Who did it better? Canyon Literature made a cover of Dutch Rapartists’ Steen’s song ‘Bier’. This metal version (and a new video!) is online now!
Canyon Literature’s version
Original
ENMA is back with a new track, after releasing their debut album Apathy Awakened at the end of 2022. ENMA plays grungy progressive metal, with of course intricated guitar and bass lines and vocal harmonies. Check out their latest track ‘Enchantress’ on Spotify.
You can find ENMA in our database or on their website.
Check out the video for the song “Enigma”, taken from their debut album Apathy Awakened.
Welkom bij de tiplijst van deze week. Ook in de afgelopen periode waren er weer heel veel nieuwe releases. Zo veel zelfs, dat het ook deze keer niet in EEN playlist past. Dus volgende week zijn we er ook gewoon weer. In deze editie nieuwe muziek van Another Now, die niet alleen op Jera on Air staan maar ook in het voorprogramma van Machine Head. En Deadspeak, die afgelopen weekend Graveland festival mocht openen. Check de tiplijst op Youtube of Mixloud, en tot volgende week!
Tracklist:
Resurrect Tomorrow – The Eagle
Loyalty Ends Here – Darkest Red
Nafearya – Asylum
Can Abyss – That Lighthouse
Bigmoth – Hazebound
Deadspeak – Tidal Disruption
Maatkare – War Before Peace
The Color Of Rain – And The Abyss Stared Back
Another Now – Daydreamers
Armed Cloud – Safety Word
The Infamous Nameless – Realm of the Fallen
Releasedate: 22.05.2024
Another Now is a different player in the Dutch metalcore field and in the metalcore field in general. The band released their first album ‘OMNI’ in 2021, which landed them gigs with Asking Alexandria, Beartooth and Ice Nine Kills. Now, the band is back with their second full-length, ‘HEX’. Of course, we had to review it. Also this year, they are playing one of the biggest core festivals in the Benelux, Jera on Air, alongside Electric Callboy and Enter Shikari. And right before this review aird, we learned that they will be opening for Machine Head! Who is this band?
Another Now is a metalcore band from Eindhoven. There must be something in the water in Eindhoven, ‘cause it seems every gem in the Dutch metal scene seems to emerge there. Another Now is definitely one of them. This band blends metalcore with electronic influences in the style of I Prevail and Crystal Lake. I’d rather label them electroniccore or trancecore because of that. They’ve been around since 2018 and released their first full-length in 2021. They have been teasing their latest release ‘HEX’ with the release of the singles Would it Kill You, Breathe, Smile and Doubt. The album, HEX, is 45 minutes of club-style metalcore, metal enough to get our heads banging, core enough to get in your crowdkills, and club enough to start jumping.
HEX feels like the soundtrack to a game, but Another Now really isn’t playing. The lyrics are dark, talking about daily struggles. There are a couple of interlude tracks in between a number of stand-alone songs, to tie them together. The album opens with _VISIONS which, like everything on the album, is heavy on electronic influences. After a soft intro, we get all the elements that are featured on the album, from heavy breakdowns, tight drumlines, deep grunts, melodic vocal lines, and heavy emotions to piggy squeals.
_VISIONS is the opening track, but it’s actually a prelude for DAYDREAMERS, the first real track of the album. After a short synth line, we dive headfirst into the heavy grunts and riffs. All the elements from _VISIONS are present in this track as well. The soft vocals in the pre-chorus parts fit the dream theme well, but the heavy breaks right after are a rude awakening.
DOUBT turns up the intensity to eleven right from the start. It’s also a more groovy track, with a really catchy pre-chorus. I can see some bouncing action during a live show happening there. This track is maybe a bit more mainstream metalcore, at least the chorus is. Another Now show off their versatility with deep grunts and melodic vocal parts really well on this track.
BREATHE is my favorite track of the album, and it has been since its release earlier this year. BREATHE is heavy on the electronics, and the samples and synths really add to the heavy party feel on this track. The chorus on this track has one of the best hooks on the album, and the toned-down chorus after the break is a really nice change of pace and another example of Another Now’s qualities.
