Mad About Rock

  i-ATLAS have unveiled their new single and video, Touch The Sky, out now, ahead of the release of their debut EP, 'Beyond The New Horizon', out on Friday. Watch the video, 'Touch The Sky', here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3MzcA8C1kY With the band on the rise, we exclusively spoke to Ondy and Andre about the tracks that have helped shape their sound: Ondy’s choices: Limp Bizkit – Gimmie the Mic "I picked this song, coz I love Limp Bizkit’s phat riffs and even phatter beats, but I thought this song was a missed song by most people. Being on the Results May Vary album, surprisingly, it’s not even a Wes Borland riff, as he’d left the band then. I think the DJ effects are awesome; that kinda give a small mellow breakdown, just for a few bars at the end of the verses, before then going mental again. I love it!" Muse – Unravelling "In my opinion, by far the most amazing Muse track ever. My Mrs and I quite often rock out to Muse very early in the...

  Scottish alt-rockers STAY FOR TOMORROW have released their new single and video, 'Nonsense', out now. The track is taken from their forthcoming album, 'When Hope’s Gone', due Friday 25th September. Check out the video for Nonsense, here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFdj-ROonnQ Bat Out of Hell by Meat Loaf "I feel a song that has influenced part of our sound and the way we write music is Bat Out of Hell by Meat Loaf. You might think that’s an unusual choice, but I feel we aim to bring that same anthemic and theatrical feel to our songs, with big production and a sense of scale. No two songs are the same, and we always try to make each one as big and full as possible. We really focus on getting the most out of the production and theatrical elements, which helps give our music its own identity and makes our sound difficult to pin down" - Gemma  Wickham - (Piano/Synth/Bass Synth/Backing Vocals) Blind Man by Black Stone Cherry "Black Stone Cherry have ...

  Brit alternative rock duo LOST VELVET drop their debut album Dark Cells, out on Friday 4th September. Mixed by Michael Patterson, whose credits include Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross and Puscifer, Dark Cells finds LOST VELVET somewhere between post-rock atmosphere, shoegaze haze and industrial unease — combining distorted guitars, darkwave textures, subtle electronics and intertwined vocals. We exclusively caught up with the band and asked for this track by track breakdown of the album: 2003 “2003” blends shimmering guitar, enthralling piano and commanding drums into an almost euphoric dream-pop pull before collapsing into waves of dark rock, dissonance and unsettling tension. Built around sharp dynamic shifts between light and heavy, the track captures the spiral of unspoken thoughts and the feeling of becoming lost inside your own head." Dark Cells “Dark Cells” is the heaviest and most immersive track on the album, combining thunderous guitars, hypnotic dual vocals and shadow...

  Brit heavyweights XENITH are close to unleashing their debut album, 'To No Avail', on Friday 28th August, which showcases their deadly blend of melodic death metal and thrash. Ahead of the album release, they have dropped new single/video 'Incite The Tragedy'. See the video for the track below. We exclusively asked the band to give us the top five tracks that have greatly influenced their sound and debut offering: Opeth - The Moor "The influence of Opeth on Xenith can’t go overstated. They really showed me  that you can incorporate as many influences as you want into a song and still  make it cohesive. The Moor in particular really inspired us to open our album  with a folky acoustic passage." Panopticon - A Superior Lament "Similar to Opeth, Panopticon is another band that really helped me think less about staying within confined genres. A Superior Lament opens with such a ballsy riff but its also so beautifully melancholic, this was key inspirat...

  Scottish rock band KELOWNA unveil their debut album, 'Superstar', on Friday 28th August. With the band growing and momentum building, we exclusively asked the guys for the songs that have greatly shaped their sound: Rival Sons - Nobody Wants To Die "The song's powerful blend of blues, soul and modern rock struck a chord with vocalist Davy Wilson, while still echoing the timeless influence of Free and Bad Company, two bands that have shaped him enormously as a singer-songwriter. That combination of raw emotion, dynamic musicianship and classic rock spirit is something we strive to capture in our own music. Our track ‘Midnight Rider’ in particular was heavily inspired by this". The Datsuns - Harmonic Generator "The Datsuns debut album was the first album bought by guitarist Paul Mooney with his own pocket money as a kid. He was drawn in by the simplicity of the guitar riff, and how rather than using complex chords or melodies, it's the static rhythm of...

