EP Review - GlassBullet - Misguided

There's no feeling better, than the first time you listen to a band you've been meaning to listen to for a while, and being completely blown away by what you hear.

This is the feeling I had when I had a first listen to 'Misguided' the debut EP from Birmingham hard rockers GlassBullett. I've been in contact with the bands bassist, Tom, on numerous occasions about doing a review, and getting them booked for a gig, but having the memory of a goldfish, it completely slipped my mind. That was until Tom sent me a gentle reminder last week, lol. So I downloaded 'Misguided' and I have to say, it is an absolute belter!!

What you have is a collection of 4 songs that show how talented these guys are, and effortless they make it seem. The EP kicks off with the title track 'Misguided', a heady mix of pounding drums, a kickass bassline, and some truly dirty guitar riffs, then there's 'the' solo!! I'll say no more about it, you simply have to listen to it yourself!! Following on in the same vein, you have 'Mind Reader', a frantic rollercoaster of a track that gives Lewis Ward an even bigger playground for his superb vocals. 'Falling Down' has a slightly darker feel to the track, although the energy and power are still there in spades!! You can certainly hear influence from the likes of AC/DC, Soundgarden, and AlterBridge throughout the EP, the latter 2, non more so in final track Rise of The River, a much slower track than the previous 3, but by no means a ballad, lol. The thumping drums, riffs of epic proportions and vocal power all still present.

A truly cracking debut from the lads from Cannock, and it's safe to say, in my opinion, these guys are gonna be a massive success, certainly on the local rock/metal scene.

GlassBullet are:
Lewis Ward - Vocals/Guitar
Ben Evans - Lead Guitar
Bradley Hopkins - Drums
Tom Bushell - Bass Guitar

Full Tracklist for 'Misguided'
1 Misguided
2 Mind Reader
3 Falling Down
4 Rise of The River

You can download 'Misguided' from GlassBullet's Bancamp page, here

EP Review - Boundary - If Looks Could Kill

Simply listening to 'If Looks Could Kill' from Coventry pop punks, Boundary doesn't really do it the justice it deserves. To get the full effect, you have to see these guys live on stage. Luckily, this can be done, next Tuesday, (June 4th) at The Roadhouse in Brum. Their live presence gives their catchy riffs and cool guitar solo's a whole new dimension. That being said, 'If Looks Could Kill' is a great EP from JJ (lead vocals), and the guys.

The EP starts with the title track 'If Looks Could Kill', and it's a cracker. It's one of those annoyingly infectious tracks you can't help but bounce your head and tap your feet to. In fact, If I wasn't writing this while listening to it, I'd be bouncing around my living room, lol!! It takes influence from the likes of Blink 182 and other American punk bands, but thankfully without the american accent, (nothing wrong with the accent, but the English accent gives it that something else). JJ gives a great vocal performance, and there's some great riffs and guitars throughout. 'Redemption' starts life with a nice piano solo, but before too long it's into the crashing drums, catchy riffs, and punky vocals. There's a neat little bridge midway through with just JJ and piano which then returns back to it's punky home with a cool guitar solo from lead guitarist Nick. There's a great feel to 'Beautiful Disaster', you can't help but feel that on home turf, with a room full of fans, it woulde just be a room full of bouncing bodies throughout. Another great guitar solo mid way through, which seperates Boundary from a lot of other pop punk bands and it's a great extra string to their bow.

It's a great EP, and a very polished 2nd piece of work from a band who have been together a litle over 18 months. If you get a chance to see these guys do their thing live, take that opportunity!!
You can download 'If Looks Could Kill' for free from this link http://boundaryuk.bandcamp.com/album/if-looks-could-kill, where you can also download their self titled debut EP.

Boundary are:
Joe Jelley (JJ) - Vocals & Guitar
Nick Atkins - Lead Guitar
Joe Orton - Drums & Percussion
Luke Gillborn - Bass Guitar

Tracklist for 'If Looks Could Kill'
1 If Looks Could Kill
2 Redemption
3 Beautiful Disaster

EP Review - Defy All Reason - Every Second Counts

 Hello!!

I love reviewing a good EP! And this offering from Welsh rockers, Defy All Reason, more than capably covers that bracket. The Wrexham boys played for BritRockArmy at the beginning of 2013, and they went down a storm!! These fab guys from Wales are the kind of band that will travel literally anywhere just to get on a stage and play to a bunch of music lovers. They draw there influences from the likes of Black Stone Cherry, Nickelback and Shinedown to name a few, and you can certainly hear these influences and more throughout their newly released debut EP. Here are my thoughts :)

The EP kicks of with the insanely catchy 'Shake It'. A great riff to start, with a fab, gritty vocal from Gav Jones. Pounding drums, great guitar, with some glimpses of great solo's, it's an awesome way to start an EP. 'Behind Those Eyes', is a complete change of pace, and mood. It's a beautifully crafted ballad, A La Bon Jovi, etc. Gav once again shows a raw, gritty quality to the vocal, but also the underlying power of his voice. The track is also home to an amazing guitar solo, and a short but great power surge towards the end, it's a great continuation, and leads brilliantly into the 3rd track, another brillaint power ballad! 'Coming Home' has hints of both the power ballads of Bon Jovi and a hint of G'NR (November Rain). Again, it's a great showcase for the tonal range, and power of Gav's voice, quite possibly the pick of the 4 tracks on the EP, with a really nice string arrangement running in the background.

 The power and edge returns with the final offering, 'Blame it on The Luck and Rock N Roll'. Some dirty riffs, great solo work from the guitars, and another powerhouse vocal from Mr Jones, bring this brilliant EP to an unfortuantely to early close.

There's a couple of things I'm looking forward to, now I've had the chance to listen to 'Every second Counts'. Firstly, getting these guys back on a stage in Birmingham with BritRockArmy, and, secondly, I'm really looking forward to what the future holds for these great guys from Wrexham.

Defy All Reason are:-
Gavin 'Gav' Jones - Lead vox, Guitar
Darren 'Daz' Jones - Backing vox, Guitar
Lee 'Skeggsy' Shenton - Bass guitar
James 'Rad' Radhi - Drums

Full Track list for 'Every Second Counts'
1 Shake it
2 Behind Those Eyes
3 Coming Home
4 Blame it on The Luck and Rock N Roll