This is the new band from Graham ‘Pin’ Pinney, the former guitarist from quirky UK progressive metallers Sikth, who experienced some solid worldwide success during the 2000s before disbanding unexpectedly in 2008. They were also one of the pioneers of the current ‘djent’ movement (Periphery, Tesseract, Animals as Leaders etc), which is riding the crest of a wave at the moment.

The new band Aliases have backed off a little on that quirk factor (although they still certainly have their own unique charm about them), and injected a little more rocket fuel into their sound. As much as I dug Sikth, this is definitely for the better. Safer Than Reality is an absolute monster, bristling with intensity, and of course with the instrumental dexterity to ram the message home like a fist to the face. It will certainly appeal to fans of Sikth, as well as djent and progressive metal fans in general, it just gets to the point a lot quicker than that band did.

It’s pretty obvious that the focus for Aliases was to write shorter, more impactful songs and cramming in as many notes, insane rhythms and musical ideas as humanly possible whilst retaining cohesiveness in the tunes. And in this they’ve succeeded magnificently. The music packs an incredible wallop and the songs stick in your head for long moments after. These boys prove straight off the bat that they can play their arses off and write insanely catchy tunes at the same time.

And in Jay Berast they have unearthed a remarkable talent in the vocal department. He alternatively howls like a lunatic in an insane asylum and sooths the ear with his melodic crooning. And does both with incredible aplomb.

My only beef is that at eight relatively brief tracks and under 30 minutes of music it’s over way too quickly. But it’s all about the killer and not about the filler on this album, it’s all quality.

These guys are the hot new kid on the heavy metal block, Pin notwithstanding, but with the songwriting and musical chops to back it up to the blazes. Safer than Reality will make a strong push for this writer’s album of the year for 2011. Give it a few spins and it will blow your mind, as it has blown mine.

Rod Whitfield

Well over a decade since their last album, 1999’s Antipop, it’s like Primus never went away. Which is to say that if you liked bassist/vocalist/all round weirdo Les Claypool’s zany three piece before, you’ll still get off on their idiosyncratic stylings now. Very little has changed in 12 years, outside the band’s drummer.

One can only speculate that quite a large percentage of you would be bass players, as Primus is undoubtedly one of those very rare breeds, a band for bassists. Claypool’s wandering, funky, bass lines are the focus here, consigning virtually everything to a secondary role. Yep, even the vocals. Which is fine, considering the man is such an exquisite player. Does that sustain the interest across 13 tracks and over 50 minutes of music? That is of course in the ear of the beholder.

This album is at its best when it chooses to really funk out, such as on Tragedy’s A’Comin’, whose groove can’t help but get you tapping your feet and bobbing your head. Elsewhere, the emphasis is on the quirk factor over the funk.

If you’re unfamiliar with this band’s extensive body of work (now standing at eight albums since their inception in, believe it or not, 1984), the best way to describe the sounds of Primus is that of quirky experimental funk rock. Are they in fact too quirky for their own good? Again, that’s for the individual to decide. For this writer, who actually digs a little funk and a little strangeness now and then, it’s strictly ‘gotta be in the mood for’ music.

Rod Whitfield

Talk about longevity and a strong work ethic. Megadeth was formed in 1983 by Dave Mustaine after leaving Metallica, and for the mathematically challenged amongst us, that’s no less than 28 years ago. During that time they have released 13 studio albums, and taking into account that they took a two year hiatus in the early to mid 2000s, that’s exactly an album every two years for more than a quarter of a century. When coupled with a ridiculously heavy touring schedule, it makes one tired just thinking about it.

Drummer Shaun Drover has ‘only’ been in the band for a relatively brief seven years, but he has already been involved in three studio albums, at least two live album and countless live shows. He believes it’s simply a case of everyone in the band having the same level of commitment and dedication to the cause and being on the same page. Plus the fact that the constant creation of new music keeps things fresh for a band that have been around for so long.