Onto the title track of the album, HEX. Another track that has been released prior to the album. After BREATHE, HEX feels a bit chaotic, and even a bit towards deathcore in some aspects. There are plenty of squeals, and the tempo goes through the roof on this track. The breakdown at the end is one of the best on this album as well.
WOULD IT KILL YOU starts off with a synth line that seems to have been borrowed from the Mass Effect soundtrack. It doesn’t take long for the song to kick in after that, though. Another heavy track, similar to HEX, but with a commercial chorus like BREATHE again. A track like this will do well in a club as well, I imagine. DRIP is similar in that aspect, and it has some hip-hop influences as well. The groove in the verse is hard, but the chorus lets us know we’re still listening to the same album. This is a quieter song, even though there are enough breakdowns, this track would qualify as the ‘ballad’ of the album.
And after a ballad, of course, is a happy song to lift us up again. SORRY definitely begins like that. This track has one of the strongest choruses of the album, and I imagine this being one of the favorite tracks for a lot of people because of it. For me personally, though it’s groovy, the verses feel a little too empty to me.
SMILE! is another hard track, which fits the lyrics. With lines like “Death smiles at us, all we can do is smile back” it makes you wonder about the inspiration for this track. THE DEATH OF EVERYTHING features almost Polyphia-like dreamy guitars in the soft break in the middle, only to kick right back into heavy metalcore again. Again, a very catchy chorus; it seems to be a standard on this album.
Just when you thought we’ve had the ballad with SORRY, we get to MIRAGE, which is even slower, more emotional, and has heavy lyrics like ‘we’re just a mirage of, what we used to be’. It’s more an electronic vibe than a metalcore song, however, the reprise of the track at the end still brings all the vibes. The perfect lead for the final track of the album, another banger, HORIZONS_. Even though I haven’t read all the lyrics for this album, it feels like HORIZIONS_ completes a story. Not just because of the closing underscore that _VISIONS opened with; the song itself feels like the completion of a story.
HEX is a solid and coherent album, that feels like one big trip. My favorite track of the album, and has been since its release, is BREATHE. But there are plenty of other bangers on this album. And even the two tracks that are a bit more on the softer side won’t let you down. It is, however, a very unique niche of metalcore, and probably not just in the Netherlands. It might speak to a broader audience, but the people who dislike the crossover genres will probably have a hard time getting into this album. However, Another Now might be a gateway metal band for people who still don’t know if metal is something they’d enjoy. Just listen to BREATHE, and you probably will for sure.
You can find Another Now on their website.
Check out the full album here:
And be sure to check out the videos on Youtube!
On May 18th, Loyalty Ends Here presented their debut EP ‘Darkest Red’ during an epic party with Crazed, None Shall Fall, Man As Plague and Changing Tides. We made a video to show you what you missed out on. Make sure to give these guys a follow, and have you checked out their EP yet? We did!
Check it out on Youtube:
Releasedate: 17.05.2024
The Eagle has landed! Literally, on May 17th, when the latest album from Resurrect Tomorrow took wings on Spotify. After the singles The Light of Treason and Absolution, the full album is finally online, and of course, we had to give it a listen.
Sayas is a groovy, progressive-y, death metal band from Enschede. They have two tracks to their name so far, with ‘There where the light remains’ being the latest. They released this track on Spotify, while a videoclip for the track was released on Youtube simultaneously. Check it out online!
(English below)
Op zaterdag 11 mei zat ik met Gutslasher op de bank in de Grootte Weiver, net voor hun 2e optreden. Helaas is de audio van het filmpje mislukt dus moeten we het doen met een geschreven interview. We spraken de gasten over de opleving van de metalscene en hun inspiratie. Voor een impressie van hun optreden, chec de foto’s, of de aftermovie van de avond. Het volledige interview staat wel op Youtube, mocht je dat toch graag willen horen. Het filmpje vind je onderaan deze post.
Colin: Wij zijn Gutslasher, we spelen oldschool death metal. Ik ben Colin en ik ben de drummer.
Stefan: Ik ben Stefan, ik ben de vocalist en ik maak gootsteengeluiden en ik speel gitaar.
Miguel : Ik ben Miguel en ik speel bas.
Bram: Ik ben Bram en ik speel leadgitaar in Gutslasher.
