Gallows - Sheffield Corporation ( 12/10/12 )

Gallows

+ Feed The Rhino

+ Brotherhood Of The Lake

Sheffield Corporation ( 12/10/12 )

Having seen Gallows plenty of times in the past, I believe this will be my 11th experience. However this was different as it was the first time I was going to witness a headline show with the new vocalist 

(Wade Mcneil) formally of the post hardcore outfit Alexisofire. Whom is taking over duties from previous Frontman (Frank Carter) who has decided to take up a new musical direction with the heavily Gaslight Anthem influenced band Pure Love who have there debut album hitting stores soon. However the jury is still out there as it dosent feel right to have a Canadian the frontman heading a band with songs such as "London is the Reason," and to many Gallows is Frank Carter and will take sometime adjusting, however after a really good first album and a change in lyrical direction do they still have it on stage, as there reputation really grow as an incredible live act with Frank at the helm.

The opening band was Brotherhood Of The Lake, the hardcore hitters who are growing an ever increasing reputation within the scene. However it was obvious the venue was to big to be able to fully appreciate there live show. There a band to be seen crammed into a little sweatbox with no barriers with plenty of interaction between the crowd and band. By this time the venue was rather empty and people were reluctant to stand right at front, which was by no fault of the band. They played a good set with some great moments, it was just a shame the crowd were not really up for it by this point. However its great exposure for Brothehood Of The Lake and they will be back. 6/10

Feed The Rhino are a fairly more common band in the circle, the venue gradually started to gets busier, however by no means was a packed out show. Feed The Rhino struggled with similar issues as Brotherhood Of The Lake with a lacklustre crowd which was a surprise. It seemed as if most only came for Gallows. There was a little more movement with a minority of the crowd singing along. There stage presence was a lot more comfortable than Brotherhood. Most likely due to having a lot more experience playing big events such as Hevy Festival and Download. Musically they demonstrated glimpses, why many suggest why they one of the best british live bands . Though it just felt the crowd was not into it which deduced the atmosphere around the venue whilst the band was on. 7/10

Whilst I was looking forward to Gallows, the question that kept entering my head was one of would the crowd pick up, and my answer to that was yes. As soon as the band came on and opened up with "Misery" there was plenty of movement within the crowd. The place was by no means full but was a good attendance on show. Gallows played a great selection of songs from both there old material and new stuff, which sounded even better live. Though it was the classics such as "London Is The Reason" and "Death Voices," which really pumped up the crowd. Vocally Wade is great and is on par with Frank, though for stage presence and that whole vive of attitude and unpredictability Frank Carter is a true font man and is Mr Gallows, and I don't think it will ever ben the same whilst with Wade, Gallows are still a brilliant live act. Nothing still beats the intro to "In The Belly Of The Shark," which is still a crowd favourite. And to put this icing on the cake a great finale by playing both "Abandon Ship" and "Orchestra Of Wolves," for the encore which left the crowd with not much left apart from to just smile at what they just witnessed. 8/10

Overall Gallows are still Gallows, a truly great live act and one not to be missed, the new songs sound huge though I think you know where I am going with this. In perception Frank Carter is to Gallows, what Freddie Mercury was to Queen though transfer that to the hardcore scene. For me he is irreplacable though hate of to Wade, whom is truly doing a very respectable job. 

Band Of The Week - Stick To Your Guns

In conclusion to new feature of App Of The Week, I decided to start something new which will be Band of the Week. Where I will feature a band who has go my attention within the week and introduce them to the viewers, of cause many of you will be aware of them. However I will rank there songs and Albums into order, whilst I'm sure many of you will disagree feel free to voice your opinions.

Stick To Your Guns are American Hardcare band all the way from California,  They have released 5 albums and formed in 2003. They have been touring all over the world and have supported many big bands from the likes of Caliban, The Acacia Strain, Your Demise and As Blood Runs Black. They are currently about to venture out to Europe to play on the impressive looking Never Say Die tour sponsored by Impericon with Post Hardcore / Metalcore giants such as Bless The Fall and We Came As Romans.

Stick To Your Guns music blends melody, intensity catchy chorus's and great riffs. With a positive lyrical vibe about unity as a nation. they cater for fans of variable genres from the Hardcore Kids to Punk Rockers. Noted influences come from Comeback Kid, Throwdown, Ignite and Rise Against. Stick To Your Guns are touring giants and there shows are something not to be missed, they are incredibly committed and treat every show as there last and really respect there fan base and roots. They played a fans memorial after he died of a brain tumour just demonstrating there desire and passion both towards the music scene and there fan base.