“We all have the same drive,” Shaun states, “obviously we tour a great deal to support every release that we do. I just think it’s wise to do that (constantly release new material), because you don’t want to become a nostalgia act, where you keep going on tour, keep playing the hits. For us, we always celebrate our past but we’re always looking into the ‘now’. We’re current, we never rest on our laurels, we’re always trying to create a better record every time.”

The band are set to release their thirteenth studio album, titled, strangely enough, Thirteen. It’s another rabid collection of blistering metal tunes that stays true to the band’s roots and is sure to keep long standing fans happy, whilst being modern enough to keep increasing their ever-expanding fan base. It’s always a fine line to walk, but Shaun and the band are ecstatic with the results and ultimately prefer not to over think such things. “Modern, or not modern, it’s funny because in all the interviews I’ve been doing, some people say it sounds modern, and some journos say ‘wow it really sounds like some of the old stuff!’” he laughs.

“For me, it’s just a new batch of metal songs,” he explains, “the production value of it is a current production, because we’re in current times. We kinda go the same way every record, and that’s just create the best heavy metal songs that we can, and hope that our fans and journalists alike will like it as much as we did creating it.

“We really didn’t have a lot of time to do this record,” he continues, “we made the choice, we had about a nine to ten week break between tour legs, and we had a bunch of musical ideas already. So we said ‘let’s go in and cut an album at this time. And thankfully for all of us it was a very easy record to do for some weird reason…it was a very seamless record to make. It was a real blast making this record.”

Megadeth begin the Thirteen tour shortly in South and Central America, and these dates take them through to the end of the year. Early 2012 sees them headlining the massive Gigantour festival jaunt across North America alongside Motorhead, Lacuna Coil and Volbeat. But, never strangers to our shores, Shaun is extremely confident that the band will be heading Down Under in the next twelve months or so: “Well, as you know we always go to Australia with every release that we do,” he says, “it’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when.

“I don’t know at this point because I don’t know what our tour schedule is for next year beyond doing the Gigantour festival in America in January. But you know we’re going to go to Europe, you know we’re going to go to Australia, we’re going to go to Japan, we’re going to go everywhere we can just like we always do. Obviously we have an amazing fan base in Australia, so the logical answer is yes, we’ll be back.”

And the metalheads of Aussie will be waiting.

Rod Whitfield

It’s not long into Anonymous that you realise that it has Oscars written all over it. Being a period piece always helps but the fact that the story and acting seems faultless almost makes it a done deal. In some ways this goes to being close to the perfect film, the filmmakers have been careful to make every little detail perfect and the story has you guessing what will happen throughout.

For the past one hundred years people have been throwing around theories about who the real William Shakespeare was. In Anonymous we see William Shakespeare (Rafe Spall – One Day, Sus) take the credit for the plays actually written by Edward, The Earl Of Oxford (Rhys Ifans – Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Part 1, Passion Play) when Edward is actually trying to give the credit to promising writer, Ben Jonson (Sebastian Armesto – Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Strager Tides, Bright Star). The plays almost become a weapon in the Essex Rebellion as Edward, The Earl Of Southampton (Xavier Samuel – Twilight: Eclipse, Road Train) and The Earl Of Essex (Sam Reid – TV’S Whitechapel & Spooks) try to put stop to a plan by William (David Thewlis – Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Part 2, London Boulevard) and Robert Cecil (Edward Hogg – Me Or The Dog, Ollie Kepler’s Expanding Purple World) that will see Queen Elizabeth 1 (Vanessa Redgrave – Cars 2, The Whistleblower) give over her thrown to a Scotchman instead of one of her ‘bastard’ children. The film also looks at the illicit relationship between a Young Queen Elizabeth 1 (Joely Richardson – TV’S The Tudors & Nip/Tuck) and Young Edward (Jamie Campbell Bower – Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Part 2, TV’S Camelot).

