Book Thieves

Audio Asylum’s demo is the perfect demonstration of some of the hidden talent the UK has to offer. Hailing from Liverpool, Audio Asylum really set the boundary for up and coming alternative rock bands.

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‘Into the Fire’ has one of the catchiest riffs you could imagine, and the non-stop drumming keeps the song alive, upbeat and, ultimately, fun.

‘Autonomy’ allows for some heavier guitar playing, and the bridge in particular reminds me of something an early Radiohead would have written. It’s one of those songs that makes you tap your foot, hand, pen, whichever you prefer, and is a perfect example to show this band knows exactly what they’re doing. ‘Pressure’ is the final song on the demo.

The vocals sound more progressive, but the instrumentation keeps the traditional rock alive, with a more recent twist.

It’s usually difficult to predict how successful a band could be when you’ve only heard three songs, but there’s no doubt that this band are talented.

It’s difficult to compare them to any other bands, because they show such individualism and originality. Overall, this is a very impressive demo and it’s definitely left me wanting to hear more.

For Fans of – Radiohead, Bombay Bicycle Club.

Track to download – ‘Pressure’.

VICKY PARSONS

4/5 Top Hats. - Top Hat Magazine

Audio Asylum- good name. That seems to be lacking nowadays- some bands seem to have names that are so cryptic that the word wouldn’t even be allowed in Scrabble against an illiterate uncle with vision problems. My least favourite name is ‘The Butthole Surfers’. Some may find that name funny. Well it isn’t. It’s ridiculous and probably a name bought up by someone after too many tequilas and a first homosexual act.

Their profile describes them as an ‘indie rock band’. I for one hope that this band are fighting the negative stereotype that every member smell like body odour and dead cats, and instead maintain an air of cleanliness that means that they smell good, but not so much as to question their manliness. Hmm. Maybe I shouldn’t concern myself with such things.

So this is the demo- I’ll go through it in the usual fashion; track by track, guiding you through them like a warden on this Audio Asylum:

Into the Fire- The track opens with a gritty start that reminds me of an ACDC track of some kind. I hope they don’t dress in the same schoolboy outfits as ACDC front man Angus Young- he’s earned that right, but it somehow seems a bit paedophillic if anyone else does it.

As the track progresses, it certainly maintains that interest that you rarely see in rock bands nowadays- instead of going for the conventional style of the chart topping nonsense type rock, they have invited me into the TARDIS and transported me back to the good old days where rock and roll reined supreme; when it was okay to do drugs and kill the occasional hooker.

I like this track, I could imagine it easily being played in a rock scene, yet it seems a little too big to be wasted on a small bar- it demands a room of a bigger magnitude.

Rating: 8/10

Autonomy- Onwards and upwards to the second track! Again, it’s a track that is proving that rock and roll (yes, I said ‘and’, not rock ‘n’ roll- deal with it) isn’t dead; it’s a creature that’s alive and well, like Osama Bin Laden (ohhhhh! Controversial!).

Again, the track manages to build to a point that I like to call the ‘rock out’ point. You know- the point where the track makes you lose all control, and you go into a euphoric state of mind where it’s okay to be shirtless, even if you could do with going to the gym more often (or ever). As well as this, the guitars work fantastically together, weaving together like the sweater your Nan knitted for you.

The song maintains the level of quality the first one did. I even like this one a little bit more, which is sort of like fancying a twin a little bit more than the other one because she has slightly bigger breasts.

Rating: 8.6/10

Pressure- I’m surprised. Pleasantly so- I like this track even more than the previous two! To shamelessly self- reference, the twins have just been joined by the third, less well known, but ultimately hotter, sister. And I like her even more.

The electric guitar solo towards the middle adds a new twist to the track, adding quality. Then it’s backed up by a bass and drum that slowly join and unite in the common goal of creating the atmosphere to lead into the explosion of sound.

While this one has less vocals, I find it to be above the other two, riddled with as much passion and raw power as a five year old boy’s hair is riddled with knits. You stay away from that boy!

Rating 9.2/10

I have several friends that are interested in this kind of genre, and I feel it would be a disservice to the rocker inside me (his name is Clive) if I didn’t turn people onto this band. Suddenly I wonder if the image in my mind for this band is correct- that this band must dress like a rock band as well, smoking cigarettes and having groupies hang around them who believe they can sex their way to fame. I hope that this band don’t dress like Kiss though; I’m not one of the fan boys into a band I like wearing clothes and make-up like a bunch of cross-dressers.

If you are a rock fan, this band are definitely worth watching.

Overall Rating: 9/10

Stephen Billington - Indie music News

Even Elvis likes their music!

Audio Asylum is a four piece alternative/indie rock band from Liverpool. As musicians, they have been successful in their previous bands and success is already beginning to emerge for them collectively as Audio Asylum. Since they formed in Summer 2010, they have enjoyed strong radio play and a string of gigs at some of Liverpool’s top venues and events, such as Bumper and the Mathew Street Fringe Festival.

The opening song of the demo is Into The Fire. It is a song about last chances and actively pursuing what you want in life, before your time runs out and everything that was within reach fades away from your grasp. Into The Fire starts with an energetic build up of catchy guitar hooks and riffs before launching into the first verse of vocals. The energy of the opening continues on throughout the song and sets the tone for the three songs included in this demo.

Into The Fire is followed up by Autonomy. It is a song about confronting our fears and having the independence to stand on our own two feet and move on in life, despite what atrocities may take place in everyday life. Autonomy initially does not appear to have the same energy to it as Into The Fire, instead opting to go with more of a slower pace. However, it always feels as though it is building up towards something until half way through; when it switches up to build upon the momentum of Into The Fire and perfectly set up the final song of the trilogy, appropriately titled Pressure.

The closing song of the demo is Pressure. It is a song about finding yourself in a situation with mounting pressure and you bounce back and respond to the pressure you are feeling on your shoulders. From the very opening of Pressure, it feels as though it is building to a climax and the guitars, drums and haunting vocals always help to bring that feeling forward. The bass guitar riff in the mid-section of the song launches the song into an instrumental for the final 100 seconds climax of the demo.

In summary, my favourite song of the three is Pressure as it always has a pace and an atmosphere that is worthy of being placed at the start or the end of any release. Just over half way through the song, when you think it is about to end, it continues and gains momentum throughout with an unanticipated instrumental, which lasts for a minute and 40 seconds. For a band that have only been together for a year, their tightness of their timing on all of these three songs would suggest otherwise, as they are recorded as though they had been rehearsing for a lot longer.

The three song demo is a preview of their upcoming EP, which is scheduled for release in late 2011. The three songs are available for free on CD at gigs and for free streaming from Audio Asylum’s official MySpace Music Profile at http://www.myspace.com/audioasylumuk so make sure to give them all a good listening to and buy their EP upon release. If you like their music, then support them at the Ticket Wall New Music Competition by voting for Into The Fire at http://competition.ticketwall.org/track/audioasylum-into-the-fire/ which could help launch the next big thing! Also, make sure to check Audio Asylum out when they perform live at Basement 20 situated on Hardman Street, Liverpool on Friday, October 14th 2011 brought to you via the events company and independent record label Rebel Soul.

CD Rating: 10 out of 10

Tracklisting:

Into The Fire [3:04]

Autonomy [3:31]

Pressure [4:04]

Article by Jason - Mangone Music - http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/audio-asylum