Similar Artists - Comeback Kid, Your Demise, Throwdown, Stray From The Path

Albums Ranking

1 The Hope Division  9/10

2 Comes From The Heart  8/10

3 Diamond  7.5/10

4 For What Its Worth 6.5/10

5 Compassion And Compromise  6/10

Top 5 Singles

1 Amber - The Hope Division

2 Against Them All - Diamond

3 Where The Sun Never Sleeps - The Hope Division

4 We're What Separates The Heart From The Heartless - Comes From The Heart

5 We Still Believe - Diamond

Who Wants To Be A Pilkington - App Of The Week

Everyone knows Karl Pilkington, the loveable chimp like orange shaped head idiot. There are plenty of words to describe Karl, however with a doubt is one of the funniest guys on the planet, whether its intentional or not I don't know, nor frankly care as whatever the guy touches is pure gold ever from the podcasts up to his latest work in Derek and Idiot Abroad.

Now he even has a App dedicated to him, its based on the popular show "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire," instead of answering questions about general knowledge. You answer questions about Karl and his many outrageous quotes and questions about his time on both Idiot Abroad and his Podcasts, granted if you have only watch the cult TV serious you will really struggle however even if you don't know the answer, the questions alone make you laugh. For theses of you who are obsessed with the guys brilliance you will love it. There are around 500 questions to answer so there is a variety, though be aware and expect some questions to repeat after a few goes put the game is not really based around the hours of playtime.Its just great to play when you are on break at work or when your just chilling down for a few laughs and to test your knowledge.

There is a few entertaining twists such as instead of the "phone a friend" and "ask the audience" options you receive on the TV quiz show. In a comical approach you know receive the option to "ask some monkeys" and "phone Susanna" which is just a simple but entertaining feature which helps the atmosphere of the game. As well, there is a little orange beside each answer symbolising how Ricky Gervais describes the shape of his head. There is also the option to upload your scores onto Facebook to compare your knowledge of Karl with your friends.

Overall it is a really enjoyable game full of humour, there maybe difficult questions for those who are not as familiar but the best part its free and will provide you with plenty of laughs. Its a good app and well worth a few plays to see if you can score a million.

7/10 

WWE Raw Review ( 08 / 10 / 12 )

When ratings are at a low from the previous week , what better way then to have Vince McMahon address the WWE audience,  when I say address he was interrupted by the WWE champion CM punk, with the company of Paul Heyman within minutes. Both punk and Vince delivered a excellent promo about respect and facing John Cena at Hell in a Cell. Both speeches included valid points though you you can't help but feel for Punk. I know he's a heel and is supposed to come across as a douchebag but he makes great reasons as to why he should not face Cena at Hell in the Cell. Punk has defeated Cena many times for the championship in the past and its time to give someone else a crack, however Cena is one of the most respectable former champions and to be the best you have to beat the best. This resulted  in Punk slapping Vince in the face. Elements of the famous feud between Stone Cold and Vince were on show and references were made towards that heated battle. You can't help but feel there teasing a Punk Stone Cold match in the future with the many references to Austin within recent weeks. It was a great shock to the viewers to then watch Vince challenge Punk to a match later on that night, something no one saw coming and gained massive cheers in the Sacramento crowd. Thus was an excellent segment on Raw and would of dramatically boosted ratings, If it was not for Monday Night Football i'm sure there wouldn't be as much concern.

Before this main segment Raw kicked off with MR poster boy John Cena, nothing really evolved from his promo in terms of storyline, it was just a segment to keep the crowd happy as he is currently injured. He did his usual talk about how he misses the crowd and some terrible impressions of Team Hell No that was embarrassing to anyone other the age of 12 though the kiddos love it. Brodus Clay then took the stage for a supposed match with R-Truth though they ended up dancing. Both guys are very talented though there gimmicks are simply awful, I'm all for humour within wrestling but when you have a guy who could be built like a pure monster, instead he's dancing around like Barney the dinosaur, and then you have a guy who has an invisible friend, you'd think you was watching Japanese wrestling.  Thankfully it was interrupted by the great Vince Mcmahon which truly kicked of things and led to the great CM punk Vince debate.

