Martyn Coppack
I was raised out of steel in the swamps of New Jersey, well, at least I like to think so. The reality is a mundane town in North Wales called Wrexham. After years of trying to escape via the means of sex, drugs and rock and roll (well, two of them are right!) I eventually settled down to a life of nappies and office work. This wasn't enough though and that urge to be Keith Richards just kept creeping up…that's when I met Dan. Like a collision of two worlds, a grand meeting of minds or just pure luck, I pestered Dan with my rather basic scrawlings on unknown punk bands only for the reply to be, you are able…join us…and so it was. I love music and I love writing so to do both is a no-brainer really. I may be the resident old school rocker of E&D but the truth could not be further away. Put aside my Springsteen fixation and you will find a nice sweet person who, when put in front of a typewriter, becomes a cross between Bukowski, Thompson and Bangs. Beware any bands who try to mollycoddle me into a good review, I bite. All music is good but in particular it has to be Americana, psych and garage for me. E&D has given me the opportunity to push my beliefs onto other people and I am forever grateful. May this go on forever! As a side note, I stilll to this day do not understand what Post-Rock is. Â
Articles by Martyn Coppack
Those yearning for some old style black metal will find a lot to like here, although there is little to make them stand out from the crowd.
Cathartic triumphalism has never sounded so emotionally devastating and delightful.
They may have been around for some years now, but as proven on Estuary, they are not ready to let up yet.
This makes it a great album for those yearning something a bit more old school amongst the countless extreme genres that exist today.
This is a great album to introduce yourselves to a fantastic addition to the UK black metal scene.
This is an album to be savoured alone, probably with the lights out, and played very loud to feel its true impact.
It may not be an immediate album, and repeated listens will certainly bear fruit to where Fen are coming from, but when it hits, it really does feel like the only music that matters.
In what’s already been a great year for thrash, Xentrix have now offered another great addition and it really does seem like the genre is having a bit of a renaissance.
An utterly bonkers, yet wonderfully delivered piece of music which hits all those emotional feels right where never knew you needed it to.
Exodus Unknown is the sound of a band ready to take on the worlds stages and win at all costs. There is a real hunger here and it wouldn’t be surprising to see them become one of the biggest bands on the UK metal scene.
It certainly beats a lot of what masquerades as tech death these days, and provides all the requisite thrills and complexities.
It may not stick strictly to the genre expectations, but contains enough to satisfy those who like their music very atmospheric.
By fusing different elements together, Stormkeep have made themselves one of the more exciting black metal bands hailing from the US. Leaving aside the usual USBM tropes they lean towards a much more European slant.
There’s a gravity to it but not in the way which makes it pompous or overbearing. It just feels natural, and maybe it’s that which makes it have such an impact each time you listen.
Within all this punk energy though, is the strong smell of patchouli oil as they embody an early 80’s Stonehenge festival vibe.
Death metal is alive and well in Cardiff on a Monday night, and as the tour progresses through the UK and into Europe you sense that each band will carry on picking up new fans
Not for them the gnarled and groove-ridden guitars, but instead a massed wall of sound that hits you like a sledgehammer.
This is music made to be played out at parties or concert halls though, with limbs flailing about and a high risk of some damage happening.
A band to keep an eye on, there is a lot here to keep the interest burning. In the main, the music is deeply satisfying and will certainly demand repeated plays.
A Pale White Dot feels less prog heavy than previous albums, although still retains those moments of technical prowess which set them apart from similar bands who play on the quiet/loud emotive style.
Two decades on from their last album, The Heads fifth is a heady stew of the sounds that make them such a vital force in psychedelic music.