Director, Roland Emmerich (2012, 10,000 BC) and screenwriter, John Orloff (Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls Of Ga’hoole, A Mighty Heart) make a brilliant team. Emmerich has re-created Elizabethan England remarkably well (the detail is faultless) while Orloff’s script goes into every detail of the saga at hand. And while the script is informative and interesting as the story unfolds it can also be confusing if someone loses concentration on the film for even a second. There seems to be a flurry of characters and because there are two stories, set forty years apart, being told simultaneously at times it can be confusing. Still, if you keep your wits around you and concentrate really hard on what is happening you’ll be fine, and you’ll actually find yourself being stunned at the brilliance of the film.

It is hard not to see Anonymous picking up at least a couple of Oscar nominations for its acting performances. Vanessa Redgrave and Rhys Ifans put in spectacular performances while Joely Richardson shouldn’t be pushed aside either. With Redgrave’s brilliant acting it’s easy to forget that Richardson plays the younger version of the Queen… and she does it remarkably well. The film also gives some younger actors a chance to shine and Sam Reid, Xavier Samuel and Sebastian Armesto certainly don’t disappoint.

If you love conspiracy theories than you certainly shouldn’t miss Anonymous, this is the kind of theory you’ll be telling your friends . about for a long time to come. With outstanding acting performances and an engrossing storyline this is a film that is going to create a lot of Oscar buzz.   

Year: 2011

Director: Roland Emmerich

Stars: Rhys Ifans, Vanessa Redgrave, Sebastian Armesto, Rafe Spall, David Thewlis, Edward Hogg, Xavier Samuel, Sam Reid, Jamie Campbell Bower, Joely Richardson

Classification: M

Runtime: 130 mins

Rating:

Dave Griffiths

Just when you say ‘they aren’t making any original movies anymore’ along comes a film that makes you eat your words. Sure alien invasion movies have been done before but Attack The Block is so original that it will truly shock you… not in the frightening sense but in the sense that somewhere out there a screenwriter actually had an original idea instead of simply just remaking something done years earlier.

Sam (Jodie Whittaker – A Thousand Kisses Deep, One Day) is a nurse who lives in a rough area of South London. Actually, she lives in a council building know as The Block. Technically, The Block is ‘run’ by gangster, Hi-Hatz (Jumayn Hunter – TV’S Vexed & The Bill) and drug dealer, Ron (Nick Frost – Paul, The Adventures Of Tintin: The Secret Of The Unicorn). Sam’s day is changed for the worst when she is mugged by Moses (John Boyega – TV’S Da Brick & Law & Order: UK) and his group of ‘thugs’ who are quickly putting fear into The Block. However, when an alien invasion begins during Sam’s mugging the tough-man Moses quickly ‘wastes’ the first alien, only to then see big and meaner aliens arrive… something the residents of The Block aren’t going to stand for.

Writer/Director, Joe Cornish (TV’S Blunder & The Adam And Joe Show) really is a breath of fresh air. See he hasn’t just created another violent alien invasion film with Attack The Block. Sure there are lots of full-on fight scenes but there is also heart and soul with this film. He tackles some pretty serious topics with the film, including why teenagers end up in gangs like this and brilliant ‘can she forgive him’ storyline between Moses and Sam. The fact that Moses mugs an innocent woman at the start of the film and by the end you are supposed to see him as a hero had failure written all over it… but such is the power of Cornish’s writing that he does it with ease. Unlike most films in this genre Cornish makes sure all his characters are truly three dimensional, he even remembers to include character development. Cornish is a brilliant filmmaker who I can’t wait to see more from.

Cornish also doesn’t rest the laurels of the film on big name actors either. Sure, Nick Frost gets top billing but he really doesn’t have that large part in the film. No the true stars here are the teens and they all do a sensational job. However, the real standout is John Boyega who not only pulls of the action scenes sensational well but when it comes to drama he shows that he should be considered one of the finest young character actors going around. Jodie Whittaker also deserves a mention for her fine performance as well.

Attack The Block doesn’t look like the kind of film that a critic would be raving about, but seriously I can’t recommend this film enough. It just goes to show that you can’t tell by the packaging how good the present will be. This ends up being a creative film with some good acting, a great suspenseful storyline and enough action to keep anyone happy. One of the biggest surprises of this year, Attack The Block is a breath of fresh air.

