8 incredible tracks you need in your life – September 2016

September has been a massive month for album releases, with albums by Twin Atlantic, A Day To Remember, Young Guns, Of Mice & Men and Against Me! already out, and records by Slaves and Yellowcard are due out tomorrow.  Has the market for singles been just as good?  Today I take a look back at the best singles of September.

Frank Carter And The Rattlesnakes – Lullaby

This fantastic track was accompanied by news of the band’s next album, due out next January.  Lullaby is a great indicator for things to come.

Kings Of Leon – Waste A Moment

The Tennessee rock band are back with another lighthearted track, with indie and country influences similar in tone to their previous album, Mechanical Bull.  

Taking Back Sunday – Death Wolf

Following a slow-burning introduction with cute synthy elements which are replicated throughout the track, punk-rockers Taking Back Sunday have released a fab new song from their recent album, Tidal Wave.

Sum 41 – God Save Us All (Death To POP)

Sum 41 have well and truly stuck their middle finger up in the direction of mainstream popular music with this track and music video.  Whilst I don’t think pop music is the great evil it’s sometimes portrayed as by alternative bands, you can’t deny that this single is a banger.

Green Day – Still Breathing

The latest track from the upcoming Green Day album Revolution Radio is here, and it’s a slower, more reflective track with an explosive high-impact chorus.  I reckon this track will be the 21 Guns of the new record.

Twenty One Pilots – Cancer (Cover of My Chemical Romance)

Rock Sound recently released a covers album celebrating 10 years since the release of My Chemical Romance’s The Black Parade. I honestly thought most of the covers were terrible, but Twenty One Pilots took an iconic, much loved track and made it 100 per cent their own.

Slaves ft. Mike D. – Consume Or Be Consumed

The latest Slaves single is everything I hoped it would be: loud unapologetic punk with brilliant tongue-in-cheek lyrics and a chorus which will be very easy to headbang along to.  The feature by Mike D. fits perfectly within the track.

Memphis May Fire ft. Jacoby Shaddix – This Light I Hold

Papa Roach’s vocalist Jacoby makes a brilliant addition to Memphis May Fire’s usual brand of religious-themed metalcore. His and Matty’s vocals work extremely well together, and whilst I wasn’t hugely excited for new Memphis May Fire music before, I am now.

What do you think of these tracks? Are there any singles I missed off this list? Let me know on my Facebook or Twitter page, or in the comment section below this post.

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Review: Memphis May Fire, KOKO London

Anyone who follows me on Twitter or who’s read this blog will know how obsessed I am with Memphis May Fire at the moment.  I reviewed their latest album, Unconditional, about a month after I picked up tickets to see them play at London’s KOKO, and all that did was fuel my excitement even further.

Before the gig I headed to Drop Dead, as the band were holding a signing.  Unfortunately I don’t have any photographs of the signing itself, but check out the Challenger booklet the band signed for me!  They were lovely guys too; if you ever get the opportunity to meet the band, then please take it.

Of course Matty signed his name right over the album artwork. Of course.

I may have queued for an hour and a half to get into the signing, but it was so worth it.

After the signing I ate some dinner and then headed to Camden.  The issue with this was that I ended up at the back of the queue, meaning by the time we got into the venue the opening act, Cytota, was already nearly finished.  I wasn’t too sad about that, though; from what I heard, I didn’t rate them very highly.

The next support act was FACT, and to be honest, I’m not sure what to think about these guys.  I could hardly hear the vocals and lyrics over the music, which could have been down to mixing issues, but either way it made the set difficult to enjoy.

Then came The Word Alive.  I really enjoyed these guys.  They had a lot of energy, and their sound is right up my street.  I’ll definitely be buying their next album, Real, out in September.

And then, Memphis May Fire took to the stage.  These guys were absolutely awesome.  Matty’s vocals were clean, and the band’s overall performance was polished and well-rehearsed.

Their best songs were probably Be Careful What You Wish For, The Rose and Prove Me Right; the entire crowd was jumping and full of energy.

My highlight of the night, however, was their performance of Miles Away.  Matty’s vocals were enchanting, and when the entire crowd joined together to sing Kellin Quinn’s section the atmosphere was amazing.

Their encore of Prove Me Right and Legacy was the perfect way to end the night on a high note.  I had high expectations for this gig, and I definitely wasn’t disappointed.

Currently listening to: Alive In The Lights – Memphis May Fire

Review: Unconditional

Photo Credit: Derrick Austinson Photog via Compfight cc

My favourite Texan metalcore band – Memphis May Fire – dropped their latest album Unconditional yesterday and, to be honest, I was already in love with it halfway into the first track, No Ordinary Love.

Anyone who follows me on Twitter will know that I’ve been excited for this album for a long time.  MMF’s previous album, Challenger, is up there as one of my favourite albums to ever album.  It had plenty of commercial success too, entering the Billboard Charts at number 16, and if Unconditional isn’t just as successful I’ll probably get angry and start punching things.

In this interview, the band said their next album would be more mature, and I have to say, I think they’ve pulled it off.  Whilst every song is laced with the pure passion and talent synonymous with MMF, lyrically this album is far more mature.

Whilst Memphis May Fire have retained their signature sound, they’ve really refined it into a more polished package.  I definitely can’t wait to see them play London KOKO in April now, as if I wasn’t already ridiculously excited.

This album has been highly anticipated for months now, and to anyone who thought Unconditional was over-hyped?  You’re so, so wrong.

Highlights of the album: No Ordinary Love, Possibilities, The Rose