Introducing Headbanger HQ
Something a little bit different today and not something we’ve covered on the site or even on our live streams, we thought it was time to introduce ourselves over at Headbanger HQ so I’ll start us off. I don’t think me or Chris ever envisaged us creating a site like this 13 years ago when we first started our music adventure forming bands together with no end of issues trying to get them off the ground. But, we spent a good chunk of our late teens/ early twenties going to gigs in the local area to listen to bands even travelling up and down the country to follow one particular band who probably thought were insane.
Very old photo of one our practices.
The first album I ever heard growing up was Countdown to Extinction as my brother was a huge metal fan and would play loads of his cds especially rage against the machine when our parents were out. My first CD I ever bought which was probably a lot of peoples my age in hybrid theory this catapulted me into the world of metal and would beg my brother for CDs I could take in my Walkman on holiday. When I was about 13 my music taste changed a little as I was introduced to Alexisonfire and From Autumn to Ashes which made me appreciate screamed vocals to the point now where I love the heavier songs.
I've played in bands since I was about 18 with none of them really getting anywhere due to numerous different reasons notably due to other interests taking centre stage or having a family early, that all changed during COVID when I was working from home and playing bass every day for hours writing down ideas and sending them to friends to try get something started.
My top 5 albums of all time.
1. Buy now, Saved Later - One Minute Silence is probably my favourite band ever and just as I really appreciated the music and lyrics in the songs they were breaking up, so to say I was gutted was an understatement especially after my brother used to tell me about their live shows. Particular stand outs on the album in “1845” and “Rise and Shine” I could talk about this album for days I love every track on the album and a huge influence on the lyrics or riffs I have written.
The voice of reason is a limited trait
2. Rust in Peace - Megadeth was constantly played as I grew up as other bands of that era all took turns making albums that were less then great as did Megadeth but you'd typically get one bad followed by one good. Rust in Peace has some of the greatest basslines ever in "Five Magics" and "Holy Wars" and would be my #1 Thrash album without a shadow of a doubt.
A haven for those who walk this world
Bereft of heart and soul
3. Infected Nations - Evile were supporting at a gig in Newcastle a long time ago which had a really strange line up: Korn and Drowing Pool with support from Job for a Cowboy and Evile. I was pretty young at the time of this gig but they blew my mind with tracks like Thrasher and armoured Assault. Infected Nations was the second album by these and what an album it is from start to finish. It features probably one of my favourite songs ever in “Genocide”.
These demons are only men!
4. Burn my Eyes - Another band from my younger years, Machine Head first album came out when I was one so it wasn’t until the noughties that I heard Burn my Eyes but through Middle/High school I was in awe of this album, I used to listen to the tracks on this album as a motivational before my swimming races to try and pump me up. Unfortunately it would encourage me to sing them during races so not sure it helped! Great album and everyone should listen to this a few times.
Let freedom ring with a shotgun blast!
5. Gnosis - Ah Gnosis, the album that got me into progressive metal. I first heard Degenerate and was instantly a massive fan, absolute assault from the start with some incredibly groove filled riffs throughout finishing off with one of the sickest breakdowns I’ve heard. If it wasn’t for Monuments I’d probably not have heard some great artists like Sikth, Meshuggah, Kadinja, Northlane and plenty more.
Disaster makes them grip
Much harder round our necks
Discontent is all around
Finishing off, thought i’d include some of the albums from the more recent years that I’ve enjoyed from start to finish. When I was doing this list, I noticed one came out 13 YEARS AGO causing a bit of a existential crisis but I digress.
Too 5 recent(*) albums
1. Century of the Narcissist - Ah what a band. I’ve seen Sikth live with Loathe in a tiny place in Newcastle and it was probably my favourite gig ever, Loathe were great and Sikth just knocked it out of the park. This album features some great tracks (Century of the Narcissist, Riddle of Humanity) the guitarwork on show on this album is nothing short of exceptional. If you like this you should definitely listen to “Death of a Dead Day” by Sikth as well with Sanguine Seas of Bigotry being another banger of a track.
2. Grind the Ocean - Fuck The Safety Fire. I remember hearing Huge Hammers for the first time on Scuzz a while back and thinking this was totally unique to what I’d ever heard before and instantly bought the album when it came out. The opening riff in the song could be played on repeat for me for hours and i’d be entertained, shame the band disbanded but what an absolute banger debut album by these. Now this is the album I realised once I picked it came out 13 YEARS AGO. Still refuse to believe this sorry.
3. Alien - Now back to the present with Northlane’s 5th album. I had heard of Northlane before this album with tracks like “Singularity” and “Quantum Flux” being on my playlist frequently but I heard “Vultures” and thought this is a little different to their previous stuff then out came “Talking Heads”. It opens up with an EDM track before the brutal riffs begin and my word this was instantly on repeat for me, mixing nu metal with their progressive metal style and with EDM mixed in fused such a great track. The album has excellent tracks from start to finish, you can tell when they said it was the most personal album to date, you can hear that in the lyrics dripping with emotional every time Marcus screams.
4. The disconnect - Heart of a Coward. So I was late to the party on this one sadly, I first heard “Hollow” on Scuzz a few years back and then not long after finding them on socials they announced Jamie Graham was leaving the band which was a bit of a shitter after just finding them. Not long after they announced they had a new singer in Kaan Tasan, so I’d never heard any of his previous work so didn’t know what to expect then “Collapse” dropped. Now to say I love this song would be an understatement, it features probably one of my favourite lines in a track in “In this mindless paradigm, we can only decline” it just hits every time I hear it. Any worry about the new vocalist in Heart of a Coward are squashed for me, bringing a slightly different style to Jamie but for me a bit more range and this album was full of bangers like “Drown in Ruin”. If you haven’t had the chance, go see these live they will blow you away. I seen these in Newcastle as headline act with support from Pintglass and my word what a show it was, I had pretty bad neck pain for next few days! Perks of getting older eh?
5. DVSR Self Titled - Now you may have noticed earlier in the blog I had my favourite album as a Rap Metal band in One minute Silence so when I heard “Unconscious” off this album I was hoping to hear more and I wasn’t disappointed. DVSR fuse progressive metal/metalcore with rap to great effect and this album is full of great tracks from “Six Figures Deep” to “Forked Tongue”, if there’s any bands out there that sound like this especially ones who’ve not received the spotlight they should send them my way I’d love to cover them!
So there it is, a brief(ha) introduction to myself which will give you an idea on the music I love to hear so if your an artist with something like this i’d love to hear it and cover it on the site! We’ve got quite a few more reviews coming up over the next few days and I’m sure we’ll have Chris’ and Craigos introduction on here in the coming days!
Cheers!
