The Uppers’ debut EP ‘Get Down With…’ introduced garage rock fans to a high energy band whose stock sounds often sounded like a souped up version of The Real Kids. Armed with a 60s twang and a CBGB’s punk energy, the St. Louis four piece immediately sounded ready to take on the world.
HATRED REIGNS – Awaken The Ancients
Released five years after their well received ‘Realm I: Affection’ EP, Canadian death metallers Hatred Reigns’ ‘Awaken The Ancients’ is a full length, full throttle, intensive slab of brutality that genre fans won’t want to miss. In a little over half an hour, the band shares a speed driven approach that shares strong DNA with a few of the greats. Drawing from the pioneering works of Suffocation and Death, through to the more technical aspects of bands like Imperium, and even taking in the death/thrash crossover sound of early Sepultura in a few places, the eleven tracks convey a huge sound that reminds the listener why well played death remains so vital. However, beneath the relentless rhythmic assault and oppressive vocal stance, you’ll also experience musicianship which explores deep textures and tautly played solos that rank among some of the underground’s best.
WEIRD TALES – Second Coming, Second Crucifixion
It’s taken Weird Tales a fairly long time to actually make a record deserving of their talents. Their early works often sounded like a swampy, low budget mess; their EP of blues covers was a woefully misjudged experiment, and although their live EP from 2021 was very cool in its own way, it often sounded like there was a much better band desperate to be heard underneath the mass of distortion.
THE DROWNS – Just The Way She Goes / 1979 Trans Am
2023 was a particularly busy year for The Drowns. The US punk ‘n’ roll band – featuring ex members of The Shell Corporation, The Briggs, and Success – released a split with The Last Gang, another split with noise punks Wonk Unit, and a cover of Sweet’s classic ‘Ballroom Blitz’. The latter continued to show off their massive love for 70s glam fare, having already covered Slade’s ‘Know Who You Are’ the previous year. In addition, they toured extensively, and their live shows even took in a huge run of dates across Europe. It’s almost as if The Drowns had long given up on the idea of sleeping…
THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #27
Welcome back to the Real Gone Singles Bar, the place where we explore the various individual mp3s that have landed in our inbox over the previous few weeks. This time around, we bring you a very eclectic selection – and what we think might just be one of best SB features to date. We’ve got cosmic country; we’ve got dreampop; there’s time for a slab of indie pop with a ridiculously infectious chorus, and even a bit of bluegrass. Strap yourselves in for the ride – and, as always, if you’ve enjoyed anything here, please drop by and let us know!
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