There was also some wrestling in between, the tag team division is truly evolved within recent weeks and there was 2 more matches in the tournament to be held which was Rey and Sin Cara vs The Prime time Players. I have begun to really take to the Prime Time Players and believe they have a great future ahead of them, however as predictable as WWE can be you can guess who won. The 2 masked cretins how are fan favourites for there high flying approach but do nothing for me, its inevitable there building up to Wrestlemania where Rey will pass on the touch, the match was OK but just too predictable with the same finish we have seen for weeks. The other tag match was the Rhodes Scholars, which consists of the team of Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow vs the underdogs of Zack Ryder and Santino Marrela. Was good to see the Rhodes Scholars win but was not the best of tag matches I have ever witnessed. Santino and Ryder provided us with there usual goofiness in the ring which is a shame as both, especially Santino are talented wrestlers and can put on good matches. However I am a big fan on Sandow so happy to see them getting pushed to the next round.

I like The Miz but he's been pretty bad since returning from shooting a movie, what with this whole talk show gimmick he seems to have at the moment. He was pretty poor again tonight in an awful segment involving Larry King,  I had no idea who he is but went along with it. The promo also included Kofi Kingston. Even though Miz is one of the best on the mic it was a poorly executed promo, but there is potential to build a feud with Kofi Kingston which would be welcomed.

Ryback continues to do what he has been doing for every week now it seems, fair play to him though as he has got himself over with the crowd. I am still not convinced by him and he needs a lengthly match with someone on the upper card instead of facing 2 jobbers for what seems like the 100th time. I think a heel turn would really suit him and joining Punk and Heymans stable. Ryback also continues to hunt down the WWE Champion and gets you thinking if Cena can't make the match at Hell in a Cell then punk will face Ryback but i think its too soon for that to happen.

Team Hell No continue to entertain, and in Daniel Bryan, aside from Cena you have one of the most over guys in wrestling right now.  His anger management partnership with Kane has been brilliant and there unorthodox procedure of winning matches has been greatly entertaining. The two have brilliant chemistry between each other  and every time they shout "Im the Tag Team Chapions." you can't help but smile. Easily the best night of the match was when they took on Ziggler and Del Rio which again Team Hell No one in comedic fashion.

Big Show and Sheamus continue to build upon there rivalry when Sheamus battled Wade Barrett in and entertaining battle, until Big Show and Tensai for some unknown reason interrupted. I just feel they  do this too often to build up storylines. I was enjoying the match until the interruption and left a bit of a downer on things. Its good to see Wade back and he's a main evener in the making. There was a also a Diva match, that enough mentioned on that.

The storyline between Punk and Vince continued to develop throughout the night with backstage segments with JR trying to convince Vince to backdown. Same with Heyman to Punk as he believed it was a bad idea for the long run. The match was entertaining with a few good spots such as vince charging headfirst after punk over the announcers table. If anything it felt like vince was trying to hog the limelight a little and he came of better overall in the match, which is not a good advert for your WWE champion against a opponent of much greater age. There was also the use of Kendo sticks and was more like a brawl. Ryback interrupted the match in great fashion as he hunted down his next victim  while Punk was about to GTS Vince. You can't deny how over the guy is which led to a brawl inside the ring thanks to the assistance of Cena. In typical heel fashion Punk manages to escape the ring from the clutches of Ryback to which Vince announces a pipe bomb of his own by announcing punk will either fight Cena or Ryback at Wrestlemania.

Overall it was a good Raw, much better than previous weeks, however unfortunately the spotlight is going to be stolen by the fact CM Punk was accused of hitting out at a fan, which could lead to major discipline. Hopefully not as the storyline has really picked up within recent weeks and CM Punk is playing a blinder of a character, but you can't do what he did though I understand he needed to protect himself and the security should have done better. Expect to see a new champion at Hell in a Cell which will be a shame as Punk needs to be the one who defends to make WWE in general even slightly interesting.

7/10

Patent Pending - Second Family (2011)

Patent Pending are a pop punk band from Long Island, New York. Lets put this in simple terms are a bit of an unknown quantity, its hard to understand why as Pop Punk seems to be as popular as ever, with the new generation of bands such as The Story So Far and Man Overboard taking over the reigns from New Found glory and co. Would I label Patent Pending with these guys ? probably not as Patent Pending judging by the release of  there latest album "Second Family," are a lot more diverse with elements of acoustic and Ska added in to the mix. Id associate them more with experimental bands such as Say Anything for playing pop punk influenced music with diversity and elements of surprise. However theres also a strong influence lyrically from Bowling For Soup for the humour and quirkiness, combined with strong melodies from Less Than Jake.

Its surprising how long Patent Pending have been going for, "Second Family" is there second full length release, however they have a huge back catalogue full of EP's so there certainly not a new band, "Second Family" will be the album that really kickstarts things for the five-some, as well as there european tour with Bowling For Soup. "Second Family" is a heart warming album with a very fun and positive vibe. The idea for the album title came from the many fans who donated money for the record to even happen, so in a way its a record to thank the fans and I can't think of a better title.

