The punk duo from Kent claims to have put more thought into production this time around and you can hear the improvement. Even so, they have managed to retain that raw, animal sound that punk albums risk losing when they are too tightly produced.

The nine-track album kicks off with ‘The Lives They Wish They Had’ which is a three minute, perfect punk track. It has all the ingredients for a Slaves song: a pace that makes you want to sprint, distorted, tasty riffs and Isaac Holman’s gnarly British vocals yelling over the top. ‘Cut and Run’ and ‘Bugs’ follow in the same vein. They are high energy songs which are perfect for a live performance but also powerful enough to instigate a mosh pit in your own living room.

‘Magnolia’ is a great, modern take on an angry punk song. ‘Did you know 65% of UK homes contain at least one magnolia wall? / I bet you didn’t / Incoming!’ Holman yells. The song then proceeds to criticise the British yearning to appear perfect (‘It’s gotta be, gotta be / It’s gotta be, gotta be perfect’). But is it ultimately about the exaggerated desire to appear like your life is in order in our perfectly filtered Instagram lives or does he just really hate magnolia walls? Who cares, it’s a banger.

‘Photo Opportunity’ has similar vibes but opens with a surprisingly pleasant and cheerful fingerpicked riff before launching into a heavy, fast-paced power chord chorus. ‘Artificial Intelligence’ is also a nicely achieved punk song.

The albums’ finale ‘Acts of Fear and Love’ is the longest on the album, being five minutes, which is longer than your average punk song. It alternates between softer rock riffs and heavy, throw-away-your-beer and launch yourself into the crowd riffs.

Overall, Acts of Fear and Love is Slave’s best album yet and manages to be daring and interesting while remaining authentically Slaves, which is just an angry punk from Kent. It really is an album that sounds like it will be best enjoyed live though, so we can’t wait to catch them on their big world tour this fall.

The post “Acts of Fear and Death”: A Raw and Dynamic Punk Record appeared first on Hot Pop Today.

The winter tour will feature some of their biggest gigs to date, including London’s Alexandra Palace and the O2 arena in Bristol and Liverpool. The tour will be in support of their upcoming album Acts Of Fear. You can check out the dates below:

November 7 2018 – NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE O2 Academy Newcastle
November 8 2018 – GLASGOW Barrowlands
November 10 2018 – NOTTINGHAM Rock City
November 12 2018 – BELFAST Limelight
November 13 2018 – DUBLIN Academy
November 15 2018 – NORWICH UEA
November 16 2018 – LIVERPOOL O2 Academy Liverpool
November 17 2018 – MANCHESTER Acadeny
November 19 2018 – LEEDS O2 Academy Liverpool
November 20 2018 – BRISTOL O2 Academy Bristol
November 22 2018 – CARDIFF Tramshed
November 23 2018 – BIRMINGHAM O2 Academy Birmingham
November 24 2018 – LONDON Alexandra Palace

Slaves are a punk duo from Tunbridge Wells, who are slowly gathering an impressive following. Kasabian recently gave the band the following high praise:

“They’re incredible, they’re really entertaining, and that’s what we’ve missed. Watching kids play guitars with their heads down is fine, but when someone comes on and just takes it by the throat and gives you a show – it’s f**king amazing. They have great tunes and aggressive punk songs too, but they’ve got this charm to them that’s really special.”

Their upcoming album Acts of Fear is due for release August 17.

The post Slaves Announce Huge UK & Ireland Tour appeared first on Hot Pop Today.

The punk duo from Kent claims to have put more thought into production this time around and you can hear the improvement. Even so, they have managed to retain that raw, animal sound that punk albums risk losing when they are too tightly produced.

The nine-track album kicks off with ‘The Lives They Wish They Had’ which is a three minute, perfect punk track. It has all the ingredients for a Slaves song: a pace that makes you want to sprint, distorted, tasty riffs and Isaac Holman’s gnarly British vocals yelling over the top. ‘Cut and Run’ and ‘Bugs’ follow in the same vein. They are high energy songs which are perfect for a live performance but also powerful enough to instigate a mosh pit in your own living room.

‘Magnolia’ is a great, modern take on an angry punk song. ‘Did you know 65% of UK homes contain at least one magnolia wall? / I bet you didn’t / Incoming!’ Holman yells. The song then proceeds to criticise the British yearning to appear perfect (‘It’s gotta be, gotta be / It’s gotta be, gotta be perfect’). But is it ultimately about the exaggerated desire to appear like your life is in order in our perfectly filtered Instagram lives or does he just really hate magnolia walls? Who cares, it’s a banger.

‘Photo Opportunity’ has similar vibes but opens with a surprisingly pleasant and cheerful fingerpicked riff before launching into a heavy, fast-paced power chord chorus. ‘Artificial Intelligence’ is also a nicely achieved punk song.

The albums’ finale ‘Acts of Fear and Love’ is the longest on the album, being five minutes, which is longer than your average punk song. It alternates between softer rock riffs and heavy, throw-away-your-beer and launch yourself into the crowd riffs.

Overall, Acts of Fear and Love is Slave’s best album yet and manages to be daring and interesting while remaining authentically Slaves, which is just an angry punk from Kent. It really is an album that sounds like it will be best enjoyed live though, so we can’t wait to catch them on their big world tour this fall.

The post “Acts of Fear and Death”: A Raw and Dynamic Punk Record appeared first on Hot Pop Today.

The winter tour will feature some of their biggest gigs to date, including London’s Alexandra Palace and the O2 arena in Bristol and Liverpool. The tour will be in support of their upcoming album Acts Of Fear. You can check out the dates below:

November 7 2018 – NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE O2 Academy Newcastle
November 8 2018 – GLASGOW Barrowlands
November 10 2018 – NOTTINGHAM Rock City
November 12 2018 – BELFAST Limelight
November 13 2018 – DUBLIN Academy
November 15 2018 – NORWICH UEA
November 16 2018 – LIVERPOOL O2 Academy Liverpool
November 17 2018 – MANCHESTER Acadeny
November 19 2018 – LEEDS O2 Academy Liverpool
November 20 2018 – BRISTOL O2 Academy Bristol
November 22 2018 – CARDIFF Tramshed
November 23 2018 – BIRMINGHAM O2 Academy Birmingham
November 24 2018 – LONDON Alexandra Palace

Slaves are a punk duo from Tunbridge Wells, who are slowly gathering an impressive following. Kasabian recently gave the band the following high praise:

“They’re incredible, they’re really entertaining, and that’s what we’ve missed. Watching kids play guitars with their heads down is fine, but when someone comes on and just takes it by the throat and gives you a show – it’s f**king amazing. They have great tunes and aggressive punk songs too, but they’ve got this charm to them that’s really special.”

Their upcoming album Acts of Fear is due for release August 17.

The post Slaves Announce Huge UK & Ireland Tour appeared first on Hot Pop Today.