Mick Birchall Reviews

Another year goes by and once again, I have catalogued my top 20 albums of the year. I thought it was going to be a lot harder to make my list this year, but when it came down to it, it really wasn't much of a decision. I mean there have been many times this year where I have said that a certain album was the best of the year, but when I really thought about it, my album of the year is the one I listen to the most. Something so captivation that it rewards repeated listens. So, that's the criteria I judge on. 2019 was a year filled with some amazing music. The records I have been listening to are one with excellent songwriting, brilliant musicianship and a lot of powerful emotions. Now, this is purely my own opinion and obviously, you are free to your own opinion, I just wanted to get my favourites out there. As always, if you haven't listened to any of the below, then please take the time to listen as it's all good music. 20. Swamp Born Assassins - Dead Man's Tr...

In all honesty, it is heart-breaking to write this piece. It is sad to say that after garnering a massive fanbase, three incredible albums and having played countless shows, Black Moth has decided to call it a day. These guys have been one of my favourite bands to see live for a long time. They always seem to bring that energy that get's a crowd moving and moshing away. Their dark, twisted lyrics have brought so much joy to their entire fanbase and they are just simply some of the nicest people, I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. So, I decided to get myself to their farewell show in Leeds. It was the least I could do, I have been a firm supporter of them for such a long time. All the way back to when I started this reviewing malarky. Their music has always resonated with me and I really wanted to enjoy one last show from them. Also, the night had two great openers in the form of Sky Valley Mistress and VENUS . The room was filling up nicely and the drinks were fl...

This has been such a ride. I have enjoyed the music of Master Sword  for quite some time. I loved their debut record,  Shadow and Steel  when it dropped in early 2018. I like the idea of taking something so ingrained into the popular culture like The Legend of Zelda franchise and adapting it into heavy metal music. There is so much potential to harvested for such a series that has lasted over 30 years. In the summer of 2019, the band returned to their fanbase and opened a Kickstarter asking for funding to make a second record, to be titled  The Final Door . The Kickstarter goal was met on the tenth of August and the band began the production process and started the creating of the Kickstarter goals, such as t-shirts, physical copies of the album and other, more unique items that had been purchased. I, of course, put money down as soon as I could, as I feel this is a band that has particularly earned the business. I have to say the communication between the band and...

Crypitus is: Dougles Friend Peter Snee Zach Patch Joe Minard II Where do you think your passion for music came from? Pete: Ever since I was a baby I just loved music. Zach: It's way better than doing drugs Joe: I've always been into music. Doug: I’m not quite sure, there has always been something enticing about music whether it be writing or listening. Who are your biggest influences? Pete: Mastodon, Between the Buried and Me, Rush, Frank Zappa, Intervals, Chon Zach: Blake Richardson from Between the Buried and Me is my idol as far as drummers go. Joe: Metallica, Primus, System of a Down Doug: Death, Voivod, Exodus ect ect. To you, what is the most important thing about playing live? Pete: Sounding tight and not having gear issues. Zach: Playing well and leaving a lasting impression on whoever is watching. Joe: Playing good and having fun. Doug: Getting your crowd going whether it’s a full house or the few friends left at the end of the night, the crowd is so...

  Oh, how I have waited for this. I've been listening to Tantric  since I was a little kid, so having the opportunity to actually see them live was such a treat. In all honesty, after 15 years of following this band, I had thought to myself that I would have to fly to the US to see them live. So, when I saw these tour dates posted online, I immediately bought tickets, like this was the quickest I had ever bought tickets to a gig. As t his is Tantric's first-ever tour in the UK and Europe, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I mean, whenever I have brought up this band in the past I have had to explain who they are and the music they play.  So, on a cold December night, I headed out into Manchester to The Factory. I wanted to get there early for the support acts, Scarcasms and Attic Theory . Unfortunately, there weren't many people there for the night. More people did show up but the venue was near to empty. All I can say is, if you haven't seen Tantric live, you...

Before their set at The Factory in Manchester, I had the opportunity to sit down with Hugo Ferreira, Jaron Gulino, Sebastian LaBar and Ian Corabi of Tantric to discuss their first-ever tour in the UK and Europe, how the Tantric brand has been kept alive & the world of rock music today. In this interview, there is some great advice from musicians who have been in the industry for years & quite a few laughs were had throughout. As this is your first UK/European tour. Could you please tell me what it was that made you want to finally come out across the pond after so long? Hugo: It was just the right opportunity. You know, we have been touring the states for the last two years straight. So, when our agent asked us “Hey, do you guys want to break into Europe?”. We told him that we have never had the opportunity to do so. It was really a matter of “What better time than now?”. It was an interesting opportunity to really get out of our comfort zone and go say hi to som...

Where do you think your passion for music came from? Our passion for music comes from the music that we have discovered and listened to throughout our lives. It left such a profound impact on us all that we were inspired to create our own. Who are your biggest influences? Our biggest influences are mostly the trailblazers of each subgenre that we listen to; the big bands that changed music moving forward. Some examples being, Led Zeppelin, The Doors, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Van Halen, Black Sabbath, and so on. To you, what is the most important thing about playing live? The most important part about playing live is the audience’s engagement. When the crowd feels just as involved in the music as we are, it’s an incredible feeling - you feel like you’re part of a community, and changing people’s lives for the better. What is the one song you had wished you had written? This is tough to narrow down. ‘The Joker and the Thief’ by Wolfmother is definitely a song we’ve listened to rece...

Where do you think your passion for music came from? Hi, I am  Eric Gynan  co-founder of the rock band Leaving Eden and Nice to chat with you today. When I was a youngster since I could walk I played instruments that my family had. I never stopped playing. Definitely listening to rock ‘n’ roll was certainly a catalyst for my passion. It runs in the blood two of my great grandfathers had their own orchestras. Who are your biggest influences? I get this question a lot. We’ve been fortunate enough to share the stage with some of my biggest influences like Black Sabbath, Shinedown, Disturbed, Alice In Chains and Steven Tyler to just name a few. So it’s kind of like full circle being able to play with them. To you, what is the most important thing about playing live? Great question. I think the most important thing is having confidence when you walk out on the stage. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: people Are like dogs who can smell the fear. If you have confide...

I think in the last blog I wasted a little to much time with pre-emptive waffling. If you haven't read Part 1 covering the bands that played on Saturday, then please do so here - Part 1 . I'll admit I wasn't feeling so well going into the Sunday, as I got hit with the mother of all colds. So I decided to take it easy and just hang back on every band set. Which I will admit did make this day a little more enjoyable. Still, I decided to soldier nonetheless. With that out of the way let's dive into the Sunday of HRH C.R.O.W.S. Since there was nothing happing on the main stage for a little while, I spent my early afternoon upstairs at the second stage. Opening the day was country-rockers Stevie Jones and The Wildfires  and let me say that this was an excellent performance. I was immediately hooked on their sound. It was a lot less hard rock than anything that was played on Saturday. His songs were filled with these sharp singer-songwriter like details that really kept m...