ALT-011 - Jet Pack, Our Final Hour, The Dark Plains, Sahara, Sixtyfours, Speed Machine, Wolfredt, Acelsia, Microwave, Die Kur

JET PACK
'Chasing Sunsets'

There aren't many bands that sound unique from the off, so when bands like Jet Pack propel themselves out of the underground and into the national limelight, we could see them becoming placed alongside the likes of Mallory Knox and Verse of whom in recent times exploded like fireworks. That said, the four-piece from the West Midlands could not emerge on a better note than by releasing their latest EP 'Chasing Sunsets', which essentially is a delicate balance of pop punk and alternative rock ballads, with a sharp and calm atmosphere as well as the flavor of a fruity range of influences and similarities, it is clear that Jet Pack will make an impression on the nation in 2013 and ultimately power themselves to greater heights, let there be lift off!

[9] RHYS STEVENSON

For Fans of: Jimmy Eat World, Reuben, Blink 182, Foo Fighters, Taking Back Sunday

'Chasing Sunsets' is out Monday 6th May 2013

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OUR FINAL HOUR
'The Moving House'

From the depths of the Irish sea arises one frantic band from the Post-Hardcore music genre, enter Our Final Hour with their latest EP 'The Moving House' and their fist-punching wall of sound. Hitting hard on all fronts, the five-piece drag together elements of furious drumming sequences with the erotic emotions excreted by the savage riffs and of course the vocals delivering a heavier performance than a WWF match. 'The Moving House' spews out a ballistic sound that will, without a doubt act as a solid foundation for Our Final Hour to build upon and endure international success as they fill in the blanks and position themselves as such, to become what can easily be dubbed the greatest band the Isle of Man has ever seen since The BeeGees.

[10] RHYS STEVENSON

For fans of: Defeater, Stick To Your Guns, Pianos Become The Teeth

'The Moving House' is out 24th June through all stores

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THE DARK PLAINS
'Come On & Get Some'

Instantly when hearing this EP, certain influences come blurting out, give the track 'Look Around' and you get stark resemblances to Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Californication". But perhaps that what makes grungers The Dark Plains tick, the groovy side to rock music and when taking into account their latest release 'Come On & Get Some', there is a myriad of different sounds emanating from each song, as if they whipped together a bunch of influences and strapped them together. You got Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chili Peppers, etc - basically you would have to be a 80's to 90's rock expert to pluck out every single reminiscing sound to professionally pigeonhole them, they are that varied in song context. But what 'Come On & Get Some' does is it delivers a rock sound that at first may elude some as being another basic, bog standard release, but in truth is a masterful wonder-piece that will get heads turning.

Download This: "Look Around"

[7.5] RHYS STEVENSON

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SAHARA
'Intox'

Basingstoke's Sahara sum up an ingenious selection of math infused Indie Rock with their four track EP 'Intox', from the start it seemed to be a bit of a boring release but once past the introductory track and onto the first song "Coming Down", the real sound begins to kick in and in the background there is a lot of math rock going on, somewhat similar to progressive rock if you like. But the core sound of the release is the Indie Rock style, drawing comparisons to The Horror's 'Skying' and bands like Minus The Bear. Love it or hate it, 'Intox' is a unique EP in it's own rights, but like many releases has it's drawbacks and one major one is there is at times too much going on, what with a slower rock sound on the forefront battling a math rock sound that sits in the background, it can get rather too much.

Download This: "Bloodhound"

[7] RHYS STEVENSON

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SIXTYFOURS
'All On You'

Every so often a band will come out of the darkness and will deliver something new to the scene that has not been explored before or has been explored but not in great depth. Therefore enter Warwickshire quartet Sixtyfours with their latest single 'All On You' which, get ready, mixes rock with the technical side of hip-hop. Exactly. Hip Rock, get it? No? Oh, well basically what rock fans can hear is not unlike Linkin Park but nowhere near sounding the same, simply imagine the rock style of funk rockers Red Hot Chili Peppers slamming into the hip-hop 'bruthahood' of LL Cool J and the like. But whether you like hip-hop or not, the fact is this band will make waves in the next year or so and as the band prepare for their next release, its 'All On You' the fans to push this band beyond their wildest dreams.

