Architects - Daybreak ( 2012 ) Review

Architects have been around the Uk scene for what seems like forever now, despite them still been a relatively new and young band. "Daybreaker," is the bands 5th full length release.The five-some hailing from Brighton have been a breath of fresh hair and one of the pioneers of fresh talent of technical metal within The UK, and have gained a creditable fan base not just in the UK, but around the world.

However that was then, and this is now. With the release of the much criticised previous album "The Here And Now," which resulted in Architects trading in there progressive edge, for a more commercialised post hardcore sound, think of a B rated version of Alexisonfire. The album received a contrasting reviews. majority of Architects fans, myself included who have been following the band since the early days disliked the bands evolution, and felt they have forgotten about their roots. Im all for bands changing and evolving there sound, however to put it bleakly "The Here And Now," was a bag of grade A monkey crap. Whilst there were those who loved the new sound,  and they did gain more mainstream recognition and reached out to a new audience it felt like they have forgotten about there former success, without been biased I am a fan of Post Hardcore bands such as like mentioned Alexisonfire and Funeral For A Friend, so its not bitter because they changed there sound, it just doesn't suit hem.

So we are now left with "Daybreaker," the bands 5th album and follow up to "The Here And now." The one question remains will they return to there roots or progress to an even more commercialised sound. The answer is neither, Ill give them credit it is not as commercialised however it falls even further away from there roots. I'm really not sure what direction they were heading. "Daybreak," has a very atmospheric feel with plenty of mellow aspects attempting to build up emotion,  mixing that up with some hardcore progressive aspects. It almost feels like there trying to hard to be a more metal commercialised version of bands like "La Dispute," and "Touche Amore," which dosent work, Architects are at there best when there full of raw aggression and edgy progressive rhythm.  To me it feels like there trying to hard to cater for all there fans and finding a right formula to keep both the new sets of fans and the oldies happy. Whilst at the same time abandoning them as it is really not aimed at either,  On the first few listens its not a bad record and you think hey, maybe this is a grower. Of which it soon turns dull and into a complete snoozefest and its just boring. The only aspect that really stands out on the album is when Sam Carter shouts "You Fucking Pigs," thats the only thing I can record that reaches to me. It will be worthless to individually talk about some of the songs as going through the track list now I can't remember anything interesting about them. Apparently "Oli Sykes," provides guest vocals, such is how disappointing and bland the album is I didn't even noticed.Its not an awful album, its just not good  which is a shame as Architects used to be a brilliant band but maybe they have been a downfall of there own success.

Overall I would not recommend "Daybreaker," to anyone unless you are a diehard "Architects," fan then you may enjoy it. If your new to the band or don't want there legacy to be ruined then stick to "Hollow Crown," "Ruin," and "Nightmares."

Similar Artists: Bring Me The Horizon, While She Sleeps, Your Demise, The Ghost Inside

4/10

NFL In London, Is It A Benefit ?

This week London hosts the NFL encounter between the ST Louis Rams and the New England Patriots, and let me first say this is not your friendly pre season match. This is a scheduled fixture which  will count towards the end of season playoffs. You must see it as pretty weird as to why London is the host of a game that is the number 1 sport in USA and is only played professionally within the boundaries. Yes there has been rumours of a franchise moving to Canada but that is yet to materialise, even rumours of UK hosting the Super Bowl.

To the NFL franchise's  they see it as a way of branching out and attracting new customers. NFL in the UK is very popular and they are many semi pro teams around the land. A debatable question would be could the UK ever have have its own franchise, I'm not sure as to the rules and stipulations as to whether this would even be possible but theres no reasons to suggest why this concept would be nothing less than a success. Every NFL game the UK has hosted has sold out within no time at all, and due to such a high demand the NFL commissioners have announced the UK will host 2 games next year. As to whether London will be the host for both dates I'm not sure if its been confirmed but in all probability seems very likely. The ever increase of jerseys been wore in the general public has increased. Ive witnessed everything from Tampa Bay Buccaneers Jerseys, Pittsburgh Steelers snapbacks and most recently came across a Tom Brady Jersey. This is evident enough that hosting games in UK are not just having a beneficial impact towards the teams that compete, but the whole NFL as people are becoming more interested in the game and selecting there favourite teams providing more retail sales for franchises. The Uk has begun to get more TV rights to show the games, with most recently BBC showing the Monday Night Football live on the red button. Channel 4 show the late game on the Sunday / monday morning and Sky have excellent coverage of all the games. Just displaying the ever increasing popularity of the sport over here.