Year: 2011

Director: Joe Cornish

Stars: Nick Frost, Jodie Whittaker, John Boyega, Jumayn Hunter

Classification: TBC

Runtime: 88 mins

Rating:

Dave Griffiths

After the disappointment that was The Adjustment Bureau I have to admit I was pretty skeptical when approaching In Time, but I was so pleasantly surprised. This is a sci-fi that genuinely works, it’s characters are interesting and it has enough suspense to keep you on the edge of your seat. And yes to answer the elephant that is the room, Justin Timberlake’s acting is up to standout.

In Time is set in a period where people wear their life-clock ticks down on their arms. When it reaches zero you’re dead, and with time working as currency more often than not you’re going to die young. For Will Salas (Justin Timberlake – Friends With Benefits, Bad Teacher) and his mother, Rachel (Olivia Wilde – The Change-Up, Cowboys & Aliens) make ends meet by just scraping by. However, after a chance meeting with Henry Hamilton (Matt Bomer – TV’s White Collar & Chuck) and the death of Rachel Will learns the secret of how the rich live such long lives and he sets about getting revenge. With Timekeeper Raymond Leon (Cillian Murphy – Retreat, Tron: Legacy) hot on his tails Will soon finds himself teaming up with socialite, Sylvia Weis (Amanda Seyfried – A Bag Of Hammers, Red Riding Hood) in order to get his mission done.

While In Time may not be as slick as a film like The Matrix it is certainly a sci-fi that will impress. The only holes in director/screenwriter, Andrew Niccol’s (Lord Of War, S1m0ne) screenplay are only small and he has developed a storyline that does totally stuck you in. His lead character of Will is interesting and easily identifiable with, you want Will to succeed because he is technically a modern day Robin Hood. The fact that there are many questions about Sylvia’s character only adds to the suspense of the story at hand. My only major gripe is that some of the Timekeepers are given some pretty one-dimensional lines, but that can easily be excusable when you are so engulfed with the story at hand.

With a brilliant performance in The Social Network and not much to work with in Friends With Benefits and Bad Teacher all eyes are going to be on Justin Timberlake’s performance. Well he doesn’t put in an Oscar-winning performance but he does put in an effort credible enough to prove that he does actually have a future ahead of him as an actor. He is good in an action based range but also shows glimpses of a dramatic range that shows he is actually capable of much more. Here he is also well supported by Amanda Seyfried whose performance is not too dissimilar to Milla Jovovich’s in The Fifth Element. Cillian Murphy also seems to relish in the role of a mysterious Timekeeper.

In Time is certainly not an award-winning film but it will certainly hold its interest. It’s storyline is enough to keep the audience interested and you will find your eyes fixed on the screen from start to finish. Not brilliant but this sci-fi is good enough to warrant respect.

Year: 2011

Director: Andrew Niccol

Stars: Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried, Olivia Wilde, Matt Bomer, Cillian Murphy

Classification: M

Runtime: 109 mins

Rating:

Dave Griffiths

It is hard to believe that in the ten years that Evanescence have been around that they have only managed to release two albums prior to their new release, Evanescence. Mind you we are probably extremely lucky that this album even got made. In the five years since An Open Door was released Amy Lee has had extensive personal time off, there was one false start on this album in 2010 and one poor producer was shown the door mid-recording.

But, finally Evanescence has hit the shelves and the first thing that is obvious while listening to the album is that the band have become heavily influenced by the likes of Nightwish and Within Temptation, unfortunately unlike those two previous bands Evanescence just don’t have the ability to make sure every track is a gem.

The album kicks off in amazing style with the first single ‘What You Want’, a track that really embraces the symphonic metal sound and like second track, ‘Made Of Stone’ reminds you just how amazing Amy Lee’s vocals really are.

