Sworn To Oath - Stand Alone
I like Sworn To Oath, and it’s that simple. Now I could finish there, but I figure we should go on a little more – they’ve just released their latest single, Stand Alone, and being the lovely bunch of chaps that they are, they’re giving it away on their website for free…..which has to be a pretty damned good deal doesn’t it?! So we were sent a copy, I thought right, time to see whether they’re as good as I remember, or if something has gone horribly wrong.
As Stand Alone gets going there’s one thing that’s clear from the word go, things haven’t changed – they’re still as heavy, powerful and able as they were before! Hammering onwards with a roaring vocal line, thundering riff and powerful rhythm section, the band immediately set the tone for the track to full on and don’t let go until the moment it comes to a close. Distorted, powerful and in your face, this is a track which combines rolling drums with hammering riffs, roving bass rhythms with roaring vocals, and the whole thing with soaring vocals which will send shivers down your spine. It’s hard to pick fault in a track so accomplished, especially when they even go so far as to throw a guitar solo in the mix, so in short – this is a track that you need to hear, and you can get it for free!
Sworn To Oath are one of those bands that always aim to raise the bar, always pushing their tracks to the next level and aiming to better what they’ve done before, and Stand Alone is an example of what that’s like. You’d be a fool not to check these guys out, especially when the track is there for the taking – so get on it, check them out, and see what you think.
To find out more about Sworn To Oath, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls
As Stand Alone gets going there’s one thing that’s clear from the word go, things haven’t changed – they’re still as heavy, powerful and able as they were before! Hammering onwards with a roaring vocal line, thundering riff and powerful rhythm section, the band immediately set the tone for the track to full on and don’t let go until the moment it comes to a close. Distorted, powerful and in your face, this is a track which combines rolling drums with hammering riffs, roving bass rhythms with roaring vocals, and the whole thing with soaring vocals which will send shivers down your spine. It’s hard to pick fault in a track so accomplished, especially when they even go so far as to throw a guitar solo in the mix, so in short – this is a track that you need to hear, and you can get it for free!
Sworn To Oath are one of those bands that always aim to raise the bar, always pushing their tracks to the next level and aiming to better what they’ve done before, and Stand Alone is an example of what that’s like. You’d be a fool not to check these guys out, especially when the track is there for the taking – so get on it, check them out, and see what you think.
To find out more about Sworn To Oath, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls
Sworn To Oath
Another band from Skratch The Surface, Sworn To Oath, are up next and boy, are they a band you’re going to want to check out. Having formed in 2009, the band have had supporting slots with the likes of Hate-Breed, Meshuggah and Young Guns, have received critical acclaim from the likes of Kerrang, Metal Hammer and Terrorizer magazines and have just recently released Leave You For Dead – their latest offering. Having been compared to the likes of Pantera and Audioslave, this is a band who you need to be checking out – but what of the music itself!?
Opening with Last Call you can immediately see why people have made the comparisons which they have – pounding guitars and hammering guitars pave the intro to a blisteringly hard track. The vocals are surprisingly clean as they come into being, but this further develops the track from what could be a downright heavy track to one which is more accessible and easier to listen to, the whole mix working exceedingly well from start to finish. Funky, raw and energetic from start to finish, as an EP opener this is one hell of a track and immediately demonstrates how these guys have gotten the supporting slots which they have done so far. There’s something incredibly catchy about this track as well, it’s got that balance of hard and soft which makes this one which you’ll sing along to and demand they play on the live scene!
(Everything) Reminds Me Of You follows on next, a track which once again sets the bar high and doesn’t fail to succeed. Rolling double bass pounds at your ear drums as fast paced rock style riffs hammer the track out at you, the clean vocals once again soaring over everything to pull you in and make sure you’re not released until the second they’re finished with you. Dark yet catchy, this track is full of reflection and downright aggression, the whole mix once again forming something which you can’t help but wonder what led to it’s coming into being – but hey, it works! I particularly like the layered vocals on this track, they add yet another dimension to things, then get elevated further by the emotionally tinged solo, honestly this is a mind-blowingly good track! False Promise comes as a bit of a shock initially after following such a monster, opening much more bass heavy and keyed down before once again kicking into one funky assed riff! This track will make you move, it’s that simple. The bass is high in the mix, the drums hammer away and the Avenged Sevenfold style vocals lead you through the journey which the track presents you. My favourite part of this track is simple – the line ‘this is a motherfucking train wreck coming, don’t try to tell me that I don’t even care’ – funky, heavy and perfect for the track. Of all the tracks on the EP I would probably say this is my personal favourite, there’s just something about it which really works – maybe it’s the funky guitar lines, the hammering drums, the soaring vocals, the solid bass rhythm, hell I don’t know but I love it.
