Dead Swans

Dead Swans were a five-piece melodic hardcore band from Brighton, England that were active from 2006 to 2013, with a few reunion shows played in 2016. Since then they're hasn't been any activity that I'm aware of, though vocalist Nick Worthington is currently active with Still In Love, who just released their first LP this year (which also just got featured here). When I was working on that, I realized the major oversight on my part that Dead Swans had yet to make it on here. In all honesty, they're a band I never listened to a ton but certainly enjoyed, as they were one of the premier "melodic hardcore" bands that bridged the 2000's and 2010's (no pun intended, as they were also a Bridge Nine band). They crafted a dark and raw pummelling brand of hardcore that you could say is in a similar vein as American Nightmare, Carry On, and More Than Life, but they're a distinct entity to hold their own, and Nick's scorching vocal delivery and poetic lyricism certainly hold their weight. They're also great with the gang vocals, and who doesn't love a good gang vocal? Anyway, if you're new to this band they're well worth your time, Sleepwalkers is the obvious starting point as its their only LP. Enjoy.

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Demo (2007)

1. Tin Heart

2. Preferring The Worst

Southern Blue (2007)

1. Into Dust

2. Lines Of Separation

3. Dead Until Dark

4. 20/07/07

5. The Hanging Sun

Architects/Dead Swans (2008)

1. Architects - We're All Alone

2. Architects - Broken Clocks

3. Dead Swans - In The Half Light

4. Dead Swans - Swallow

It's Starting (2009)

1. Thinking Of You

2. Ivy Archway

3. Fix Me (Black Flag cover)

4. When You Sleep (My Bloody Valentine cover)

Sleepwalkers (2009)

1. Thinking Of You

2. Ascension

3. Ivy Archway

4. Swallow

5. So Far You've Only Made Things Worse

6. 20.07.07

7. Winter Overture

8. Hide And Seek

9. ...And It Seemed So Bright

10. Montpellier To Home

11. Today, Tonight, Tomorrow

12. Tent City

Anxiety And Everything Else (2012)

1. I've Been Trying To Leave

2. Summer Of Hate

3. Dead Until Dark

4. Keep Them Shut

5. Since Day One

6. You Can Only Blame Yourself

7. Southern Blue

Before And Through (2016)

1. Tin Heart (Demo)

2. Preferring The Worst (Demo)

3. Ascension (Demo)

4. Sleepwalkers (Demo)

5. Montpelier To Home (Demo)

6. Preferring The Worst (Live)

7. In The Half Light (Live)

8. 20.07.07 (Live)

9. The Hanging Sun (Live)

10. Southern Blue (Live)

Note: Compilation including demos and live tracks

Spotify

Apple Music

Bridge Nine

Instagram

Fall Of Efrafa

Fall Of Efrafa were a five-piece post-metal/crust punk band from Brighton, England that were active from 2005 to 2009. In that time, they released a trilogy of albums all based around Richard Adam's 1972 novel Watership Down. Thus, not only are these concept albums, but this is a concept band. They use the novel's concepts and mythos to explore the cyclical rise and relationship of theocracy, dictatorship, and oppression in humanity, to give you a very basic overview of the band's themes. Lyrically, they aren't directly narrative and only use the novel as a point of reference, so it's not necessary to be familiar with, but it does enhance your experience. This is especially true in the case of the Lapine words, which is a language invented by the author and used by the rabbits in the book. There's an incredible animated film from 1978 based on the novel that may or may not be available in full on YouTube, which is worth your time to watch if you haven't read or don't plan or reading the novel.

The primary trilogy consists of three albums: Owsla, Elil, and Inlé were released over a four-year period and compiled in their entirety as The Warren Of Snares. Sonically, this band is very hard to pin down, but I'll give you a quick rundown of each entry. Owsla is the most bombastic and crust-oriented, with heavy use of d-beat and harsh, guttural vocals. Elil is cinematic and tension-building, with extensive instrumental interludes taking influence from post-rock. They conjure up a dismal atmosphere reminiscent of the apocalyptic landscapes of Godspeed You! Black Emperor. Inlé takes influence from sludge and doom metal whilst still being melodic and forlorn, with the vocals being their most cathartic. Though they all do this, this album in particular blends the heavier moments with skeletal, atmospheric passages. It makes for a fantastic closer to this trilogy, only to reveal in its final seconds that it (spoiler) links back to the start of Owsla, repeating the endless cycle.

This band is incredible and one I've wanted to share for a long time, so I'm super happy they're finally making it on here. I highly recommend checking this band out, they present a plethora of sound that makes this body of work an epic, in the truest sense of the word. Enjoy.