With the benefits, there is also a negative point of perspective. For all the american fans of the teams that are participating in the London game they are loosing out of a game. In this case ST Louis Rams are the home team. So fans of the Rams in the USA are the ones who will suffer from seeing a potential home fixture moved from the calendar. Patriots are also one of the top NFL teams at the moment and one of the biggest rivalries within the whole division so would have been a very attractive game of football, and no doubt would have been a sell out. majority of Fans of all teams have a negative view on the concept of London hosting NFL. Of which they believe it should be kept american, and if there was to be NFL in foreign countries it should be kept to exhibition matches, its a valid point as it compromises all angles. No doubt the game would still sell out but there is nothing like a competitive match to attract viewers. Other american sports such as Ice Hockey and Basketball travel to europe regular in pre season to hold exhibition matches but NFL is the only one to cater for a competitive match ups. Its not like these franchises are struggling for fan bases.  Obviously some teams have bigger demand but compared to british football where we have 90 plus teams. The NfL is compromised to a league of 32 of which some states have a population of up to 32 million.  Missouri which is the state where ST Louis originates from has a population of around 9 million, so in comparison its the equivalent of there only been 1 team to follow in London, so the fan base is there for most teams, its just about branching out to another market.

There was a debate years ago as to the primieship holding league games in foreign countries, not just america but worldwide from UAE to Australia, which received ultimately negative press. I believe this was performed in the same concept as the NFL matches coming here. Though one valid point was that Soccer is a worldwide sport played professionally whereas NFL is not so there is more opportunity for franchises to expand there business, not just in the UK, but worldwide. Whats more staggering is season calendar in NFL is a lot shorter, where here fans of the premiership are guaranteed 19 home fixtures, and the football league's 23. NFL have less than 10 home games. OK you can't get season tickets in America so your not loosing out there but you can understand the potential rage of some of the fans by having there opportunity to see the team they support cut.

Overall its a great for us fans from the UK, but you can understand the american fans opinion as I wouldn't like it if my soccer team played matches abroad. But from a business point of view it can only be positive as they increasing the infrustructure around the franchise and its a new experience for the team to play a game in Wembley Stadium, which has a bigger capacity then all the NFL stadiums in America. Though I believe the fans must come first, and there will always be more dedicated fans within your home region thats why I wouldn't oppose to it been changed to exhibition games.

Lostprophets - Weapons ( 2012 )

Weapons is the 5th full length release by Welsh Rockers Lostprophets.  Over the course of the past decade have arguably been one of the most successful british rock bands. There sound within recent years has toned down from that of a Nu Metal approach to more of a Anthem Rock feel, there popularity within recent years has dipped ever since the release of "Liberation Transmission," there most successful album to date. Will Weapons bring them back to media attention or seem them plummet further down the scale ?

In quick response the answer is no to both questions. Weapons is not a bad album by any stretch of the imagination but it just feels to safe. It takes their previous album "The Betrayed," Strips it down, releases all the fun elements and this is what you are left with. A very straightforward record with no element of surprise or fun. Whatever happened to the days of "Start Something," and even "Liberation Transmission," both great albums for there own rights. Songs like "Burn Burn," and "Rooftops," which helped capture there fame seem to have been vanished into oblivion. Bands like "Young Guns," in particular are doing what Lostprophets are doing now, but in a much better vein and killer appeal. Lostprophets are much better suited to a heavier and uplifting record and one can only hopes they return to there former glory.

Weapons does have its good moments, especially the single record "If you bring a gun, we will bring an arsenal," which explores what Prophets do best and on paper is one of there heaviest anthems since there more mellow approach. Its catchy with strong melodies and great sing a longs.  On par with the rest of the album this stands out by a mile. On the whole its actually there heaviest record since "Start Something," but they have compromised all the fun elements which made them great. Like mentioned previously its staggering to think that bands which grew up listening and been influenced by Lostprophets such as I mentioned Young Guns, well the tides have turned and it seems like the other way round which in its own way is admirable and a credit to the new wave of british rock.

Returning back to my question, thanks to there huge back catalogue and huge success in past times Lostprophets are a band to stay but will they ever reach the heights of headlining festivals such as Download again. I have my huge doubts. If your a big Lostprophets fan no doubt you will enjoy Weapons. However give me both "Young Guns," and "Kids In Glass Houses," latest releases any day, which can only be a credit and a huge compliment to the british music scene.

Similar Artists: Young Guns, The Blackout, Kids In Glass Houses, Don Broco

5/10

Sonic Boom Six - Self Titled ( 2012 )

Manchester band Sonic Boom Six have returned for there fourth album, They haver never been easy to pin down to genre having taking influence from a variety of music from Bad Brains to The streets. They combine punk Elements with Ska and even reggae. Such is the diversity of the band they have been gaining a cult following throughout the punk and underground scene through there impressive live shows, brilliant music and a political interest in wanting to challenge britain and on the whole uplifting lyrics.

With the release of the self titled album, it is easy to tell that the band has evolved, but for the better I'm not sure. Sonic Boom Six have always been a band a band influenced electronically. However the self titled feels heavily produced, aruably overproduced with the amount of synth and electronic beats. It almost feels like a punk version of Pendulum, and to me just feels against what the band is about. Sonic Boom Six is better suited towards gritty music full of raw aggression, which conflicts better towards the message they are trying to get across both vocally and musically. Im all for bands evolving and challenging themselves but it feels like a step back for those who have been a fan of there previous music. Will this gain them more mainstream attention, its hard to tell though with the amount of crossover acts that are becoming ever increasing with bands combining metal with dub step and other contrasting genres, then you will probably have to say yes.

The thing is the self titled is not a bad album, there are some brilliant moments on the record. "For The Kids Of The Multi-culture," is a great introduction to the album and in Sonic Boom Six fashion contains some really intriguing lyrics and addresses positive points about been a Multi-Cultured country and learning of each other and getting on in society as well as the evolution of times from the past. Musically its a great introduction with great powerful riffs and a great beat to dance your rockers off to.

"Virus," will also be a fan favourite and will really come into its own at live shows. Despite suffering the "single," treatment it is still the strongest song on the record. Lyrically the song is great and inspiring as you would expect by now. The intro is incredible as it starts you off getting pumped into when leila's vocals kickstart. "Virus," is just a great dance rock anthem full of great moments including the breakdown to "we have the virus," just great and clever song writing. They really choose the right song to release as the single and video.

Throughout the album the diversity of the album shines through. a lot of the album has a heavy dub feel   as you would expect though that does not mean they have forgotten about what have made them a great  act in the underground scene. The album contains great heavy moments going with the horns, in typical Ska fashion combining with the electronic beat. The album is not at all repetitive and keeps you guessing after several listens. One can't doubt there creativity and intriguing song patterns.

"Keep On Believing," and "Karma Is A Bitch," are the other highlights on the record, especially "Keep On Believing," which contains great lyrics and one of the most catchiest chorus's. It almost has a Andrew WK vibe towards it, just fun party rock with encouraging lyrics.

Overall the Self Titled is a good record, however I still stand by my original points. If this was a new band the album would score much highly or my first listen to Sonic Boom Six. However having been a fan of the band for years and listened to all there records this is the weakest album. I"m still against the introduction of a more electronic influenced record as it devalues there morales for me though theres no denying its a fun record with its moments that will gain them more mainstream popularity, to Sonic Boom Six fans this album may be a bit like Marmite, you will either love it or hate it. having said that I fall in between. hate the bands direction but as to what they have become its worth acquiring.

Similar Artists : The King Blues, The Skints,  Capdown, Random Hand

7/10

Band Of The Week - Between The Buried And Me

Between The Buried And Me are a progressive metal band from Raleigh, North Carolina who have released 7 albums, including the recently released album The Parallax ll: Future Sequence which I am yet to listen too but can't wait to check it out.  Between The Buried And Me were founded in 2000. The bands nam came from lyrics of the Counting Crows song, " Ghost Train. " The band consist of 5 Members.