‘The Change’ sees Lee reflect with some heartfelt lyrics and the mellow sound brings a great atmosphere to the album, this is closely followed by ‘My Heart Is Broken’, another personal track for Lee that is piano driven but then builds to an extremely epic sound.

Terry Balsamo’s heavy guitar riff lifts ‘The Other Side’ to a whole new level but is then that the album takes a wrong turn. ‘Ease This’ is an ordinary sounding track that only has life breathed into it by a terrific guitar solo and Lee’s amazing voice while ‘Sick’, ‘End Of The Dream’, ‘New Way To Bleed’ and ‘Disappear’ all fail to inspire.

Luckily, Evanescence do still have a few cards up their sleeves, the sweet piano driven ‘Lost In Paradise’ is well worth another listen while ‘Oceans’ sees Lee being really heartfelt as she pours her soul into a song written about the terrible earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

It seems being soulful does work for Evanescence because two more highlights just happen to be ‘Never Go Back’ and ‘Secret Door’ which both see the band embrace a real classical Gothic sound… and it’s enough to send shivers down the listener’s spine.

If you were writing a report card for Evanescence you would have to say, ‘tries hard, but needs to do better’. It’s great that the band have embraced a newer sound but it’s sad that too many of the tracks are just…well, ordinary. Good to have them back, and let’s hope their new stuff gets better and better

Rating:

Dave Griffiths

Sitting down to review a new Coldplay album is always a daunting task. Yes, they have released some brilliant tracks over the years and deserve the massive amount of album sales they have had over the years, but they have also released some dull-as-dish-water tracks over the years that would be enough to cure anyone’s insomnia… I know at least one Melbourne radio DJ who would support that idea.

Now along comes Mylo Xyloto the next album in the Coldplay juggernaut. Two things standout instantly with this an album that lead singer Chris Martin proudly promotes as a ‘concept album’, the first one is that Coldplay have really found their groove here and secondly the experimental feel to the album makes it very easy to see that Brian Eno was involved in the process.

The change in Coldplay is evident throughout Mylo Xyloto. Pushing aside the experimental filler tracks, like the title track, ‘M.M.I.X.’ and ‘A Hopeful Transmission’ and you’ve got an album chockers of tracks that show the talent that Coldplay really have hidden away all these years.

‘Hurts Like Heaven’ sees Coldplay hit the ground running at a fast pace, and while it seems like a throwback to what the Manic Street Preachers and Pulp did early on in their careers it is a sound that really suits Coldplay. ‘Paradise’ is the second single from Mylo Xyloto and while I’ll admit I wasn’t a fan the first few times I heard it, it has actually grown on me.

‘Charlie Brown’ is where Coldplay hit their straps, to be blunt this is the perfectly orchestrated rock song. Martin also uses Mylo Xyloto to show off some talent, his acoustic tracks (‘Us Against The World’, ‘U.F.O.’ and ‘Up In Flames’) showcase a wonderful voice that it is getting better with age.

First single, ‘Every Teardrop is A Waterfall’ has the ability to plant itself in your head, while Jonny Buckland’s guitar playing is a standout on ‘Major Minus’. However, the standout on the album is the duet with R’n’B princess, Rihanna, ‘Princess Of China’. It is sensational, shows how far Coldplay has come and should be the next single released from Mylo Xyloto.

The fact that the album closes with Martin’s smooth vocal stylings on ‘Don’t Let It Break Your Heart’ and then the heavenly (take one listen to the choir and say it’s not) ‘Up With The Birds’, really does leave you wanting more.

While it does take a hard listen to hear the concept that Chris Martin says this album is based on (apparently it’s a love story between two people, one called Mylo and the other called Xyloto, and it has a happy ending), it’s not hard to hear one thing – and that is that Coldplay have finally delivered a beautiful pop-rock album with awesome talent for all to see.

Rating:

Dave Griffiths

Despite being a fan of The Barenaked Ladies I have to admit that it came as a bit of a shock to see the release of Hits From Yesterday And The Day Before, after all the band have already released one Best Of in their career (given that was ten years ago). You can’t even think that flagging sales may be the reason behind the decision because despite the fact their lead singer, Steven Page, left in 2009 the rest of the band still did quite well in the sales department.