I credit Patent Pending for one of the most diverse pop punk records, however I can't escape the fact that some of the most pure pop punk tracks on the record are my highlights such as “I Already Know (She Don’t Give A S*** About Me),” and “Memory.” The whole album has plenty of memorable moments with great sing along chorus's and toe tapping beats. The ska tracks on the record also really stand out as a band just having a lot of fun doing what they do.

Without a doubt "Douchebag," is one of the best tracks on the record. Its a song which everyone should be able to relate too, as everyone knows someone who this song describes. It can't help you smile, that no matter what you do or how you try to impress you will always be a douchebag. Guaranteed this will get the cord going most at shows and shore to be an encore song.

"Second Family," is a great album from these talented pop punks. It has everything you'd expect from catchy vocals to a light hearted vibe  and overall great songwriting. You can tell the band had a lot of fun writing the album and so should you listening. A definite recommend to any pop punk lover.

Similar Artists : Bowling for Soup, Less Than Jake, Say Anything, The Starting Line

8/10

Secret Weapon 7 Reveals Secrecy ?

For any of you that follow Alton Towers or part of the enthusiast community will be very aware that Alton Towers are planning something new and very exciting for 2013. In fact a worlds first rollercoaster. The plans have been up for a very long time and speculation had increased. As you can see from some of the plans below the ride will contain many inversions and evidence from the design is the cars will duel with each other, due to there been 2 lift hills if provides enough evidence from the layout that the cars will be in sync with each other at time of the first drop, a new and exciting element.  The ride seems to be the same make as the company who did saw at Thorpe Park by suggestions of the plans.Here are the plans below.

As you can see, there is a pretty big building which includes the station. well it appears that this will not be the end of the ride as your in for more surprises and thrills in the building. The secrecy has been revealed and it looks like the Towers are going for the worlds coaster with most inversions. I believe there is 8 inversions on the outside so the ride will still have a way to go to beat the record. However in a unique element the ride will contain a revolving  line twist with many effects. Its not been mentioned how many times you will flip inside but the suggestion of 6 has been rumoured, which would shatter the world record. If that was not all Alton Towers plan to have a unique feature in the shop where you can view the rides secret element through a glass floor which could add for some amazing view of the ride and the riders.

Open in March 2013 it looks like Alton Towers potentially have a brilliant rollercoaster on its hand with some surprises, for the casuals who have not found out about whats hidden within. The ride will feature an incredible amount of inversions, drops, a vertical lift and the element of duelling. 2013 can't come soon enough and i will be there as soon as possible.

You can follow the construction process of the ride on many sites such as Towerstime and coasterforce.

Feed The Rhino - The Burning Son (2012)

Feed The Rhino have returned for there highly anticipated second album entitled The Burning Son. All musicians are aware of that dreaded second album. mentally one of the hardest accomplishments to achieve after a highly received first album. So many artists fall into obscurity after there first album, the question is will Feed The rhino ? not by a long way, The Burning Son is pretty much them continuing on from there impressive debut "Mr Red Eye," and basically stamping on it with authority and releasing a killer record full of what Feed The Rhino do best, utter carnage.

One of the most exciting live bands in the UK who put on one hell of a show and guaranteed to leave you sweating by the end and without a voice. If you have not seen Feed The Rhino live then firstly where have you been and secondly get to there tour with Gallows and Brotherhood Of The lake and experience the brutality for yourself. The Burning Son feels like it is an album written to be played live, the pure intensity in the vocals and crunching guitar squeels will have the crowds going wild. Of cause there is also a more mellow sound to Feed The rhino with beautifully thought out tracks. Not just settling for exceeding everyones expectations they have also matured so much as a bunch of musicians. There is a lot more aggression, guts and its a lot more brutal. Whilst at the same time they have evolved as a group of very talented musicians and improved there song written skills.

 I struggle to pick out any songs, there all full ferocious with excellent work from the carnage of the drums to excellent guitar work and jaw dropping riffs. You can sense the Every Time I Die influence, not like thats ever a bad thing. Like previously mentioned they can tone it down and play softer whilst at the same time not loosing any impact nor aggression in the vocals. Feed The Rhino are on utter fire and there stock will rise without any doubt with some great tours coming up expect really big things and I shouldn't need you to check out the album, just do it its masterful. A review of there live show will be coming very soon swell as Gallows and Brotherhood Of Lake.

Similar Artists : Every Time I Die, Maylene And The Sons Of Disaster, Gallows

8/10