See Arctic Lights Read Powerful Pages & Feels

Arctic Lights paired with Winter Pages . Time to come in from the cold, warm up with a hot beverage and drink in these bands. If it is warm where you are I’ll make you a drink to order specs. It’s the least I can do. This batch of artists makes me proud to be a music gear and bloggo fanatic. First , Dragged is direct and blunt hardcore. Second, Arctic Lights crossed my path via the band Emperor Of Cream who also have a single in this batch. Both bands share the same bassist . Spin em both and see what’s what.

Soul Blind drops a new full length record. I wish grunge and alternative sounded as good as this in the 90’s. I don’t want to get into a pissin contest. There are exceptions but as a whole, Soul Blind steals from them and crushes most of these flannel wearing Seattle style bands. As they say in Philly , let’s gaooo !!!

Dragged S/T Demo

The intro is somewhat typical of angry ominous hard-core. Slow thudding bass. Build up. It is  nothing experimental, however..If you like hardcore and you’re really into it… Then you don’t necessarily always need to reinvent the wheel. This demo is a free download so I suggest you spread the word and support them when and if possible. Link https://draggednbhc.bandcamp.com/album/dragged?fbclid=IwAR2sItiSmz7cuBBGvyl-tQ2HhzyQBv9WzH9lqgRJq0wJXCFJ2MbXuvPXN7c

Dragged deliver some explosive brutal sounds. I don’t think this demo needs to be experimental. It’s direct and you’re either gonna feel the energy contained within or not. To those of you who are really into hardcore (last 5 years or so) please help me out with the cross references. Vocally I heard a little bit of the style of the Lack of Interest singer and musically a little bit of Shark Attack and the bands that they were turned on by. ( Get well, Matt) Workman’s Stomp is anthemic, fast , and has an Oi undertone.

Low Frequency is even faster. Like a shot of old school classic hardcore. Choice is meaner leaner and a ripper

Slowing it down but just slightly is Tough Look which is the longest song at 2:32. There is Best Wishes Cro Mags written all over the face wearing Tough Look. The feedback at the end is the cap on the bottle.

Policy picks it up again. You can hear Slapshot’s Youre No Friend Of Mine in the intro riff of Policy. What is also cool they are from Massachusetts where Slapshot is from.

Blank Stare ends the demo with an “Ahhhhhhhhh” that comes from deep in the abdomen. This is great. The whole demo makes we want to destroy stuff, go skateboard, or pepper a crowd with verbal abuse. Alas , I would not do that, but it gets my hate machine revving. Sometimes you gotta rev the engine but you don’t have to blow the shaft know what I’m sayin?

Arctic Lights – Belong (single)

In the case of this blog the squeaky wheel could still get grease. That is to say if you reach out and I think I can write about you without sounding too uninformed I just might cover you and that’s exactly what happens here. However it is arguable if I’ll make sense.

The single Belong begins with whispery vocals, guitars on the sedate spectrum that eventually take flight.

There is a darkness and tension. This may be a neighbor to goth rock if I had to throw a label on it. The last minute of Belong shape shifts into a different entity. Thumping , faster bass line.

So to hear Belong ? Easily done. Click/ Tap https://arcticlights.bandcamp.com/track/belong

Vocals that may remind me of new wave, (the good edgier new wave that is almost punk and not the cheesy pop stuff that focuses on hair) and the more dark alternative rock before it is aware of itself. Belong is not as depressing as some of the Cure’s work, but also not as monotone or dark as Bauhaus get. As far as vocals and or instruments may be concerned. These vocals simply say ” I want to belong”. Relatable as most of us feel this need or desire. The ‘outro’ or last minute stands out as a result of this shift in tone and tempo. Belong is tougher for me to write about but I think as it makes it way out into the world it will find its audience.

Also the cover is designed by Edward Butt. Edward is the bassist of another band I have come to be a fan of. That is to say Edward plays in Arctic Lights and in the band featured in the next review…

Emperor Of Ice Cream – Winter Pages – FIFA Records

The short of it, this is a dreamy winter soother. This may not be as catchy as I See You Everywhere. That is the last single I recently reviewed here. https://meatsheetfanzine.com/see-mesmerizing-autumn-feliz-sun-moon-lifetime/

On the other hand, Winter Pages seems to be more captivating for me. Offering deeply layered guitar , bass, vocals and percussion. The vocal harmonies are of similar quality. A spiraling ode to winter. If you love Beach Boy’s Pet Sounds LP and the bands that with that use similar harmony, then Winter Pages will do nicely.

