| CD REVIEW Dead Swans |
 |
|
Band : Dead Swans Although this British Hardcore band has only been around since 2006, it looks like it’s already destined to become a worthy contender to the throne and its American counterparts (let’s be frank, as far as Hardcore is concerned, the music business relies mostly on the US!). Originally, the band was started as a side-project for the Brighton & London based quintet (composed of singer Nick Warrington, guitarists Robbie and Stewart “Pid” Payne, bassist Benjamin, and drummer Benny), but releasing their debut EP Southern Blue (first on 7-inch vinyl through Anchors Aweigh and then some time later in CD form through Thirty Days Of Night Records) proved to show that the band’s ferocious and visceral Hardcore had quite a few fans. Soon after the band got invited to contribute some material to a split 7-inch with established act Architects…leading to national tours with Bridge Nine bands Verse & Ruiner, but also Blacklisted, Integrity, Cancer Bats, and Gallows to promote the 7-inch…and to ever-increasing public and media attention! Towards the Fall of 2008 things had come to the point that Bridge Nine bands returning from gigs in the UK were enthousiastically telling their label’s PR people about this English band which was blowing ‘em away on the British stages. Around the same time, the band was nominated for a Kerrang! Award in the category of “Best Newcomer”. The combined events would have Bridge Nine jump to the occasion to sign the classy British outfit. After the Kerrang! thing, DS realised it was about time to spend time on a full-length release, and the contact with Bridge Nine came just at the appropriate time, as the band was eager to take their music to every nook and cranny of the world at large, and B9 would certainly be the label to help them achieve such goals! Meanwhile, the band did a UK tour with Bring Me The Horizon in late September/ early October 2008, and even before they entered the Getaway Group studio to record their debut album with Jay Maas, B9 organized a 12-day/gig tour with This Is Hell and The Blackout Argument (UK, Belgium, Germany & Slovakia) at the beginning of April, followed by a short West Coast tour (just 4 gigs) of the US with The Carrier (one of which would be at the New England Metal And Hardcore Festival). In late July, the label also issued the limited (to 1,000 copies) 7-inch vinyl EP It’s Starting, featuring 2 songs off the upcoming album complimented by exclusive covers of Black Flag and My Bloody Valentine. The label describes DS’ sound quite acurately as a “…turn of the century Boston Hardcore like American Nightmare and Right Brigade…”, and if you like your Hardcore mean and viscious, with a touch of both Punk and Metal at the fringes and a singer who shouts/screams out his guts (again correctly, the label states the album to be “…a ferocious and cathartic experience…”)…then you should definitely check out this band. For the time being you can listen to a couple of songs at either the band’s Myspace or Last.fm pages, but you can also wait around for the quintet to come play in your neighborhood this Fall: they’re on tour in September and will be playing in the UK (starting & finishing the tour there, oobviously), Germany, Austria, Sweden & Denmark, Holland (Sept.13 at The Stage in Arnhem), and Belgium (at Gent’s Frontline on the 14th). Long time since I’ve experienced a band this refreshingly aggressive…hence the “Best (Hardcore) Album of 2009” nomination! 98/100 |