Witch Casket Unboxing // November 2017

I have been SO excited about receiving my first Witch Casket! I absolutely LOVED it. I decided to do something a little different to what I usually do on my blog posts. This time I decided to film me opening My Witch Casket. Something I know people like to watch (I know I do!). 

I know it's not the most exciting of unboxing videos, or unboxing videos. But I wanted to get straight to the point and show you all the awesome things it contains! (I especially love the picture; I have framed and the bag which I will be storing my daily make up in). 

As this is my first video, it's also me just experimenting, and giving my brain a nudge on how to use Final Cut Pro again, as I haven't since Uni. I'm sure I will find my flow and way of doing things soon. Then we can make them more exciting! 

If you have any suggestions on how you'd like me to open my December box, please let me know! :)

Enjoy! ☾ ☼ ☆

x

Gideon - Cold

I'm going to put it out there. This girl, right here, is a bit of a mellon. I spent all day thinking about what albums would be in my ultimate list of 2017, when the album I have been listening to the most lately completely slipped my mind. So for the record, Gideon, Cold, would be up there in my top 10.

You see I hadn't really took the time out to listen to Gideon, until earlier this year. They had always been a band i'd heard about, and listen to no more than a song or two, but for some reason it took me up until them being announced as support for In Hearts Wake on their UK stretch this year, for me to sit and appreciate them.

So by now I think I can consider myself a Gideon fan. Of course this journey started off with me listening to their most recent record, Cold. 

One of the first things I noticed from reading the track list was there was a few familiar faces featured in this album. With guest vocals from Jamey Jasta of Hatebreed, Caleb Shomo of Beartooth AND Bryan Garris of Knocked Loose, it would be wrong to say that this did not instantly make me intrigued. You know what I loved about the use of guest vocals in this album, is that the feel I get is that they weren't just added to the album for the sake of things, they weren't just their for the sake of big names. I feel like they actually contributed in a way that their parts compliment the tracks that they appear on.

And what about the first track, Champions, let's talk about that, because i'm a strong believer in that the first track plays a big part in an album. It's the first song you're going to hear, it's going to set your expectations for the rest of the album. Champions is a great choice of an intro for this album. The opening riff builds anticipation before the song has even started, and before you know it you're moshing along in your living room. 

Cursed is just as much as a culprit for this. After hearing this just once, you're going to be waiting for the next time, ready to shout "CURSED!". But I think it has to be said that from the entire album, I have a favourite song; Pulling Teeth. If you listen at about 2 and a half minutes in, you will see why. But that's just my own personal pleasure! 

I love The Ghost Inside feel that Gideon has to them. In fact, they are probably the closest thing I have found to TGI in a while. Both the vocals and the music suggest this. I still find though that they are not an exact carbon copy to TGI, they as a band still feel fresh enough to have their own personality. It's fresh and it's not tiresome. 

Oxford Street, Christmas 2017

The countdown to Christmas begins!

I've been feeling really Christmassy the past few days, i'm starting to get that excited feeling in my belly. I still find it magical even as a 26 year old. I don't feel as stressed about it as I did this time last year, I seem to have it all under control. I've got most of the prezzie's I need to buy, I feel like I can relax in that department now and just go with the motions.

On the way to a gig the other day we took a detour to Oxford street. Usually, I hate it there. The crowds are just not for me, my stress and anxiety levels go right up. I was feeling a little more confident on this particular day, that happens sometimes. Sometimes I feel like even though I'm anxious, that I could actually face the mission. (A mission in my eyes, okay).

My point was, I took some pictures and I wanted to share.

Over Christmas i'm going to try and blog more, I was going to go all out there and say i'm going to participate in Blogmas, but that seems like a commitment. Either way, I plan to take part in the online festivities! 

x

             

My Top 8 Album Releases of 2017

Were reaching the end of the year, which means theres no better thing to do than look back on a year of music. There's been releases that I have been eagerly anticipating and felt like it was all worth the wait, and there have been some where I have been not so much had that feeling of excitement, but been more than pleasantly surprised. 

There are more than just a handful of albums out this year that I would love to shine the light on. With the likes of August Burns Red, Stick To Your Guns, who just missed it out on a place in my top 8, it was tough to choose between a whole bunch of talented artists, which looking back has been an exciting year of music. 

So, lets begin.

