Source: Official Facebook Page
New Zealand really doesn’t get enough love from the rock community. This may well be because bands from the land of kiwis and The All Blacks don’t necessarily come over to this side of the world, but Like A Storm are certainly giving it their hardest and are turning some heads in the process. What’s their biggest change from every-day metal music I hear you ask? Well, they’ve gone and added didgeridoos to their sound and it really really works.
Their sound is so unique, yet recognisable, with heavy riffs and huge rock vocals, crossed with gruff screams every now and then to mix things up, everything about this band screams standard rock from first listen, but then you get their own little twist on things, it’s subtle but it’s there. When adding something completely left field into a band, like a didgeridoo, it can quickly become nothing more than a gimmick, and you’ll just be “that didgeridoo rock band”, but Like A Storm make it almost integral to their sound, yet subtle enough that you know it’s there but doesn’t become jarring.
Like A Storm have recently taken America, and Canada… by… Ahem, storm. The band moved over to North America, which has really become their base of operations, before moving on and trying to own the rest of the world. They have also highlighted in the past how touring as a family has created something really special for them. It’s not just about touring as a band, it’s about playing music live as three brothers, and that feeling really seems to come across in their live shows and in the music they’ve created, what they love doing, they love doing with the added bonus of being with people you’ve spent your whole life with.
It’s not like the band themselves are ridiculously new to this whole music game, as the band was founded in 2005, and have since released three full length albums, with their latest release, Awaken The Fire, really boosting their stock in the industry, and has made everyone else outside of the southern hemisphere really sit up and take notice of a band that are attempting to do something different, and getting it right in the process.
It’s been a while since we’ve had a decent new rock band from anywhere, at the moment rock music seems to be teeming with “core” bands, or someone just doing everything a little too similar to everyone else. Thankfully, Like A Storm are here to fulfil us with some good old fashioned rock/metal music, the guitar work is heavy and chuggy, the drum beats are constant and driving, and the vocals are melodic enough to get everyone singing along. Overall though the band themselves are just an all round breath of fresh air in an ever congested genre.
It’s odd to think that we’re only 2 weeks away from Download Festival 2015, but hopefully now we’ve given you enough to think about when choosing the bands you want to see. Sometimes the best bands you’ll see at the weekend aren’t the ones on the main stage, which everyone and their grandmother will have heard of, let’s go check out a smaller band and find someone fantastic in the process.
You can check out Like a Storm on Sunday 14th June on the third stage!
Release to Own: Awaken The Fire
Tracks to listen to: ‘Love The Way You Hate Me‘, ‘Wish You Hell‘, ‘Break Free‘
