Takedown Festival [Festival Review – Southampton University, 7/3/15]

The first thing that needs to be said is this: Takedown Festival 2015 was really well-run. Organising an event that takes in over 40 bands across five stages, runs to schedule, and delivers a smooth, hassle-free and fun experience for punters is a serious ask – but the Takedown crew rose to the challenge and did an awesome job. Even the security were nice guys. Or maybe paid actors.

The second thing that needs to be said? Fuck

Project RnL – ‘Twisted Truth’ [Review]

This song brought a Halloween-pumpkin grin to my face before the first bar was even through. As a long-time Project RnL supporter, I have to say that

The Aristocrats – ‘Culture Clash Live!’ [Review]

Given that Marco Minnemann’s EEPS was TMMP’s #2 album of 2014, the fact that I love Culture Clash Live! to pieces is probably not that much of a surprise.

For the uninitiated, the Aristocrats are one of the fusion community’s hottest tickets right now. A power trio comprising lead drummist Minnemann, lead bassist Bryan Beller, and axe-wielding maniac Guthrie Govan, the Aristocrats’ collective moniker is synonymous with

TMMP’s Top Albums Of 2014

The “death of the album” has been declared many times in recent years – but nonetheless, musicians keep making them and are showing no signs of stopping (and thank God for that!). Almost a decade and a half into the twenty-first century, there still exist bands and artists capable of composing immersive, engaging, and fully satisfying collections of songs that stand up to repeated, unshuffled listens. Here are fifteen of them.

TMMP’s EPs & Tracks Of 2014

I have a very strong emotional attachment to many of the releases listed below. Choosing this list was exceptionally tough; I’ve been fortunate to discover some incredible bands and artists over the past year, and it’s safe to say that outside this list lie a great many immense tunes that can be found via a quick browse through TMMP’s archives when you’re done with this lot. However, the following choices are the cream of the crop.

The Hell / Flesh Trench / The Deadlights / Toska [Live Review – The Boileroom, Guildford, 27/11/14]

Some shows are born special. Although I’m relatively new to The Hell, I’ve already become hopelessly addicted to their latest album (reviewed here) – so nothing short of a bad case of death was going to stop this show (the first of The Hell’s A Shitemare Before Christmas tour) from getting featured on TMMP.

SikTh / Heart Of A Coward / Idiom [Live Review – Concorde 2, Brighton, 11/11/14]

Outside Brighton’s favourite seafront venue, the wind is whipping up white waves that crash heavily into the shoreline. Inside, the air is moving even more violently as Idiom tear through a barnstorming set, followed in short order by Heart Of A Coward‘s crushing djent-fuelled brutality. Both bands deserve their dues for effortlessly eliciting manic reactions from a crowd set on saving their energy for the headliners.

Maxi Curnow – ‘STEM’ [Review]

Prepare to have your brain broken.

Maxi Curnow is, I suspect, not really human. As a guitarist, he’s capable of channeling Guthrie Govan, Alex Machacek, and Steve Vai; as a vocalist, Curnow can give any leading tech-metal frontman a run for his money. Calling Maxi Curnow “talented” just doesn’t work. The only option here is to go nuclear and pull out “virtuoso” instead. It may be an overused phrase these days, but it has to be said: Maxi Curnow is a virtuoso. Full stop.

Falsense – ‘One Tonne Skeleton’ [Review]

The secret to effective writing is to omit unnecessary words. So the words that follow are the only ones you need to read.

Falsense is a fucking genius.

Beneath Dead Waves – ‘Inertia’ [Review]

First things first. Beneath Dead Waves are a great band. They clearly know their shit; their instrumental technique is borderline flawless; and any self-respecting metalhead will find something to love on Inertia. Personally, I felt as if this album had been written just for me, clearly influenced as it is by many of the bands that defined me as a metal fan. There’re moments that bring to mind Dream Theater, Tool, Mudvayne, SikTh, Slipknot, and Meshuggah – and it’s clear that Beneath Dead Waves love those bands as much as I do (if not more). For that reason, Inertia has earned a special place in my heart.