ALBUM REVIEW: "Dragged Through The Dirt" by Justice For The Damned

If your idea of a good time is being beaten up and kicked repeatedly on the ground, the debut album from Justice For The Damned will be right up your alley. Jokes aside, though, it's a brutal, bruising listen, the only real reprieves from the sludgy grooves, blast beats and huge growls and pit calls coming with the first minute or so of "Beyond The Pale" and the interlude track "For Your Eyes Only". This isn't necessarily a bad thing - the band's biggest strength is their affinity for mammoth compositions of filthy riffs and crushing, bone-shuddering breakdowns (employed with impeccable taste). There is a tangible energy to these songs too, something I was fortunate enough to experience at their set supporting the excellent Ocean Grove the other week, that translates really well from a live setting to this album. There is no standout "bad song" here, simply a collection of some of the hardest, most brutal hardcore/metal jams you'll hear outside of a Nails record. At 35 minutes Dragged Through The Dirt isn't long by any stretch, but in this corner of music it is beginning to reach the limits of how long you can expose yourself to such complete sonic abuse. For me it was just sitting on the right side of the fence, but for some it could very well be overwhelming to make it all the way through in one listen. Overall it's a solid first album from a band I've been watching for a while, the lack of variety not really an issue considering the genre they are so firmly present in. It isn't rewriting any rule books, and you definitely shouldn't buy it for nan, but it will certainly have your head banging and your face melting.

Favourite Songs: Dragged Through The Dirt, No Flowers On Your Grave, Beyond The Pale and It Will Always Be My Fault

Least Favourite Song: Lilac

Rating: B

What did you think about this album? Are there any other albums you want to hear my thoughts on? Let me know in the comments.

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ALBUM REVIEW: "A Man Apart" by Ben Ottewell

Ben Ottewell's third LP A Man Apart goes boldly where he has been before, and while it certainly does that pretty well it doesn't manage to either strike new ground or any real emotional response. There is a distinctly "nice" feel to this record, which is, um, nice I guess if that's what you want. But it just doesn't feel like there's any immediacy or forward motion on any of these songs, like Ottewell is content with writing songs that could be on four wheel drive ads. Again, there isn't really anything particularly bad here, it's just a singer-songwriter album that isn't trying to break new ground. His typically growly voice is also beginning to give way to a more accessible, smooth tone, which could place you on either side of this record. For me it just cements it's place firmly in the middle ground somewhere. Favourite Songs: Own It, A Man Apart and Lead Me Least Favourite Songs: Watcher, Back To The World and Bones ...

1 YEAR LATER: "22, A Million" by Bon Iver

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EP REVIEW: "Same Kind Of Different" by Dean Lewis

Dean Lewis offers up six largely acoustic-driven tunes on his debut offering, all of which are clearly aimed at wider appeal. The acoustic-pop thing has never really done it for me (read my recent Ed Sheeran review here ), mainly because behind the slick production and singable hooks there's a general lack of songwriting to be had. This is where Same Kind Of Different sits a rung above most other similar albums; take the sugar and fairy dust away and there are still six complete songs that could be on a singer-songwriter album, rough and bare. I can appreciate the way these songs have been tailored to be played to a larger audience, but the substance behind the shine is more important to me. The six songs do sound very similar, however, and they do tend to blur together into a singular mass - which could be a good or a bad thing, depending on who you are. For me that was a bit of a concern on second and third listen, but I was generally pleased by Same Kind Of Diffe...

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