No Place For Heroes
Eric from Ricburn Media is a bit of a diamond when it comes to sending bands through to us, always sending across ones which he knows we’re going to be excited by and will want to hear a lot more of! That’s happened again when recently, he dropped us a line about No Place For Heroes, a heavy rock band from France who are currently residing and playing in Montreal, Canada. Described as sounding like Queens Of The Stonage combined with Tool and Deftones, this promises to be something well worth looking into!
The new single from the guys, Girls Want Bad Boys sets the scene for us, opening with a hammering drumline accompanied by rumbling guitar lines, building the track up to the point you can’t wait to hear it break – and break it does! Kicking into things after using some vocals to fully set the scene, when the full force of the track is revealed it’s like a smash around the head! Roaring vocals combine with the hammering melodies flowing out of the speakers to form a sound which is heavy yet melodic, hard hitting yet easy to listen to, and something which sets these guys up as a must see act for sure. If this is the direction that things are headed in then the album from these guys promises to be one to make sure we check out, make sure you get out and check these guys out!
What of their older stuff though? We were also sent through a copy of their 2011 album No Place For Heroes, to see what we thought of their other stuff.
Opening proceedings with Ready To Fall the album begins to grow from the word go, building through the opening introduction and gradually forming a sound which is sure to hook you in and make you want to hear more. Guitars mix with ominous backing sounds as it grows, gradually introducing the drum and bass before the track breaks, getting things going and setting the sense of motion flowing. Powerful groove orientated riffs flow out of the record, the track immediately forming a sound which is surely going to get live crowds going mad and begging for more. You can sense the sorts of pits which this would set in motion as the track progresses, it’s the sort of track which combines hard and soft with aplomb, resulting in a sound which is heavy, but not over the top – still allowing it to be accessible to new fans and those who might not have come across the guys before – a solid start to things for sure.
Kill Da Disco continues this theme once again, once again pushing out a bass heavy rhythm to set things in motion and show that the band are in control, we’re merely along for the ride. Picking up the pace for a fast and groovy number, this is another track which is surely going to find its full force on the live scene, the sort of thing that you know you’re going to love seeing performed. Surrender follows on next, this time lowering the tone to a more chilled out, bass heavy mix designed to sit you back and allow you a moment to reflect on things. Hauntingly soft vocals echo out over the bass heavy rhythms, allowing you to hear everything that’s going on and keeping you fully engaged in what the band are throwing out at you. It’s slower tracks like this which often make or break an album like this, and in the case of No Place For Heroes it’s definitely the making of it, showing that they’re able to combine hard and soft, heavy and slow, and produce a track which is sure to stand out as a serious high point for anyone who hears it.
The Unit continues this softer and slower approach once again, building into the track slowly and once again showing that there’s some serious complexity going on within the music. Don’t be deceived by the slower approach as this track is just as heavy as the ones preceding it, still managing to keep that sense of all out power flowing with double rolling bass, hammering bass rhythms and more of that awesome riffery from the guitars. Sound Disease, The March and How Long To Be A Man all continue to push the boundaries of the album, each track presenting the bands own unique take on things and showing us how they see their music going, but it’s when (Dis)United Nations comes about to close the album that the final serious high point on the album is achieved, finishing on a crescendo for sure. The closing moments seem to capture all of the power from the guitars, all of the aggression of the style of music, and all of the sheer distortion from within the band to finish the album, leave you breathless and wanting more.
The album here from No Place For Heroes is a quality piece of work, but more than that it shows where the latest single has developed from, showing how the band have honed their style and how they have worked to develop the abilities within the band. It’s testament to their desire to create music which they love, makes it clear that they love what they do, and leaves the listener safe in the knowledge that there are bands out there still producing music for all of the right reasons.
To find out more about No Place For Heroes, check out their website HERE and their Facebook page HERE.
Check out the video below for Surrender.
Words: Dave Nicholls
The new single from the guys, Girls Want Bad Boys sets the scene for us, opening with a hammering drumline accompanied by rumbling guitar lines, building the track up to the point you can’t wait to hear it break – and break it does! Kicking into things after using some vocals to fully set the scene, when the full force of the track is revealed it’s like a smash around the head! Roaring vocals combine with the hammering melodies flowing out of the speakers to form a sound which is heavy yet melodic, hard hitting yet easy to listen to, and something which sets these guys up as a must see act for sure. If this is the direction that things are headed in then the album from these guys promises to be one to make sure we check out, make sure you get out and check these guys out!
What of their older stuff though? We were also sent through a copy of their 2011 album No Place For Heroes, to see what we thought of their other stuff.
Opening proceedings with Ready To Fall the album begins to grow from the word go, building through the opening introduction and gradually forming a sound which is sure to hook you in and make you want to hear more. Guitars mix with ominous backing sounds as it grows, gradually introducing the drum and bass before the track breaks, getting things going and setting the sense of motion flowing. Powerful groove orientated riffs flow out of the record, the track immediately forming a sound which is surely going to get live crowds going mad and begging for more. You can sense the sorts of pits which this would set in motion as the track progresses, it’s the sort of track which combines hard and soft with aplomb, resulting in a sound which is heavy, but not over the top – still allowing it to be accessible to new fans and those who might not have come across the guys before – a solid start to things for sure.
Kill Da Disco continues this theme once again, once again pushing out a bass heavy rhythm to set things in motion and show that the band are in control, we’re merely along for the ride. Picking up the pace for a fast and groovy number, this is another track which is surely going to find its full force on the live scene, the sort of thing that you know you’re going to love seeing performed. Surrender follows on next, this time lowering the tone to a more chilled out, bass heavy mix designed to sit you back and allow you a moment to reflect on things. Hauntingly soft vocals echo out over the bass heavy rhythms, allowing you to hear everything that’s going on and keeping you fully engaged in what the band are throwing out at you. It’s slower tracks like this which often make or break an album like this, and in the case of No Place For Heroes it’s definitely the making of it, showing that they’re able to combine hard and soft, heavy and slow, and produce a track which is sure to stand out as a serious high point for anyone who hears it.
The Unit continues this softer and slower approach once again, building into the track slowly and once again showing that there’s some serious complexity going on within the music. Don’t be deceived by the slower approach as this track is just as heavy as the ones preceding it, still managing to keep that sense of all out power flowing with double rolling bass, hammering bass rhythms and more of that awesome riffery from the guitars. Sound Disease, The March and How Long To Be A Man all continue to push the boundaries of the album, each track presenting the bands own unique take on things and showing us how they see their music going, but it’s when (Dis)United Nations comes about to close the album that the final serious high point on the album is achieved, finishing on a crescendo for sure. The closing moments seem to capture all of the power from the guitars, all of the aggression of the style of music, and all of the sheer distortion from within the band to finish the album, leave you breathless and wanting more.
The album here from No Place For Heroes is a quality piece of work, but more than that it shows where the latest single has developed from, showing how the band have honed their style and how they have worked to develop the abilities within the band. It’s testament to their desire to create music which they love, makes it clear that they love what they do, and leaves the listener safe in the knowledge that there are bands out there still producing music for all of the right reasons.
To find out more about No Place For Heroes, check out their website HERE and their Facebook page HERE.
Check out the video below for Surrender.
Words: Dave Nicholls