Still, it is pretty certain that true Barenaked Ladies fans will purchase Hits From Yesterday And The Day Before and I must admit it’s a good start for those who are yet to hear this talented Canadian group as it really does cover most of their career… well most of their singles anyway.

The album kicks off with their earliest single, ‘If I Had $1000000’ which actually first hit the shelves in 1992, mark my words though, this is a track that is loved by real Barenaked Ladies fans but will possible be shunned by anyone who is not.

In fact one of the things that hits you about listening to this album is just how up and down The Barenaked Ladies’ careers have been. They certainly know how to be smooth, tracks like ‘The Old Apartment’, ‘Falling For The First Time’, ‘Testing 1,2,3’ and ‘Easy’ prove that, but they also aren’t the kind of songs that you get excited about every time you hear them.

Therefore it is lucky that the album also contains some of their more unforgettable singles. ‘Brian Wilson’ always springs to mind when people talk about good modern rock while Page’s fast-paced vocals on ‘One Week’ is still bringing people to grief in karaoke bars even to this day.

It is however tracks like ‘Pinch Me’ and ‘It’s All Been Done’ that reminds you just how good these guys are while the melodies of ‘Too Little Too Late’ and ‘Postcards’ show you why Paul McCartney has admitted to being in awe with The Barenaked Ladies melodic style.

Oh and if you’re looking for the perfect love song to put on a mix tape then you really can’t go past, ‘Call And Answer’, the one song that the band haven’t performed since Page left the band (and nobody seems to know why). The other good news is if you are looking for the theme to The Big Bang Theory then look no further. These are the guys that recorded it and this is (so far) the only place you’ll find it on a album.

Luckily The Barenaked Ladies have had more hits than misses over the years so Hits From Yesterday And The Day Before is certainly worth a listen, in fact it’s the perfect summer album. Page’s sweet melodies go hand-in-hand with warm summer winds.

Rating:

Dave Griffiths

You have to hand it to the people behind the remake of Footloose they did a pretty decent job with the movie and they have even made the soundtrack stay true to the original film but at the same time given it a major workover.

For those they haven’t seen the film the new Footloose is very ‘countrified’ and the soundtrack certainly reflects that. Kenny Loggins’ hit ‘Footloose’ gets a groovy country makeover courtesy of Blake Shelton… seriously it’s enough to make country music popular with the teens again.

Zac Brown delivers the very soulful ‘Where The River Goes’ while Lissie’s ‘Little Lovin’’ is an infectious as country can be. One of the big hits of the original Footloose was ‘Holding Out For A Hero’ and here the track is virtually unrecognizable… but in a good way. Ella Mae Bowen brings a real slowed-down Taylor Swift feel to the track, and surprisingly it works wonders.

‘Let’s Hear It For The Boy’ gets a fun makeover by Jana Kramer however, Whitney Duncan’s ‘So Sorry Mama’ sees the album dip a little because it is ordinary to the extreme. Big Rich and Gretchen Wilson team up for ‘Fake I.D.’, which is a track that is certain to become a boot-scooting favorite while Victoria Justice and Hunter Hayes slow down the classic, ‘Almost Paradise’ and give it real meaning.

Cee Lo Green and Kenny Wayne Shepherd team up on ‘Walkin’ Blues’ and give it a real blue grass feel, then comes the sensational ‘Magic In My Home’ by Jason Freeman which not only keeps the bluegrass sound going but could well be one of the best country songs released this year.

A Thousand Horses’ ‘Suicide Eyes’ sees the album dip into the ordinary but the standard rises again quickly with David Banner’s ‘Dance The Night Away’ a brilliant track to finish off a soundtrack that is a surprising joy to listen to.

The country style of the Footloose Soundtrack may scare off some listeners but this album really is worth the effort. The made over songs work well and while there are a couple of dull tracks for the most part it holds its own.

Rating:

Dave Griffiths