Owsla (2006)

1. Intro

2. Pity The Weak

3. A Soul To Bare

4. Lament

5. Last But Not Least

6. The Fall Of Efrafa

Elil (2007)

1. Beyond The Veil

2. Dominion Theology

3. For El-Ahrairah To Cry

Down To Agony/Fall Of Efrafa (2007)

1. Down To Agony - Donde Arderemos

2. Down To Agony - Giran Las Saetas

3. Fall Of Efrafa - No Longer Human

Tharn (2008)

1. Dominion Theology

The Burial (2009)

1. The Burial

Inlé (2009)

1. Simulacrum

2. Fu Inlé

3. Republic Of Heaven

4. Woundwort

5. The Sky Suspended

6. The Warren Of Snares

The Warren Of Snares (2010)

Disc 1: Owsla

1. Pity The Weak

2. A Soul To Bear

3. Lament

4. Last But Not Least

5. The Fall Of Efrafa

Disc 2: Elil

6. Beyond The Veil

7. Dominion Theology

8. For El-Ahrairah To Cry

Disc 3: Tharn

9. Dominion Theology

Disc 4: Inlé

10. Simulacrum

11. Fu Inlé

12. Republic Of Heaven

13. The Burial

14. Woundwort

15. The Sky Suspended

16. The Warren Of Snares

Owslafa (2021)

1. Pity The Weak (Demo)

2. A Soul To Bear (Demo)

3. Last But Not Least (Demo)

4. The Fall Of Efrafa (Demo)

5. Simulacrum (Live)

6. Dominion Theology (Live)

7. The Burial (Live)

8. Last But Not Least (Live)

9. The Fall Of Efrafa (Live)

10. The Warren of Snares (Live)

Note: First demo and final live performance

Bandcamp

Spotify

Apple Music

Facebook

Chalk Hands

Chalk Hands are a four-piece screamo/post-hardcore band from Brighton, UK that formed in 2017. They released a two-track EP last year, Burrows & Other Hideouts that has garnered quite a bit of attention for its seamless blend of post-rock melody and atmosphere, post-hardcore's technical prowess and non-linear song structure, and screamo's intensive vocals and chaotic instrumental collisions. This band has come out of the gate with two hard-hitting, experimental and forward-thinking tracks, carving out their own corner in the screamo/hardcore/whatever world. They've apparently been active in working on new material, which is something to definitely look out for, because based on their debut alone, Chalk Hands are going to do great things. Enjoy.

Burrows & Other Hideouts (2017)

1. Burrows

2. Arms

Reveries/Chalk Hands/Okänt (2019)

1. Reveries - Casting Shade

2. Chalk Hands - Charm

3. Okänt - Begravningsvisa/Näktergal

Don't Think About Death (2022)

1. Fail, Grasp, Restore

2. A Means To An End

3. Teeth And Nails

4. February's New Friend

5. Les Jours Passent Et Ne Me Ressemblent Pas

6. A Velleity

7. Don't Think About Death

8. The Bridge

Bandcamp

Facebook

Gnarwolves

Gnarwolves are a sick three-piece gruff pop punk band from Brighton, Cornwall. These guys are just fun as hell to listen, and play a really engaging style of pop punk. They're easily one of my favourites around now, at least. They started in 2011, and have two EP's to their name so far (I prefer Fun Club, but they're both great). I would seriously recommend them if you're into hella fun party jams that are well-written and well-played.

FFO: RVIVR, Title Fight, Bangers, Joyce Manor, Spraynard, Iron Chic

Fun Club (2011)

1. Party Jams

2. Decay

3. No Time For Old Bones

4. Reaper

5. Chlorine In The Jean Pule

CRU (2012)

1. History Is Bunk

2. We Want The Whip

3. Community, Stability, Identity

4. A Gram Is Better Than A Damn

5. Oh, Brave New World!

6. Coffee

Funemployed (2013)

1. Melody Has Big Plans

2. Tongue Surfer

3. Limerence

4. High On A Wire

Live In Glasgow (2013)

1. History Is Bunk (live)

2. A Gram Is Better Than A Damn (live)

3. No Time For Old Bones (live)

4. Tongue Surfer (live)

5. Limerence (live)

6. Gasping

7. Smoking Kills (live)

8. Everything You Think You Know (live)

9. Reaper (live)

10. Coffee (live)

11. Community, Stability, Identity (live)

12. Oh, Brave New World (live)

13. Day Man (live)

14. Melody Has Big Plans (live)

Chronicles Of Gnarnia (2014)

1. Party Jams

2. Decay

3. No Time For Old Bones

4. Reaper

5. Chlorine In The Jean Pule

6. History Is Bunk

7. We Want The Whip

8. Community, Stability, Identity

9. A Gram Is Better Than A Damn

10. Oh, Brave New World!

11. Coffee

12. Melody Has Big Plans

13. Tongue Surfer

14. Limerence

15. High On A Wire

Note: Compilation of the first three EP's

Gnarwolves (2014)

1. Prove It

2. Boneyard

3. Everything You Think You Know

4. Bottle To Bottle

5. Smoking Kills

6. Day Man

7. Hate Me (Don't Stand Still)

8. Ebb

9. Flow

10. Eat Dynamite, Kid

Outsiders (2017)

1. Straitjacket

2. Car Crash Cinema

3. Wires

4. Paint Me A Martyr

5. English Kids

6. Argument

7. The Comedown Song

8. Talking To Your Ghost

9. Channeling Brian Molko

10. Shut Up

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