One of the things I like about compilation albums is the wide mix of bands on them – it’s not so bad if you don’t like one of the bands because there are plenty more to choose from. The Uprising is one such album, featuring 15 tracks from unsigned and independent British bands and was put together by BritRockArmy.
The album opens with Visions by Promethium, which is a fantastic track with some excellent-sounding vocals. As a whole, the track is wildly catchy and definitely one of the better songs of the album – a brilliant way to start things off. Following it is Last Way Out by The Blacklist Saints, which is another incredibly strong track. Even on my first listen to it, by the end of the song I was already finding myself singing along with the chorus to it. With gritty-sounding vocals, and loud and dirty guitars, this was always going to a band I’d gravitate towards. Having recently been awarded the title of ‘Best New Band’ at the Pure Rawk 2013 awards, it’s clear why – this band are going to go far if this track is anything to go by.
Third track Runaway by East Of The Sun is a bit of a grower, not capturing my interest as much as the two previous songs. After a few listens, I enjoyed it a little more before heading onto the next track, Never Get Back by Cold Fields. Admittedly I am not a fan of the indie genre and subsequently I really struggled to connect with this one. It just seemed a little slow-paced and dull in comparison to the other songs, no matter how many times I listened to it.
The following track Memories by Little Shadows has a bit more “get up and go” to it. With some stunning guitar playing, it’s a very well constructed track that showcases some very talented musicianship. Sixth track I’m Coming Home by Angelo Tristan takes a more laid-back approach, with some beautifully soulful vocals and simplistic guitar at the start before building up into a massive song by the time the chorus kicks in. An all-round beautiful song. Fallen by Resin is another of the more acoustic tracks, this time with a more grungey feel to it, which works really well. The track is a little lacking in the energy department, but it otherwise sounded great.
Dancing On My Own by The Monicas is a bit of a letdown vocals-wise, but the song itself is good. It seems like a good one to dance to, which is ironic given the name! Feverglass by The Sonic Revolvers is another slower one and features a rather brilliant guitar solo at around the three-minute mark. The switches between the full band and just vocals and guitar worked really well and the whole thing just seemed to flow effortlessly. A quietly brilliant track.
As soon as the introduction for Save Me by Aphemia kicked in, I instantaneously knew that this one was going to be my favourite track of the album. Sometimes when you hear the first few notes of a song, you just get a feeling you’re going to love it and this was definitely the case with this one. Everything about this song is utter brilliance – the instrumentation is a perfect mix of electronic and rock, and the vocals fit the band incredibly well. I cannot sing the praises of this band enough and I will surely be checking them out over the next few days – something I recommend everyone reading this review to do!
Poor You by Crooked Dawn was a bit of a letdown after the excellence of Aphemia. Some sections dragged and seemed a little too lengthy, but it did have some stunning and unique vocals, which can never be a bad thing. The next song Beige, by Kill For Eden is a more lighthearted-sounding track. It took a few listens before it properly “grabbed” me, but the female vocals fit the genre of the track well and lifted it up, somewhat. Similarly, Little Bird by The Fireflys was another song I struggled to connect with as the lyrics were a little repetitive but looking past that, it is a fairly catchy song with an interesting bassline in the background.
Penultimate track Better Off Dead by Zodiac N Black has a more classic feel to it. With huge-sounding vocals and some fantastic drumming, it is an enjoyable track that leads in nicely to the final track of the album, Shine On by The Universal, which is a track in a similar style. An energetic song that is no-doubt a crowd favourite in a live atmosphere, it rounded off the album on a high.
As a whole, The Uprising is a well put-together showcase of some fantastic upcoming talent in the UK. It will be interesting to see what 2013 holds for some of these bands.
http://www.britrockarmy.blogspot.com
8/10
Hey there. Glad you liked the Aphemia track! We were so pleased to have it selected by BritRockArmy.
Massive thanks for taking the time to write a detailed review on the compilation album. It means a lot to unsigned bands to get this kind of feedback.
Stay in touch. We’ve got another smoking track ‘Playing Dead’ that isn’t too far away from being finished 🙂
Rick
Aphemia
Absolutely brilliant, thanks for the very kind words on our awesome loved track, Feverglass.
To Phil – thank you very much, I’m glad you liked it!
To Lee – I’m sorry I spelt your bands name wrong. I will ask the editor to fix it soon. That was the way it was spelt in the press release/download I received of it so naturally I assumed that was the correct spelling.
I would have loved you to of spelt the name of my band right. Its Fireflys, not “Fireflies” and little bird is about a known Paedophile around our way,Just thought id let you know.
Thanks so much for the review. So nice to read such honesty in an album review!!