8) Northlane - Mesmer 

I remember the day of this release, logging into youtube and seeing that Northlane had uploaded every song off Mesmer, and thinking what? I didn't even know they were writing new music? Turns out nobody did. It was an awesome surprise, and I loved the way that we had no clue or insight before hand about the album. We could just listen to the whole thing, with a clear head, and take it for what it was.

I enjoyed this album a lot. To me, at the time, Node let me down a little. Looking back now, I feel like as I was massively into Northlane from the beginning of their journey, Adrian leaving was probably still a bit sore. I wasn't quite ready for the transformation of old to new. But now, i've grown to appreciate new Northlane with Marcus, in a different light. And Mesmer was an art piece in itself.

7) Saviour - Let Me Leave

I have featured this album before, which you can read here. The thing that was most exciting about the release of Let Me Leave was the way in which we weren't expecting this to happen anytime soon. I myself wasn't seeing Saviour get back together anytime soon, but I was absolutely over the moon to hear when they announced that they were.

We've recently been given a new single by Saviour called Empty Skies, which hopefully promises a release of a new album in the works. The sound of the new song reminds my greatly of before the split, it has a From Light To My Death Bed feel to it. And if this is them returning back to their old sound, i'm extremely excited for whats to come. 

6) Novelists - Noir 

I absolutely LOVE this band. As far as my music tastes go, Novelists directly hit the nail on the head. I can only describe Noir as a follow up to their debut album Souvenirs. 

The songs on both Noir and Souvenirs could almost be on the same album, as they all share a particular sound. They have stayed with the style of their first album, stayed true to their roots, which personally made me very happy as I loved Souvenirs so much. (There is a lot of use of the word love here, I guess you can say I really did love it). 

5) Embracer - Gospel

This is my officially cheating this list. I guess you could call this a prediction as it isn't officially out yet. And hey, i've only heard one song. 

Embracer are a small band who i've been following for quite some time. They have released two E.Ps so far, but never a full length. The full length however is out on New Years Eve, so I'm predicting this is going to be an exciting start for music going into the next year.

The song we have heard however, is Below which you can find here go have a listen if you haven't already. I'm very excited for the release of this album, and I have set my hopes and expectations high. I'll come back to this in the new year, to give you my full verdict.  

4) Counterparts - You're Not You Anymore

It was just a few days ago I mentioned this album on here for the first time. After sitting and thinking about where to put Counterparts in my list, I decided it had to be pretty far up there. 

The main thing to mention here, is that I feel like they haven't even reached their peak yet. It almost feels like they are only just getting started, and if this is a start, well, that's saying something right? 

There is nothing quite like having a album you can listen to in it's entirety, not having that urge to skip a song, and looking forward to hearing every track. That's how I felt and still do with You're Not You Anymore. Check out my summary of them playing The Dome last week here.

I'm looking forward to seeing what 2018 brings these guys. 

3) New Found glory - Makes Me Sick 

It would be a bit silly of me not to include my main boys in my favourite albums of the year. Lets be honest here, it's never going to be my favourite NFG album of all time. Times have changed, they have grown older just like me and you, music is evolving. And i'm okay with that. 

What I loved about this album, was that you can't not be happy when listening to this album (just like every other NFG song / album ever). Okay, so there were a couple of songs on the album which I admit to me are skippable, but overall I was happy. 

Hearing a few of these songs played for the first time back in October was purely magical. Because hearing the crowd sing along to tracks from Makes Me Sick, was almost as if it was a track off one of the albums they were playing in full that night. People truly loved it, the old school fans loved it. You can't beat NFG fans, they are the best. 

2) In Hearts Wake - Ark

I should have probably just stuck to doing a top 10 favourite list of Australian releases from this year, as once again they seem to be dominating the post. 

I won't try and airbrush the fact I was skeptical about the release of Ark. It was one where I wasn't really sure what to expect, maybe even swaying towards the area of doubt rather than the latter. I remember getting my hands on the record, and my first reaction was being blown away with just how catchy song after song was, to then diving deeper into the album to listen along to the lyrical content and as always, they strike me.

I've always loved In Hearts Wake for more than just the energy behind them. On a more personal level, what they write about is about subject matters that are also close to my heart. I have similar beliefs to them, and when those beliefs and topics are put to music, it becomes something beautiful. 

I guess you could say in its own way, this album is my favourite release of the year, but for different reasons.