Between The Buried And Me have toured the world with many influential bands from the likes of Dream Theatre, Opeth, As I Lay Dying, The Dillinger Escape Plan and other many creditable acts. They have played a whole variety of festivals from Download to Soundwave and have played there own headline tour and are currently sharing the stage on a Co Headline tour with death metal giants Cannibal Corpse.

Between The Buried And Me have a very unique musical style, they have a wide range of musical influence, everything from Metallica to Radiohead and Slayer to Smashing Pumpkins. They primary play a death metal sound with growling vocals however there music consists of plenty of clean singing and experimental synth creating there own unique sound. With very interesting music patterns that don't follow a formula that require several listens for you to fully appreciate and understand the music and the structure of the song. It leaves you guessing which is what is brilliant about there music. Theres times when you think you are listening to a Radiohead or Sonic Youth. Such is there diverse music its truly mesmerising. I don't think theres one genre of music they don't draw influence from. Some describe it as a "clusterfuck," I describe it as beautiful unpredictable music fully of Pink Floyd influenced solos, gut crunching riffs and some amazing bass and drums swell as great synth which all complement each other. These guys are one of the most talented bands on the planet and have an incredible formula as to why they have such a cult following.

Similar Artists : Periphery, Protest The Hero, The Safety Fire, The Dillinger Escape Plan

Top 5 Songs

White Walls - Colours

Selekies, The Endless Obsession - Alaska

Ants Of The Sky - Colours

Swim To The Moon - The Great Misdirection

Mordecai - The Silent Circus 

Albums Rated

Colours - 9.5/10

Alaska - 9/10

The Great Misdirection - 8/10

The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues - 7.5/10

The Silent Circus - 7/10

Self Titled - 6/10

The Parallax II: Future Sequence - N/A

The new album released on October 9th, 2012.

Ryback Ready ?

Instead of reviewing this weeks Raw which once again was average at best, though saved by the usual candidates in CM Punk and Heyman, Team Hell No and thats about it, even Vince was below par. The most conversional moment of the night was when it was announced Ryback was to face CM Punk at Hell in A Cell. We all know the real reason to this is that John Cena is injured and is thankfully having time off, as much as I dislike the guy his commitment can not be faulted and he is in need of a long break to rest up and come back stronger.Whether this will actually happen I have my doubts as anything seems possible with the WWE so expect him to be involved in the match somehow whether it was special guest referee or even be involved to make it a triple threat, even if the later happened I would be in no shock.

The main talking point is that why Ryback ? a guy who only debuted back in April time, formally know as Skip Sheffield has been thrown into the title picture. Why not guys like Dolph Ziggler or cody Rhodes who are more established superstars who have more credibility and deserve a chance to prove there main event quality, Yes I know there both heel's like punk though especially Dolph, I can see him turning face quite soon and would have made a more interesting storyline what with him holding the smackdown money in the bank briefcase. But no they choose a guy who has only been involved in squash matches for the past months, and his biggest credibility is that he beat The Miz, a guy who has been on a backdown spiral for the past year and a half since loosing his title at Extreme Rules. Ryback's longest match is 5 minutes and has a very limited move set, so how are they expecting him all of a sudden to put on a 30 minute match on one of the biggest stages of them all, Hell In A Cell with the title up for grabs, theres a lot of risk involved though at the same time I do applaud the WWE to take such a gamble though they are in a bit of a pickle. Its pretty clear that Punk is going to retain the title though at the same time they need to keep Ryback creditable and keep up his undefeated streak so expect a very screwy ending once again from maybe interference from Brock Lesnor or Punk escaping the arena with the title.

Should they have used Ryback ? no but you can't deny the guy is over with the crowd and the chant of "feed me more," rock arenas. Though if your going to build stars maybe its the way to go and Ryback does have potential star credibility just I think its a gamble and its good to have a different match up though we all know where its going, punk will retain the title and set up Lesnor / Punk / Heyman vs Cena / Ryback / Vince at Survivor Series.