Download This: "My Sound"

[8.5] RHYS STEVENSON

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SPEED MACHINE
'Speed Machine'

Picture this you're driving down Route 66, you have just listened to Chuck Berry's 'riding along in my automobile' when you switch radio station in your car (or as you could call it your speed machine) and on comes an English Hard Rock band of the same name you called your car. The instantaneous reaction is of that you would find from films like The Cannonball Run, a quick surge of no nonsense, ballsy classic rock and with it comes the sensational power of vocal-driven music by this four-piece. The band's three track release of the same name spews out the same sort of rock you would listen to driving down the highway, nay evidential 80's rock is performed right here and can be likened to songs like 'Humans Being' by Van Halen and bands of the same class. The fun side of this release is that it carries the feeling that you can easily chill out without worrying that it could develop into a jive or even a jitterbug, even Elvis Presley would party to this sensational piece of music.

Download This: "Speed Machine"

For Fans of: The Candy Runts, Aerosmith, Van Halen

[9] RHYS STEVENSON

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WOLFREDT
'Lullabies To Vilhelmine'

One for the calm and soothing music fans, well also the electronic fans too, in fact Wolfredt's latest release 'Lullabies To Vilhelmine' delivers a smooth and dreamy feel to the atmosphere whilst the electronic parts add a sort of surreal escape to the whole dimension of the release. Originating from Estonia, Wolfredt is a project led by one Margus Voolpriit who is a musician for some prominent indie bands in the same country, but what is different from that music to this music (besides different genre) is that Margus Voolpriit lets his musical talent run wild and so what you end up with as a result of this free constructive power is an album that truly represents his own thoughts, character and feelings and that can be detected through the ever-changing tempo of the music, from the quirky sound of 'In Dreams' to the more rock-laden sound of 'Things That Remain' and so what listeners will tend to realize is that this album is like a rainbow, a musical spectrum.

Download This: "Silent Heartbeats"

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

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ACELSIA
'Dont Go Where I Can't Follow'
QUIETUDE PRODS.

The debut album by Norway's pop rock / doom rock ensemble Acelsia is finally upon us, 'Dont Go Where I Can't Follow' unravels a darkened atmosphere and lays it out across the release, like a blanket of mist with eerie sounds come from all corners of the area. But, what makes
'Dont Go Where I Can't Follow' different from all of the other pop rock bands is that they use doom metal influences in a sort of depressive and bleak manner, as to light up the darkness with a darkened, light feeling of conflicting emotions and sounds, from this comes a debut that would appeal to many rock fans alike but also those who love poetry and tragedies.

Download This: "Up On The Roof"

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

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MICROWAVE
'Thời Gian'

Calling from the Far East is Vietnamese rock veterans Microwave who way back in 2009 released their latest album 'Thời Gian', from this feast from the east comes a cooked sensation of powerful and aggressive Hard Rock / Heavy Metal aligned with the band's native Vietnamese language, so when the quintet course through their album like a pigeon with its tail on fire, looking for water to cool off in, the result is a desire for more of the same thing. 'Thời Gian' is a culturally musical experience to those outside of Vietnam and for those inside the country, it's a personal connection, but one thing that both can agree on is that Microwave are certainly Vietnamese rock legends.

Download This: "Chỉ Là Giấc Mơ"

[8.5] RHYS STEVENSON

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DIE KUR
'Era'

Die Kur or The Cure if you prefer, is an Industrial / Electro Metal outfit from the downtrodden darkened streets of London, armed with their latest effort 'Era', they deliver the early style of Industrial music, in fact likening to bands and projects like Pain, Marilyn Manson (although not as creepy), etc. What you find here is electronic beats and vocals that coalesce with the very foundations of Industrial Metal that were set out by prominent bands like Nine Inch Nails, however with the Londoners displaying a solid piece of music, the result is one that would elude most peoples perception of said music genre. This is no Rammstein, this is no Deathstars, this is Die Kur zu alle volk von England und diese band sind sicher die Industrial Metal Szene beleben in London.

Download This: "(Meeting) The Gatherer"

[8.5] RHYS STEVENSON