging Lemmy a run for his money at his most aggressive best.

Straight from the get-go ‘Get The Spirit’ is the battle cry and a howling good time thereafter. Rapid and galloping but the guitar breaks are superb. It all makes for a really exciting record that doesn’t stop from the opener right through to the closing punch of ‘Greenies’ Which opens with the most filthy bass riff and sound I’ve heard in ages. Wham bang thank you man. This shit is on Fire and I love it.

If OFF! or the likes of MDC light a fire in your heart then this is for you. ‘Tempers Flare’ sounds like a band who just discovered Bloodclot and AC/DC and wrote a song including the two beasts. This record is relentless in its quality and delivery ‘Bodies’ is punishing and before we’re done ‘Into The Ground’ will leave you buried under an avalanche of noise that is hard as nails, heavy as hell but fuck me sideways it sounds good, no sounds fantastic! They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Brigata Vendetta completely dispels that myth because ‘This Is How Democracy Dies’ is an absolute Banger! Buy It!

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The Wildhearts announce a special London Show

The Wildhearts announce a special London Show

The Wildhearts are proud to announce they will be headlining O2 Shepherds Bush Empire, London, on June 6th. 

“Join me, Jon Poole, Ben Marsden and Pontus Snibb for a world exclusive show, for which I promise you the biggest production the Wildhearts have ever put on. We couldn’t have got this far without the loyalty and support of you, The Wildhearts community. Come and celebrate the new beginning with us”. Ginger Wildheart.

For three decades The Wildhearts have remained at the forefront of the rock scene, and their incendiary shows have cemented their reputation and legacy as one of the best bands the UK has ever produced, so miss this show at your peril.

Tickets for the O2 Shepherds Bush Empire show go on general sale at 10am Friday 26th January and can be ordered here: https://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/event/3E006037A54F0E93

The Boatsmen – ‘Hard Livin’ (Ghost Highway Records)

The Boatsmen – ‘Hard Livin’ (Ghost Highway Records)

Regarded as something of old hands at this Hard Rockin nonsense The Boatsman have gotten to album number four and ‘Hard Livin’ is exactly where I’d hoped they’d be. They’ve always turned in decent tunes and were working hard at wearing in these guitars and being the best they could be in a crowded field and on ‘Hard Livin’ my goodness I think they’ve blasted off into the next league up. This is big boys hard rock and these four hairy fuckers have absolutely nailed it.

Sure they’re not sailing far from the mother ship Action Rock but they’re armed to the teeth with better tunes and a more confident sound than ever before and like their Scandi neighbours Scumbag Millionaires they’ve upped their game noticeably and written better songs than ever before. Yes, it’s a lovely mixture of Motorhead, Turbonegro, Thin Lizzy, AC/DC, MC5, and a few snotty punk bands that they’ve cut their cloth trying to be as good as, and once the needle drops and the big entry of ‘Livin’ On Lust’ is off like a stray rocket. The thrashing of the riff is wild and reckless and I love that shit. It’s tight and set for maximum excitement and that’s the way to open your album, set your stall out get off to a fuckin’ flyer whatever superlative you like it’s a belter and the solo just kills.

If you think it’s a one-off buckle up mother fuckers because the gonzo punk rock of ‘I Wanna Clone’ is frantic and heading straight for the bull’s eye. ‘Why Wait’ is the first video off the album and sounding like The Hives feasting on a heavy diet of Hard Rock and Ramones melodies is a decent place to start full stop. It’s a decent representation of what the album sounds like but it’s not the best song on the album no sir. Nor is the rapid foot to the floor of ‘Foggy Man’ it’s like the European bastard son of The Hip Priests. ‘Take Me’ is riff after mother fuckin riff and cool as wearing a pair of aviators whilst cruising down the freeway in a Cadillac cabriolet with a bevy of beautiful babes in the back laughing at all your dad jokes.

The title track is like the Four Horsemen have just called you out and handed you a battle jacket and you need to go out and get stuck in for the team. It is a complete record and one that has plenty of exciting riffs and ideas within the songs and boundless energy all tied in with plenty of melody. The Boatsmen have landed and ‘Hard Livin’ is one hell of an album. Buy it!

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Author: Dom Daley