1) Ocean Grove - The Rhapsody Tapes

When I decided to put together my list, there was no doubt about it in my mind what ultimately struck me as being my favourite release of the year. A band who I had been into for quite some time before the release and was eagerly anticipating. A band I was lucky enough to see play their first headline UK show earlier this year, at the Black Heart; at a tiny sold out venue in London. From this moment I realised these guys are going to take the music scene by a storm - watch this space! 

I have already featured The Rhapsody Tapes on my blog before, which you can find here, so it will come as no surprise and I won't go off on one again about how much I loved this album, but it truly got me excited about music again, for the first time this year. 

..2018, what have you got for us?

The Types of People At Gigs

Over all of the years that I have been going to gigs, it has come to my attention, that there are several different types of people who you come across, along the course of the evening..  

The Couple

Ah the loved up couple. He's standing behind her, arms around her like a protective forcefield. They will be, not right at the front, but somewhere close. The people around them are having a great time but they will not budge for anyone, occasionally things may get a little intimate. These people don't have any boundaries when it comes to public displays of affection. 

The Guy Who's Lost His Shoe

You don't know when this is exactly going to happen, but what you do know is that, it's going to happen. You don't ever meet the owner of the lost shoe, or see anyone without a shoe, but what you do see is an arm in the air holding a shoe. That shoe is usually, most definitely, a DC. Sometimes the shoe might even fly across the room. 

The Guy That Has No Clue

Usually a local. Fancies a night out, turns up, probably already on the tins, but you will spot him bobbing through the crowd in an unusual dancing fashion, with a beer in the other hand. He doesn't have a clue because this isn't his usual scene, he's just come because to him it's a local gig. He's also going to be wearing a jacket.

The Guy In The Leather Jacket

Please not this leather jacket is not always a leather jacket, so be warned they may be disguised by wearing something else. Never the less it will still be a jacket. The thing will either be soaked in their own sweat, ready to rub off on you, or you will just be left wondering how the hell this guy has no dropped dead from heat exhaustion yet. 

The Drinkers

One of my favourites, in a sarcastic kinda way. These guys could happily enjoy their night with a cheeky pint, the majority of us do, but they don't like to finish it before the band comes on. They like to push their way forward and stand directly where a pit is clearly going to break out, and they stand there and wait for the band to come on, full pint in hand, to wonder why there drink has been spilt over not just them but the people surrounding them, during the first 5 seconds of the first song. Best 6 quid ever I bet. Logic. 

The Crowd Surfer

Part of the experience, we know. But is there a thing as too much? You usually see this guy more than once throughout the evening, he won't stop, he will keep on coming back. If you're lucky, you may even get kicked in the head by this person. He doesn't care, just know he's having a good time whilst you have to stop what you're doing to make sure he's thrown to safety.

The One Who Has Spent The Past Few Months Planning His Outfit

He might have even gone all the way out and ironed his mosh shorts, he's dusted off his snapback, you'll find him in the pit. To them, every year is 2006.

The Mega Fan 

This one is a special kind of person, as it can go alongside the previous person we have discussed, or they can be a whole new category of their own. In some cases you will find it to be socially acceptable, there are a few. The one who wears the band merch of the band they are going to see. Some may go for a subtle t-shirt, or hooded garment, others will go the whole stretch. Why stop at a t-shirt? Why not pair that Emmure T-shirt with a snapback and shorts. Make a statement. 

This was by in no means meant to be offensive, it was just meant to be a bit of fun. And If I do cause any offence, please accept my apologies. I had a lot of fun thinking about this, I just wanted to over dramatise.

I'm interested to know if anyone else has anything they would like to add, because I am almost certain there are some I have missed.

Counterparts // The Dome, London // 18.11.2017

The Dome seems to be slowly working it's way up to being recognised as the next big thing in terms of venues around London. I have been there a few times before, mainly for bands that my partner likes. So Counterparts was refreshing as I hadn't seen a band play there that I was that into until now. But there is no hiding the fact that they are putting on all these great shows more frequently than ever, getting bigger names within the alternative and metal music scene, and I guess giving other great venues around the London area a run for their money. Especially after now they seem to have given The Dome itself a bit of a make over, it looks and sounds awesome. 

It came to my own surprise that I seemed to enjoy seeing them here more than I did previously at The Underworld. It may also be controversial to say but it may be due to the fact that You're Not You Anymore, is probably my favourite album by them to date, it was and still is one that i truly cannot put down. I found that there is not a bad song on the album and is one that I can continually listen to the entire way through. (Not to say that this isn't the case with their previous albums).  