It feels like the audio version of a super cold day that is ending with a frigid, yet gorgeous sunset.

Bitter, biting cold and untamed beauty. But don’t take my words too seriously without hearing it for yourself. Embedded below is the accompanying video to Winter Pages. Beautiful cinematography of tundra like landscape. Snowy forest. A female adorned with body markings. I cannot help but imagine this may be a nod to old folklore and perhaps symbolic of a goddess from days of old. If I am wrong no matter. The footage is as engaging as I find the song to be. Watch, listen and allow yourself to be swept away. All hail Emperors once again!

Soul Blind – Feel It All Around – Other People Records

Soul Blind return this time with a full length album ” Feel It All Around” For those not in the know yet, go here 7th Hell immediately begins with crushing heavy riffs. On vocals is Cen. With a singing voice reminiscent of Layne Staley this is the first time I hear a deep scream. And it’s cool, picture in your ears Staley-ish vocals with a Page Hamilton scream.

So if you’ve never heard the band, a somewhat accurate comparison would be Alice in Chains with a heavy dose of Helmet riffology. 

Second track is Bruise The Sore. On this one you can hear a song that is like the ones in their previous eps and demos. If 7th Hell is intense and focused on riffs. Bruise the Sore gives you the vocal hooks of melody that become instantly recognizable once you listen to this band a bit. 

Bruise The Sore has the feel of Third Chain and other previous Soul Blind material so for that go here https://soulblind.bandcamp.com/album/third-chain-ep Make no mistake, if Soul Blind go more the direction of 7th Hell, Bruise The Sore title track, I want to hear it.

Stuck In A Loop is covered here https://meatsheetfanzine.com/grand-court-organ-new-soul-blind/

Tribe gives you bass rumbling from skies. Searing,  brooding guitars. This song would be completely ominous if it wasn’t for how Cen sings the ” chorus” Work with me. Not sure if it is a chorus but it’s a part that differs from the intro. The guitars in the background squawk and give you a feeling of great depth and atmosphere. If I had to pick a favorite or at least a track that stands out Tribe is it.

The pairing of these two elements makes Tribe a dynamic song. Fans of more melodic stuff can probably dig it.

If the head bangers don’t appreciate the riffage here.. then you’re not worth your salt in Circus or Creem magazine back issues. 

Everyday Evil has a chord that sounds like it could be used on Helmet Betty LP. Tuned down and atypical from the punk rock and hardcore power chords that are used frequently.

The next four tracks are very good. I say this because.. They are consistent as far as total quality, sound and they feel like they fit with the rest of the songs.

For this I commend Soul Blind. If it is easy then more bands would do this. Next is All In Time. Feels like a bittersweet tale of a life event ending. Graduation, leaving a job, band breakup, or a frustrated bloggist trying to “make it”. It’s got that Soul Blind magic in it.

Almost the last track we arrive at Sparkle. Phased out guitar can be a slippery slope. Cen’s vocals and melodies help balance the heavy effects. Sometimes phase, flange, and heavy effects can muddy up the sound of a song. But Sparkle prevails. Again, magic. Soul Blind are destined for big things.

Last is the title track. This one offers the most accessibility. On one hand it showcases strong writing of lyrics, composition. The other hand I can see how die hard gatekeepers might turn up their noses to this sound if they hear this track. This track only. For me it just shows Soul Blind can write songs in a wide spectrum that they find their sound in. If they “cross over” or “go huge” does that in any way take away from the talent? I think not.

If you can help with contributions for this blog please reach out. Looking for similar stuff as above. Photos with quick blurbs. Interviews w/ bands like this. Features on bands.

Due to work life balance and support being lacking I cannot accept too many more bands to cover unless the release date is a few weeks away. Support these bands and me if you can.

Check out video blog containing similar content. Coming up is some MSPAINT material. Love it X 10. Stay well and don’t let the holidays and state of things drag you down. Watch out for each other. Let’s raise up the frequencies. Peace.