Leave You For Dead soon comes into being and once again hammers you to the floor with jaw droppingly funky riffs. This track has a real classic rock feel to the way it begins, the vocals soaring over a hammering riff which will make every guitarist out there jealous. The bass is once again kept high in the mix here and, when combined with the double bass pedal, creates a track which simply makes you want to get out and see these guys on the live scene. Technically closing the EP (the final track is an acoustic version of Last Call and wasn’t on my CD!) this track fits in perfectly and leaves you with a taste which you won’t get rid of – it’s like the music infects you and you can’t shift it!
I was surprised by the sound which Sworn To Oath have got, purely because their one-sheet suggested something different I think. The picture which they’ve used suggested something much heavier, but what they’ve done here is produced an EP which has got the heavy element, but also a melodic and easy to connect with element which is going to engage a hell of a lot of people. The production on the tracks is near perfect, the writing equally so, so in fact there’s really nothing to pick out of the EP itself. Musically this is an EP which you can quite easily listen to sitting at home, but equally want to see live to see how the crowd reacts, so in summary, it’s a bit of a quality EP! My advice – get a copy and check it out – you won’t be disappointed!
To find out more about Sworn To Oath, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Opening with Last Call you can immediately see why people have made the comparisons which they have – pounding guitars and hammering guitars pave the intro to a blisteringly hard track. The vocals are surprisingly clean as they come into being, but this further develops the track from what could be a downright heavy track to one which is more accessible and easier to listen to, the whole mix working exceedingly well from start to finish. Funky, raw and energetic from start to finish, as an EP opener this is one hell of a track and immediately demonstrates how these guys have gotten the supporting slots which they have done so far. There’s something incredibly catchy about this track as well, it’s got that balance of hard and soft which makes this one which you’ll sing along to and demand they play on the live scene!
(Everything) Reminds Me Of You follows on next, a track which once again sets the bar high and doesn’t fail to succeed. Rolling double bass pounds at your ear drums as fast paced rock style riffs hammer the track out at you, the clean vocals once again soaring over everything to pull you in and make sure you’re not released until the second they’re finished with you. Dark yet catchy, this track is full of reflection and downright aggression, the whole mix once again forming something which you can’t help but wonder what led to it’s coming into being – but hey, it works! I particularly like the layered vocals on this track, they add yet another dimension to things, then get elevated further by the emotionally tinged solo, honestly this is a mind-blowingly good track! False Promise comes as a bit of a shock initially after following such a monster, opening much more bass heavy and keyed down before once again kicking into one funky assed riff! This track will make you move, it’s that simple. The bass is high in the mix, the drums hammer away and the Avenged Sevenfold style vocals lead you through the journey which the track presents you. My favourite part of this track is simple – the line ‘this is a motherfucking train wreck coming, don’t try to tell me that I don’t even care’ – funky, heavy and perfect for the track. Of all the tracks on the EP I would probably say this is my personal favourite, there’s just something about it which really works – maybe it’s the funky guitar lines, the hammering drums, the soaring vocals, the solid bass rhythm, hell I don’t know but I love it.
Leave You For Dead soon comes into being and once again hammers you to the floor with jaw droppingly funky riffs. This track has a real classic rock feel to the way it begins, the vocals soaring over a hammering riff which will make every guitarist out there jealous. The bass is once again kept high in the mix here and, when combined with the double bass pedal, creates a track which simply makes you want to get out and see these guys on the live scene. Technically closing the EP (the final track is an acoustic version of Last Call and wasn’t on my CD!) this track fits in perfectly and leaves you with a taste which you won’t get rid of – it’s like the music infects you and you can’t shift it!
I was surprised by the sound which Sworn To Oath have got, purely because their one-sheet suggested something different I think. The picture which they’ve used suggested something much heavier, but what they’ve done here is produced an EP which has got the heavy element, but also a melodic and easy to connect with element which is going to engage a hell of a lot of people. The production on the tracks is near perfect, the writing equally so, so in fact there’s really nothing to pick out of the EP itself. Musically this is an EP which you can quite easily listen to sitting at home, but equally want to see live to see how the crowd reacts, so in summary, it’s a bit of a quality EP! My advice – get a copy and check it out – you won’t be disappointed!
To find out more about Sworn To Oath, check out their Facebook page HERE.