Colin: Dat was echt een super leuk optreden. Het was ook uitverkocht, super bedankt daarvoor. En al die bands waren gewoon geweldig. Qua geluid, maar ook gewoon super aardige gasten. We zijn daar ook super goed ontvangen. Er werd veel gemosht, dus wat kan je nog meer wensen voor een debuut show.
Stefan: Dit was beyond our wildest dreams. We begonnen met een wat langzamer nummer, toen stond de hele zaal al te headbangen, toen hadden we al zoiets van ‘what the hell’. We hadden dezelfde dag nog een demo gedropt, blijkbaar heeft iedereen die geluisterd. En het tweede nummer was een wat sneller nummer en toen brak er een pit uit en die hield de hele show gewoon aan. Dus we waren echt flabbergasted. Dus iedereen enorm bedankt voor die energie, dat hadden we echt niet durven dromen.
Miguel: ik denk dat Colin en Stefan het al goed samenvatten. We hadden niets beters durven dromen. Moshpits, crowdsurfers, wall of death zelfs, dat hadden we echt niet verwacht.
Bram: Waar we vooral mee zaten was hoe reageert het publiek erop. En ja, dat heeft fantastisch uitgepakt. Het ging echt top.
Colin: de enige ervaring die ik had, was de metaljam. Daar heb ik wel vaak gejamd. Voor de rest eigenlijk niet. Dus dit was een beetje een sprong in het diepe.
Bram: Ik heb met andere bandjes wel vaker live gespeeld. Maar ik heb zeker als gitarist nog nooit in een deathmetal band gezeten. Dus het was zeker new territory voor mij.
Miquel: ik heb wel eerder op het podium gestaan, ik heb ook in een coverbandje gezeten. Ik wilde eigenlijk heel lang in een metalband spelen en dat is nu eindelijk gelukt.
Stefan: Het is voor mij echt heel lang terug dat ik een show heb gespeeld met een band. Ik heb op de metaljam wel heel vaak lopen klooien, maar de laatste keer dat ik met een band opgetreden had was 2018. Dus ik had ook geen idee wat ik moest verwachten na zo’n lange tijd. Dus voor mijn gevoel hebben we dit ook helemaal doodgeoefend. We hebben echt zitten hamere op strakheid, het moet goed overkomen, energiek overkomen. En blijkbaar heeft dat zn vruchten afgeworpen.
Unaniem: Ja 🙂
Bram: voor mij wel in ieder geval. Colin: Ik probeer in mn drum ook wel van die grooves te verwerken. Ik probeer ook dingen uit Sepultura te pakken, ook uit het hardcore genre, en ook thrashmetal. Ik heb eigenlijk heel veel invloeden. En dat probeer ik dan een beetje te deathmetalizeren. Cannibal Corpse is natuurlijk DE deathmetalband. EIgenlijk als je dan een andere band pakt, die hebben ook weer inspiratie opgedaan van Cannibal Corpse. Dus eigenlijk komt het altijd weer bij Cannibal Corpse terug.
Stefan: Ja, zeker. Ik heb ook altijd heel veel Pestilence geluisterd, dat is natuurlijk wel meteen een van de grote jongens. Muziek is natuurlijk ieders eigen ervaring. Voor mij hangt Pestilence ook een beetje aan Death. Dat is ook wel iets wat we proberen erin te verwerken maar ik weet niet of dat meteen terug te horen is. Gutslasher is wel veel lomper dan dat.
Bram: Als we iets doen, dan doen we het gelijk 100%, dat is wel ons motto denk ik. We willen het goed doen. En als metalband moet je patches hebben. Dat is zo’n ongeschreven regel eigenlijk.
Stefan: ik denk dat we ook veel geleerd hebben van andere bands. We hebben heel veel rondgekeken van hoe andere bands dingen aanpakken. Een band als Headless Hunter is bijvoorbeeld een band waar ik stiekem een beetje tegenop kijk. Als je kijkt naar hoe die dat doen, qua merch en social media, ook hoe je het spreid en hoe je het verdeeld, dat is belangrijk. En veder is het een beetje balanceren, je moet wel iets goeds uitbrengen, maar je moet er ook niet te lang op broeden, want anders wordt het weer zo’n 8 jaren project.