There was a video, but currently having technical difficulty with it, so for now I leave you with a few images and a 10 second clip of some guy losing his mind. 

Never Say Die Tour // Electric Ballroom, London // 05.11.2017

I'm no stranger to the Never Say Die Tour, and almost every year it's one of those events I look forward to. My initial thoughts when the line up was announced was that I most importantly have to go to see Polaris come over to the UK for the first time. Followed closely by, can't wait to see Emmure again for the hundredth. 

Unfortunately, this post will start of a bit of a low note, as I never actually got to see Polaris, and I was gutted. But due to the major disruption of the train lines that day between Milton Keynes and Euston, there was no physical way of getting there any earlier than we did. And to be fair, in situations like that, my heart goes out more to the reason that situation was caused. Anyways, moving on.

So, we arrived on time for Sworn In, who are a band I for some reason just can't get into. I tried before hand, and I tried to enjoy them live, but i'm sorry to say it just wasn't happening. If anyone wants to try and change my opinion on this, I am open to that.

I was looking forward to seeing Chelsea Grin, as I saw them a few years ago at the Mosh Lives tour, and I had never really listened to them properly before that. The Mosh Lives tour changed my opinion though, as I properly enjoyed them. That still stands for this time around at the NSDT, they were just as tight as I remembered, and I came home once again wanting to listen to them. 

Deez Nuts, again, I've seen these guys a few times. For me they are a band where I like singles, not full albums. I find myself getting a bit tired of them after a while. I think that applied to me on the night too. By half way through the set, I had enough. I see why people love this band, I really do. I mean, they're fun, you can tell they are there for a good time, and I love when you can feel that from a band. But from a personal point of view, I just started to get a little bored.  

It was interesting to witness the new line up of Emmure, and after the latest album it was refreshing to hear them play some new material. Though haven been a fan of Emmure for many years, I can also say I'm a huge fan of Look At Yourself. I think my only downfall here, was that the setlist seemed to be a little short. Now I don't know if that's because I was having too much for, but I've seen them play the NSDT before, and I'm pretty sure their setlist was a lot longer previously. But you'd rather have a small amount of something great than a large amount of something terrible, right? 

So now that's all over, we can only wait for the rest of the Impericon tour announcements. I'm going to try my hardest to get out to Europe next year, IF the line up is worth it. We can only play the waiting game!

x

Why Rats Make The Best Pets

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m a dog lover and a dog lover I will always be, they are THE best pet in my opinion. But right now for me to have my own four legged maniac of a best friend, it’s just not an option.

You know, I actually forget that some people fear rats. I’ve learnt that more whilst having them. I’ve met more people who are genuinely scared of them, or turn their nose up at them, than I have people who are open to the idea of rats as pets. The first part I can understand, we all have fears, I’m not one to judge. I’m terrified of a lot of things, spiders being the most common one! But as for the second half, will now send me in defence mode and make me instantly   Want to crack out the PowerPoint presentation on why these creatures are nothing but a bundle of joy. You don’t want to make me do that. We will be here a long time.

We’ve had Shadow and Link aka ‘the boys’ for a about two months now and don't get me wrong, it’s took a lot of patience when trying to win over their hearts, but slowly it’s starting to show that it’s  all worth it. Their personalities are starting to finally come out and both have individuality.

When we first got them they were waaay to scared to even come up to the cage to say hello. They would sit in their house and make a quick dash out now and then for food. Eventually, they started to come around, and every few days they would do something new that shows they have a little more trust in us. They are still doing things now and learning new things which is the fun part! 

I think the best part about rats, is they have their own personalities. Both our rats are starting to show their own individuality. Shadow loves to cuddle and for you to chase and tickle him, which is so adorable you have no idea. Link on the other hand is a bit more of a lone wolf, he's constantly trying to cause trouble, and never sleeps. He literally doesn't leave his ledge that he sits on and patiently waits for attention. Or to be let out so he can run around, which is funny in itself. Though he always lets Shadow win in their play fights. 

The reason I think these guys make such great pets, is because like I said to Dan yesterday, they are quite unique animals. For an animal so small and dismissed by many, they are smart and intelligent, fun, loving, and adorable. Adorable may be a personal observation, but smart and loving you can not disagree. 

x