Prior to forming From Under Concrete Kings, vocalist Joseph Isayea and bassist Previte had spent many years working together in various other bands. Between Previte’s love of heavy distortion and a frontman capable of creating a sound that raised the bar in terms of deep intensive growls, the duo soon marked themselves out as being able to create a truly fearsome sound. While they obviously understand each other and share a similar vision in terms of creativity, it was the addition of drummer Freddy Valesco (sometime of hardcore band Great American Ghost) that made things finally gel.
Category Archives: Album & EP Reviews
KINGS NEVER DIE – Raise A Glass EP
On their debut EP ‘Raise A Glass’, Kings Never Die channel an early 90s spirit. With four tracks that revisit a hardcore/metal crossover sounds of New York, it’s an EP that’s set to give listeners a real shot of nostalgia. Given that the band features ex-Dog Eat Dog guitarist Dan Nastasi, Mucky Pup’s John Milnes and Inhuman’s Larry Nieroda, their desire to keep things retro probably shouldn’t come as a too much of a surprise.
GLENN HUGHES – Songs In The Key Of Rock
With the string of superb albums starting with 1992’s ‘From Now On…’ through to 1999’s ‘The Way It Is’, the legendary Glenn Hughes released his most consistent block of work ever. Moving into the new century, both ‘Return of The Crystal Karma’ (2000) and ‘Soul of A New Machine’ were enjoyable enough, but sometimes lacked the overall consistency of those 90s albums. In 2003, Hughes released ‘Songs In The Key of Rock’, an album that pretty much showed off his full vocal range on a collection of brilliantly constructed hard rock tunes.
Def Leppard to release ‘Early Years: 79-81’ box set in March
Def Leppard will release a new box set, ‘Early Years: 79-81 on March 20th. The 5CD package provides a comprehensive collection of the band’s work prior to the arrival of Phil Collen and the release of 1983’s multi-million selling ‘Pyromania’.
Included in the box set are the band’s first two albums – 1980’s ‘On Through The Night’ and 1981’s ‘High & Dry’, alongside the relevant b-sides and single releases.
YUR MUM – Ellipsis EP
A few seconds into this 2019 EP from London based two-piece rock band Yur Mum, it becomes evident that first impressions most definitely do not apply. ‘What Do You Want?’ wastes no time in cranking a huge riff – part 90s metal, part stoner rock – that makes the band sound like a cross between Godsmack and the heaviest parts of Shinedown. It’s most definitely not what you’d expect from a band who’ve decided that a moniker like Yur Mum best represents them. As the track progresses with a mid-paced, absolute crusher of a riff – something that’s brilliantly juxtaposed with Anelise Kunz’s howling and almost brattish vocal – you’ll soon realise that, despite appearances, these guys are serious. …And then, with a teeny bit more time to acclimatise to their heavy sound, you’ll then realise that the brilliant, groove laden riffs have enough force and volume to take on a full spectrum of moods. Nope, this is certainly not the work of a band whom, in name terms, might have you believe they were a teen pop-punk phenomenon.