Welcome back to Rock Sins End Of Year Awards for 2014. With over half the staff having contributed their selections now, it’s the turn of Laura Herbert to pick out her highlights and lowlights from the past twelve months. Over to you Laura….
1) Album of the Year – Intervals – A Voice Within
Over the past couple of years I’ve struggled to find a band that have me hooked for months on end. I love heavy but I also love something a little different and unique, where Intervals sit perfectly. Every song on this album makes me smile from ear to ear, with each track as catchy as the next. It contains driving drum crashes and heavy riffs with the ability to slow down for some funk. From the heavy to the soft, A Voice Within is nine tracks of mind blowing uniqueness. Mike Semesky has injected a world of colour to this album and sadly it will be his last, following his departure of the band. If you haven’t listened to this album, you NEED to, you’ll be humming the melodies and lyrics for the next twelve months.
Honourable Mentions:
Slipknot – .5: The Gray Chapter
Decapitated – Blood Mantra
Suicide Silence – You Can’t Stop Me
In Hearts Wake – Earthwalker
Bury Tomorrow – Runes
King 810 – Memoirs Of A Murderer
2) Song of the Year – Rot – Northlane
Rot has all the elements that speak Northlane, from their softer synths to their devastating breakdowns. It’s the first track that’s been released with new vocalist Marcus Bridge and he’s done absolute wonders on this single. The vocal ability on Rot is spot on as cleans parallel their tight melody packed with a solid roar. This is the first taste of where Northlane will progress to and the future is looking dazzling bright for them.
Honourable mentions:
Suicide Silence – Cease To Exist
3) Video of the Year – Protest The Hero – Mist
The best thing about this video is that it really captures how much the guys in Protest The Hero love touring alongside the support they receive from their fans. Amongst most of the music videos I have seen in 2014 this is by far the most down to earth visual for a track. Amongst anecdotes, shots from gigs, beautiful New Foundland scenery and general silliness it makes for the warmest feeling of the heart. This is the one time they’ve created something somewhat serious and it’s most splendid indeed.
Honourable Mentions:
Baby Godzilla – The Great Hardcore Swindle
4) Gig of the Year – A Day To Remember, Mallory Knox, Every Time I Die, The Story So Far – Alexandra Palace
I’m finding it hard to comb for the words about this gig. Awesome, amazing, bizarre and outrageous is what first comes to mind. All of the supports were incredible but A Day To Remember created all sorts of ridiculous stunts as they fashioned their own house party at Alexandra Palace. Whilst they played all their top tunes seamlessly, they stood in and on top of their house scenery. Confetti rained on the crowd, flames burst at intervals with shirts being shot out of cannons and of course everyone’s favourite part– Jeremy running over the crowd in a zorb ball. When fans say they want more than just a performance, A Day To Remember hit it straight on the nail.
Honourable Mentions:
Tesseract – King’s Cross, Scala
Protest The Hero – Camden, Koko
Parkway Drive – London Roundhouse
Bury Tomorrow – Camden, Koko
Korn – Brixton Academy
5) Best Festival Performance – Sikth – Tech Fest UK
Since I was in Year 7 I have waited for the day that I could watch Sikth perform live. There’s no denying that it was one of the performances in 2014 that I was most excited for and they did NOT disappoint. Everyone at the festival was most excited for Sikth across the weekend and the atmosphere of pure delight raised hairs all over. They whipped up the crowd into a frenzy, with every drop of energy, performing Pussyfoooooot and Bland Street Bloom amongst many others. It made a massive difference that there was only about a thousand people there and they were all there for exactly the same reason.
Honourable Mentions:
Heart Of A Coward – Takedown Festival
Linkin Park – Download Festival
Bury Tomorrow – Download Festival
Monuments – Tech Fest UK
6) Most Disappointing Album of the Year – Atilla – Guilty Pleasure
Atilla disappoint here as they fail to conjure up any imagination from start to finish. It’s not completely bad as you can bang your head subtly to some good chugging of the guitars. But that’s as far as it goes. The lyrics lack substance and each track sounds very similar making for a set of very unhappy ear drums.
Dishonourable Mentions:
Emmure – Eternal Enemies
7) Band of the Year – King 810
Amongst some of my favourite old school bands such as Korn and Slipknot, King 810 remind me of them the most. The rough vocals and suspense that builds up into an irate climax across this debut album is disgustingly wrathful. It’s pure madness from start to finish – every single track will have you gritting your teeth and shaking your hands in the air to the drum beat. It’s a shame that King 810 have not gained the recognition they deserve but maybe it’s because the world can’t understand their image, their past and their experiences. They’re poets, musicians and realists. This is a debut album for fucking Kings and that’s why they’re my band of the year.
Honourable Mention:
Intervals
Monuments
Thy Art Is Murder
Northlane
8) Biggest headbanger of the year: Custer – Slipknot
The second the senseless drums rattle your brain, you’ll lose your mind – guaranteed. As Corey Taylor spits his words, the tempo never dies down, punching with every beat. The chorus begins and although it’s only a few words, ‘CUT CUT CUT ME UP AND FUCK FUCK FUCK ME UP’ has me headbanging to the floor and windmilling my pony tail. It’s simple but it brings the rage out in me, making for a first class headbanger.
So there we have Laura’s selections in the Rock Sins 2014 End Of Year Awards. If you’d like to talk to Laura about her selections then you can find her on Twitter at @LozzaHerbs. Please also check out the selections of various other staff members in the Rock Sins 2014 End Of Year Awards (links below):
Philip’s 2014 End Of Year Awards (please click here)
Will’s 2014 End Of Year Awards (please click here)
Sam D’s 2014 End Of Year Awards (please click here)
James W’s 2014 End Of Year Awards (please click here)
Katie’s 2014 End Of Year Awards (please click here)
James Halstead’s End Of Year Awards (please click here)
Fran’s 2014 End Of Year Awards (please click here)