Colin: In principe hebben we een hele setlist, waaronder een cover. Qua muziek zijn we ook nog bezig met opnemen, we zijn aan het werken naar een EP. Dat wordt ook echt een goed gemixt en gemasterde EP, zodat we ook meteen goed binnenkomen. Met die demo kunnen mensen een beetje zien wat ze van ons kunnen verwachten. En we blijven natuurlijk verder schrijven.
Colin: Vooral met zo’n initiatief als de metaljam zie je dat helemaal opbloeien weer. Bands zoals Violent Silence, Rectum Stretchers, dat zijn allemaal jonge gasten en ik denk dat dat ook deels door de Metaljam komt. Ik zie steeds meer jonge gasten bands vormen, en naar shows komen, en dat is gewoon geweldig. De connecties die mensen vormen in al die groepsapps is echt heel erg leuk, het bloeit echt weer op.
Stefan: Dat is ook een ding van deze tijd, heel veel gaat online ook, via whatsappgroepen. Instagram ook, heel veel metalbands zitten op Instagram. Het volgt elkaar allemaal. Dat is ook iets waarvan ik vroeger dacht, met al die kleurtjes, is dat wel metal. Maar eigenlijk is het heel belangrijk. In de oude scene ging er ergens een postertje op de muur in het cafe en dan hoopte je dat mensen dat zagen, en nu gaat dat allemaal online. En ik denk dat dat er ook wel voor zorgt dat metalheads elkaar sneller ontdekken, ook jonge metalheads.
Bram: Het is sowieso m’n droom om van muziek m’n werk te kunnen maken. Touren, opnemen, live spelen,
Miguel: Voor mij hetzelfde, met goeie bands samen spelen en op festivals staan. Stefan: Het is misschien een beetje een zweverig antwoord, maar ik ben eigenlijk al heel blij met waar we nu zijn. Als je kijkt wat we eigenlijk in een half jaar al hebben bereikt, ik ben eigenlijk heel benieuwd waar dat heen gaat. Ik laat me verassen, we gaan het zien.
Colin: Wat Stefan ook zegt, ik ben heel blij met waar we staan. Maar ik denk wel dat er zeker nog hele leuke dingen aan kunnen komen. Het is ook echt wel de droom om op een festival te staan, in het buitenland spelen, toeren, dat lijkt me super leuk. Maar in essentie, weet je, hier staan, dan heb je het al gemaakt. Dan ben je er al. We zien wel waar het schip strand.
Als je Gutslasher nog niet gecheckt heb, volg ze dan op hun socials en check hun eerste demo op Spotify. Stay tuned voor meer over deze band!
On Saturday, May 11, I sat down with Gutslasher on the couch at Grootte Weiver, right before their second performance. Unfortunately, the audio from the video didn’t work, so we had to rely on a written interview. We talked to the guys about the revival of the metal scene and their inspiration. For an impression of their performance, check out the photos. The after movie of the evening will also be online soon.
Colin: We are Gutslasher, we play old-school death metal. I’m Colin and I’m the drummer.
Stefan: I’m Stefan, I’m the vocalist, I make guttural sounds, and I play guitar.
Miguel: I’m Miguel, and I play bass.
Bram: I’m Bram, and I play lead guitar in Gutslasher.
Colin: That was a really great show. It was sold out, so thank you very much for that. All the bands were just awesome. In terms of sound, but also just super nice guys. We were really well received there. There was a lot of moshing, so what more could you wish for a debut show?
Stefan: This was beyond our wildest dreams. We started with a slower song, and the whole room was already headbanging, so we were like ‘what the hell’. We had just dropped a demo that day, and apparently, everyone listened to it. The second song was a faster one, and a pit broke out that lasted the whole show. So we were really flabbergasted. Thanks so much for that energy, we never could have dreamed of that.
Miguel: I think Colin and Stefan summed it up well. We couldn’t have dreamed of anything better. Mosh pits, crowd surfers, even a wall of death, we really didn’t expect that.
Bram: Our main concern was how the audience would react. And yeah, it turned out fantastic. It went really great.
