Guardians
Garry from SAN PR recently dropped us a line to let us know about the upcoming self-titled mini album from North West rock unit, Guardians. Drawing influence from the likes of Foo Fighters, Jimmy Eat World and 30 Seconds To Mars, this record is described as a ‘fully fledged rock beast that warrants your attention’, which sounds pretty cool to me! Originally formed way back in 2006, the guys have gone from strength to strength over their time together, landing support slots with the likes of Status Quo, The Blackout and The Automatic, as well as receiving press in the likes of Classic Rock Magazine, Kerrang and BBC Radio 2 – so we figured it was about time we checked things out for ourselves to see what was going on!
As Intro leads us into the album, we’re greeted with sparkling sounds, opening up the album in an uplifting manner and immediately showing off a sense of melody and depth. The mix which forms is something which is light, floaty, and the sort of thing which is going to sit you back and ask you to listen, rather than asking too much of you, the calm simply engulfing you and allowing you to be led into the album slowly but surely. This calm is suddenly broken with the onset of An Enemy Of My Enemy, lifting the tempo to a new level and throwing out some melodically toned guitars, bass and drums, all backing up the powerful yet restrained vocal line. The mix which forms here isn’t over the top or overly heavy, instead opting to rely on the melody of the track to convey the message of the band and letting us know that this is going to be an album that’s going to be a joy to listen to. This sense of melody combines with a real sense of catchiness through the track, combining the guitars with the vocals to create a tone that’s sure to get you singing along, chanting, and wanting to know what’s going to follow it. Sure, there are moments of heavier style stuff going on here, but to be honest they’re still packed with melodic hooks meaning you don’t get that over the top heavy feel, and instead take on board what you’re hearing and allow it to envelop you.
New World Order continues this approach once again, this time using the pounding drum rhythms to set the tone for the track before launching us into a Jimmy Eat World style melee of hammering guitar lines, rumbling bass lines and gravelly vocals. Gang vocals mix with the raucous mix to form a sound which is upbeat, catchy, and purpose built for the live scene – this is going to be one to make sure you check out. Combining the Jimmy Eat World approach with a Lostprophets style chorus section, this track stands out as a serious high point on the record, and one which could well signal the breakthrough for the band to get some serious attention. Follow Your Heart brings about a marked change in the album, this time opening with a slowed down guitar and synth line, developing the sense of emotion within the track until we’re launched into a 30 Seconds to Mars style melee of guitars and bass. The mix here is emotional, deep and dramatic, the sort of thing which wouldn’t sound out of place on a movie soundtrack, and the sort of thing which is testament to the work these guys have put into their sound. To say this track is an achievement would be an understatement, it’s quite simply a phenomenal track, matching the high bar set by the previous track whilst managing to push it even further, showing that there’s more to the band than a simple rock unit, and that we should be taking them very seriously indeed.
Make It Out comes up next and once again, manages to provide us with another new approach from Guardians, this time adopting an indie style approach designed to get you moving and dancing along with the band. This is another track which is built for the live scene, the sort of thing which will get people singing along and secure them a slot as a must see band out on the road. Building to a crescendo to close, Interlude returns us to that calm and reflective place that we were initially taken to as the album began, sounding almost desolate after the packed tracks before this, but once again washing over you and evoking a sense of calm as it plays out. Doing what it says on the tin, this is an interlude track, providing a period of rest before the final moments of Red Eyes come around to close the album, smashing you around the face to wake you up and finishing on a hard hitting and heavy note. The final moments of this album are amongst the heaviest on the album yet still manage to retain that sense of melody, catchiness, and good fun right up until the final seconds of the track. This track closes the album on a high in the truest possible way, finishing with a track which instantly sounds like a classic, the sort of thing that you’re going to come back to time and time again, just to make sure you didn’t miss a single second of it.
Guardians have put a lot of work into this album, and listening to it you can hear how dedicated they are to their cause, to their music, and to getting their name out there to be seen. If you’ve not heard of Guardians then quite frankly you need to look them up, check out their music and see what you reckon – personally this is a band I’m going to be paying very close attention to moving forwards from here.
To find out more about Guardians, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls
As Intro leads us into the album, we’re greeted with sparkling sounds, opening up the album in an uplifting manner and immediately showing off a sense of melody and depth. The mix which forms is something which is light, floaty, and the sort of thing which is going to sit you back and ask you to listen, rather than asking too much of you, the calm simply engulfing you and allowing you to be led into the album slowly but surely. This calm is suddenly broken with the onset of An Enemy Of My Enemy, lifting the tempo to a new level and throwing out some melodically toned guitars, bass and drums, all backing up the powerful yet restrained vocal line. The mix which forms here isn’t over the top or overly heavy, instead opting to rely on the melody of the track to convey the message of the band and letting us know that this is going to be an album that’s going to be a joy to listen to. This sense of melody combines with a real sense of catchiness through the track, combining the guitars with the vocals to create a tone that’s sure to get you singing along, chanting, and wanting to know what’s going to follow it. Sure, there are moments of heavier style stuff going on here, but to be honest they’re still packed with melodic hooks meaning you don’t get that over the top heavy feel, and instead take on board what you’re hearing and allow it to envelop you.
New World Order continues this approach once again, this time using the pounding drum rhythms to set the tone for the track before launching us into a Jimmy Eat World style melee of hammering guitar lines, rumbling bass lines and gravelly vocals. Gang vocals mix with the raucous mix to form a sound which is upbeat, catchy, and purpose built for the live scene – this is going to be one to make sure you check out. Combining the Jimmy Eat World approach with a Lostprophets style chorus section, this track stands out as a serious high point on the record, and one which could well signal the breakthrough for the band to get some serious attention. Follow Your Heart brings about a marked change in the album, this time opening with a slowed down guitar and synth line, developing the sense of emotion within the track until we’re launched into a 30 Seconds to Mars style melee of guitars and bass. The mix here is emotional, deep and dramatic, the sort of thing which wouldn’t sound out of place on a movie soundtrack, and the sort of thing which is testament to the work these guys have put into their sound. To say this track is an achievement would be an understatement, it’s quite simply a phenomenal track, matching the high bar set by the previous track whilst managing to push it even further, showing that there’s more to the band than a simple rock unit, and that we should be taking them very seriously indeed.
Make It Out comes up next and once again, manages to provide us with another new approach from Guardians, this time adopting an indie style approach designed to get you moving and dancing along with the band. This is another track which is built for the live scene, the sort of thing which will get people singing along and secure them a slot as a must see band out on the road. Building to a crescendo to close, Interlude returns us to that calm and reflective place that we were initially taken to as the album began, sounding almost desolate after the packed tracks before this, but once again washing over you and evoking a sense of calm as it plays out. Doing what it says on the tin, this is an interlude track, providing a period of rest before the final moments of Red Eyes come around to close the album, smashing you around the face to wake you up and finishing on a hard hitting and heavy note. The final moments of this album are amongst the heaviest on the album yet still manage to retain that sense of melody, catchiness, and good fun right up until the final seconds of the track. This track closes the album on a high in the truest possible way, finishing with a track which instantly sounds like a classic, the sort of thing that you’re going to come back to time and time again, just to make sure you didn’t miss a single second of it.
Guardians have put a lot of work into this album, and listening to it you can hear how dedicated they are to their cause, to their music, and to getting their name out there to be seen. If you’ve not heard of Guardians then quite frankly you need to look them up, check out their music and see what you reckon – personally this is a band I’m going to be paying very close attention to moving forwards from here.
To find out more about Guardians, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls