Groove metal arguably came of age with Pantera’s third release for East/West Records, 1994’s ‘Far Beyond Driven’. Taking the sound the band had pretty much perfected on 1992’s ‘Vulgar Display of Power’ and cranking the dials into the red on all fronts, it became the blueprint for all to follow. There have been some great bands working within the metal subgenre since that time, of course, but arguably, Lamb of God set a new standard with ‘Ashes of the Wake’ in 2004.
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THE BLACK MILK PROJECT – Holes EP
The home of steel, Def Leppard, Cockers Joe & Jarvis (unrelated), Arctic Monkeys and the backdrop for Threads – arguably the most frightening film ever – Sheffield isn’t always a city we necessarily associate with easiness, funk or jazz, but from within the city’s smog comes The Black Milk Project, an unlikely named trio whose debut EP shows the kind of comfort and self-confidence within their chosen musical niche, you’d think they were spawned from somewhere more cosmopolitan…and possibly twenty-something years earlier. Their sounds, dominated by a flowing quality that’s sometimes a throwback to early 90s acid jazz, always have flair, but also a crispness that really helps such easy tones not drift too far towards the easy listening.
HECTOR AND THE LEAVES – Little Bee EP
London based singer-songwriter Tom Hector has an old spirit. On this, his third EP, his music has a dreamy quality, resurrecting sixties pop and sunny attitudes, replayed through a sort of nineties filter. It results in four tunes that might appeal to fans of the Beach Boys or The Feeling, yet at the same time he presents material that holds on to a slightly woozy attitude that might just catch the ear of those who’ve followed the solo career of The Bluetones’ Mark Morriss.
TOM BAKER & THE SNAKES – 4 Stars EP
“Ah. What’s that, K-9? A huge sound coming from that far off nebula? Things might get rocky, so you’d better stay and guard the TARDIS.” It’s hard not to hear the name Tom Baker and not visualise a curly-haired, long-scarfed eccentric and his camp robot dog, isn’t it? Well, joking aside, here’s a different Tom Baker for you: a Boston native primed and ready to crack your skulls with a semi-raucous three guitar assault. To kick off 2016, Baker, sometime member of The Dirty Truckers, has teamed up with various other Boston alumni – fellow Trucker John Brookhouse (g/v); Gymnasium’s Charles Hansen (g), John Sheeran of Family Township (bass) and Watts’ tub thumper John Blout, all of whom are on hand to bring more than a touch of their own Stones obsessed style on three very sweaty and shamelessly retro numbers.
CLIMBING ALICE – Melt Yourself Up EP
Wakefield’s Climbing Alice mix various alt-rock styles into a sound they self-bill as Alt-Popp. For the average listener, what this actually means is that they’ve taken a slab of post-grunge guitar noise, a generous helping of goth and a pinch of shoegazey jangle and come out winning. There mightn’t be anything overtly new about this band’s music, but – as evidenced upon this debut EP – it’s all played with a fiery passion…and most importantly, it’s got the riffs.