Colin: The only experience I had was the metal jam. I jammed there often. Otherwise, not really. So this was a bit of a leap into the deep end.
Bram: I’ve played live with other bands before. But I’ve never been in a death metal band as a guitarist, so it was definitely new territory for me.
Miguel: I have been on stage before, I was also in a cover band. I’ve wanted to play in a metal band for a long time, and now that’s finally happened.
Stefan: It’s been a really long time since I played a show with a band. I fooled around a lot at the metal jam, but the last time I performed with a band was in 2018. So I had no idea what to expect after such a long time. I feel like we really practiced this to death. We really hammered on tightness, it had to come across well, come across energetically. And apparently, that paid off.
Unanimously: Yes 🙂
Bram: For me, at least.
Colin: I try to incorporate those grooves into my drumming. I also try to take things from Sepultura, the hardcore genre, and thrash metal. I actually have a lot of influences. And I try to “deathmetalize” that a bit. Cannibal Corpse is, of course, THE death metal band. If you look at other bands, they were also inspired by Cannibal Corpse. So it always comes back to Cannibal Corpse.
Stefan: Yes, definitely. I’ve always listened to a lot of Pestilence, which is, of course, one of the big names. Music is everyone’s own experience. For me, Pestilence is also a bit related to Death. That’s something we try to incorporate, but I don’t know if it’s immediately noticeable. Gutslasher is a lot more brutal than that.
Bram: If we do something, we do it 100%, that’s our motto, I think. We want to do it right. And as a metal band, you have to have patches. That’s like an unwritten rule.
Stefan: I think we’ve also learned a lot from other bands. We’ve looked around a lot to see how other bands do things. A band like Headless Hunter is a band I secretly look up to. If you look at how they handle merch and social media, how they spread and distribute it, that’s important. It’s a bit of a balancing act, you have to release something good, but you shouldn’t brood on it for too long, or it becomes an 8-year project.
Colin: We basically have a whole setlist, including a cover. We’re also working on recording more music, working towards an EP. It’s going to be a well-mixed and mastered EP so we can make a good impression right away. The demo gives people an idea of what to expect from us. And of course, we keep writing.
Colin: Especially with initiatives like the metal jam, you see it blooming again. Bands like Violent Silence, Rectum Stretchers, they’re all young guys, and I think that’s partly because of the metal jam. I see more and more young guys forming bands and coming to shows, and that’s just great. The connections people make in all those group chats are really nice; it’s really blossoming again.
Stefan: That’s also a thing of this time, a lot goes online now, via WhatsApp groups. Instagram too, a lot of metal bands are on Instagram. It all follows each other. I used to think, with all those colors, is that metal? But it’s really important. In the old scene, a poster would go up on a café wall, and you’d hope people would see it, and now it’s all online. And I think that helps metalheads discover each other faster, including young metalheads.
Bram: My dream is definitely to make a living from music. Touring, recording, playing live.
Miguel: The same for me, playing with good bands and performing at festivals.
Stefan: It might sound a bit airy, but I’m already very happy with where we are now. If you look at what we’ve achieved in half a year, I’m really curious where it’s going. I’ll let myself be surprised, we’ll see.
Colin: As Stefan said, I’m very happy with where we are. But I think there are definitely more great things to come. It’s really a dream to play at a festival, to play abroad, to tour, that seems super fun. But essentially, you know, being here means you’ve made it. You’re there. We’ll see where the ship strands.
If you haven’t checked out Gutslasher yet, follow them on their socials and check out their first demo on Spotify. Stay tuned for more about this band!
The Infamous Nameless, a newly formed alternative/progressive metal band from Eindhoven just released their debut single ‘Realm of the Fallen’, the first track from their upcoming EP ‘Realise’. Expect melodic riffs, weird timesignatures, heavy screams and a whole lot of interesting riffs! Check it out on Spotify now.
You can find The Infamous Nameless on Facebook.
We had posted a few of their tracks allready, but HEX is finally out now. This is the second album by the band, and another 45 min of pure chaos for us to enjoy. Heavy, melodic, breakdowns, electronic influences, growls, we’ve got it all. Personal favorite so far is Daydreamer, besides the tracks we’ve already heard before. Stay tuned for a full review!