The Walking Dead (Season 3 Episode 1) Review

The Walking Dead finally returned to our screens this week for the much anticipated third season. Season two left off with the barn been over run with walkers which led for the gang to flea, not without its share of casualties and drama. With Andrea getting separated from the group, only to be saved by a mysterious character.  With the group in Harmony Rick Grimes ( Andrew Lincoln ) gave hints of a more serious and intense side to his character by suggesting the group does things his way and his way only, instead of previously been about compromise. Almost like he has evolved into Shane or feels guilt or reasoning as to why he should be a more serious group leader.

Episode three started of with the group going from house to house looking for a safe place to find shelter whilst out the same time looking for valuable resources such as food and water. The way the opening scenes were played without dialogue was a great way to start the season suggesting the amount of unease and anarchy within the group and the constant struggle they are in just to survive, whilst at the same time they are having to look after Lori Grimes ( Sarah Wayne Callies ) . Whom is expecting a baby, with the climax of who's the father and the suggestion of whether the baby will be infected.

The Group then come across a prison, that was overrun with walkers however the potential for finding a good base to set up camp led for them taking the walkers out and locking themselves within the grounds. They then spent the night suggesting ideas in which they could proceed with to make the best of the situation. This scene was a great example of how Rick is showing more and more authority and looking into the long term plan. He basically shut down the ideas such as digging a trench for the water to process within the prison boundaries, for then tell the group to go to sleep as we have a big day tomorrow. What he was suggesting was they search inside the prison for any useful resources such as ammo, food and improved shelter and safer conditions which he was right in a way. The rest of the group wanted to take rest for a couple of days displaying the divide in mentality, though Rick is right and demonstrating his leading attributes, by always looking to take advantage of the situations.

Not forgetting Andrea ( Laurie Holdon ) who has been separated by the group. You are introduced to the new character who still remains a bit of a unknown quality but her identity is revealed and you can tell she is a strong hearted warrior as she demonstrated her combat skills as she used her sword as she slated walkers for fun as she went in search of Aspirin. Whilst at the same time you can tell she cares as she went out of her way to care and show sympathy towards Andrea. Her name is not yet revealed, if you have only been watching the TV series and it will be intriguing to find out more about he within future episodes and watch the jigsaw pieces fall in place to reveal her storyline.

Evolution of some of the characters is also evident as Carl ( Rick and Lori son ) shows evident of a more strong willed character as he no longer fears to kill with a gun in his hand ,  ever since he shot down Shane his courage has increased and he seems more obedient and respects the situation, even though at times he does come across as annoying to the viewers and a character in constant possession of getting his own way, we are introduced more to one of Hershal's daughters Patricia and theres signs to suggest a romance angle with Carl growing ever more fond of her, also backing up evidence of him growing up. Friction also seems to develop between Lori and Rick as Rick begins to ignore her. Which to me shows signs of him treating the group all the same and is only concern is survival and is trying to deny the fact of the baby, maybe he is starting to regret the idea of convincing Lori to keep the baby.

The Group then proceed into the prison with some good battles along the way, with walkers dressed in full riot uniform providing an exciting battle. To there surprise the prison is pretty deserted inside. There  is also evidence of some group coming within the foundries before as they find a Walker which had been killed from shot wounds which looked recent. In the hope of trying to secure the facilities some of the group get overrun with walkers which leads them to retreat and get separated from the rest. Unfortunately then Hershel gets bitten by a walker on the floor in the leg. Which leads the group to act quickly where Rick shows his great decision making skills in the heat of the moment where he releases Hershel's only chance of survival is to chop of the leg where if that was not a great moment to end the episode on a cliffhanger we are also given a quick shot to survivors taking shelter within the prison. You are left with two questions remaining in your head, will Hershel survive ? and who are the survivors ? just demonstrated why The Walking Dead is one of the best things on TV in terms of drama and action.

Overall it was a fantastic introduction to the third season with more questions than answers. There was a perfect blend of action and cheater development and was great for them to encounter a new environment than the barn. The dark compact imbounded setting of the prison is a complete contrast to the freedom and beautiful setting off the Barn and farmhouse so it will be interesting to see how the group react to there new setting and with the introduction of new characters theres a whole lot of the dynamics which are going to be affected. The Walking Dead has kicked off in amazing fashion and I can't wait to feed on some more literally next week.

9/10