  Brit hard hitters GARROW HILL charge onwards with their potent new single and video, 'Eaten by Crows', which will be followed by their new EP, 'IX', out on Friday 31st July. Check out the video here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89ZCS97bxC0 We exclusively asked the band to give us the top five tracks that have greatly influenced their sound: Anthrax – Belly of the Beast "The bass tone on Belly of the Beast—that snarling mid-range grind and relentless rhythmic punch—has become a core influence on Garrow Hill. It shaped how we approach low-end presence: aggressive, articulate and always driving the song forward. That sound pushed us toward tighter arrangements, stronger dynamics and a more commanding sense of groove throughout our music." Dead Kennedys – Nazi Punks Fuck Off "The confrontational lyrical attack of Nazi Punks Fuck Off showed us the power of direct, uncompromising songwriting. That influence pushed Garrow Hill toward bolder writin...

  We exclusively caught up with Brit alternative rock trio VEINS who are poised to drop their long-awaited debut album, 'A New Forever', due Friday 5th June. The band have given us this track by track breakdown of the album: “ Criminal is about how life can shift in an instant. Perceptions change with the press of a button. Good becomes evil, and public opinion rules, regardless of the facts. In a world where clickbait is king, reality becomes distorted and the truth is ignored". " Reign Down is about defying the hand you’ve been dealt. Inspired by frontman Stevie Rees’ sister’s battle with neurofibromatosis type 2, a genetic disease causing tumors on the brain and spine, the song explores survival, resilience, and the relentless urge to embrace life fully, cherishing every fleeting moment." "I Keep Falling is inspired by the short film Nuit Blanche by Arev Manoukian. It captures a fleeting, magical moment between two strangers, revealing an intense yet...

  UK alt-rockers VERSUS have just dropped their stunning new single and video, 'This Is Everything', which is out now. Check it out below: With the band on the up, we exclusively checked in and asked the guys which tracks have greatly influenced their engulfing sound: Bring Me The Horizon - Can You Feel My Heart "The intro to this just has that special ‘something’ with the synths and drums giving such an immense build up to hit the first verse and the raw and aggressive vocals deliver such crushing lyrics that just kick this shit out of everything else – how could anyone listen to this track and not want to pick up a guitar and write something that is completely outside the box?" Dayseeker - Crooked Soul "That guitar intro blows us away every single time. The emotional weight on the vocals just adds to those lead lines in the background. Rhythm section is so tight throughout which really gives you the impact in the breakdown that everyone needs, and we lo...

  We checked in with rising UK hard hitters OPENSIGHT and asked the band to exclusively reveal the five songs that have greatly shaped their sound, and here's the lowdown: "Choosing only five songs was difficult, but it was also a really interesting and cool exercise. Opensight has always drawn inspiration from different places: heavy metal, hard rock, cult cinema, vintage video game music, progressive music, spy themes, horror scores and plenty of other corners. Rather than choosing five favourites, we thought it would make more sense to pick songs that connect in some way with the ingredients behind our new album, The Outfit. Of course, that means leaving out a lot of artists who have been hugely important to us, including Faith No More, Iron Maiden, Cynic, Fabio Frizzi, Jerry Goldsmith, Black Sabbath, Henry Mancini, Stelvio Cipriani and many more. Their influence is still there somewhere." OPETH - The Lotus Eater "The entire journey of Opeth has influenced Open...

  AMONGST LIARS triumphantly return with their brand new single and video, 'Repair Myself' - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bvm4fcbCEgE We exclusively caught up with the band and asked them to throw down the top five tracks that have greatly shaped their sound: Rage Against The Machine - Bulls on Parade "Anything Rage wise kinda helped shape our sound. This is a personal band fave though for sure. So punchy and full of attack! Tom Morello knows how to write a heavy simple riff that sticks in your head. We deffo take some cues from RATM". Bring Me The Horizon - Teardrops "Bit more electronically heavy and very Linkin Park esq I guess both Bring Me and Linkin Park are high up on influences when it comes to style. Bring Me seem ahead of the game all the time making cutting edge tunes and rolling with the times so well. So much respect for that and again it's how we want to be. Keep evolving and never standing still". Highly Suspect - Lydia "H...

  Brit hard rockers DA are set to unleash their engrossing self-titled debut album, DA, out on Friday 10th April. With this in mind, we exclusively caught up with vocalist Matt Oakman and asked him for a track by track breakdown of the album: Daisy Chains "The first track on the album looks at the ideals and dreams of young people from the 1960s hippy movement, showing how those hopes were often just wishful thinking and naive when faced with real life and people’s desire for power, money, and control. As the darker sides of people’s characters seem to be getting worse in modern times, the outlook for the future does not seem to be improving." Higher "This is a fairly basic song lyrically, about the excitement and buzz of rock 'n' roll and how it can pull you out of a bad situation, even for just a short while, and make things feel better again. It highlights how music can serve as a form of therapy during challenging periods, something many people can relate to....