Proceed

'(Proceed) are the future of hardcore' - NME, 2007

Hertfordshire’s Proceed are somewhat of a rare band – playing hardcore music which keeps the listener intrigued with a seemingly perfect mix of aggression with melody, and technical prowess with the ability to write plain good catchy songs. Kicking off ‘Seven Months and a Fire Blanket’ is the brilliant ‘Treading Water’, a track which showcases all the elements of this band, from the throaty vocals on the breakdowns in the bridge to the Dallas Green-esque melodic singing through the fast rocking chorus. The rest of the EP keeps up the high standard set by the lead off track throughout, with some catchy aggressive songs, which is no doubt going to delight fans of one of the scene’s big hitters at the moment, Alexisonfire, but also has a hint of the melodic rock of The Beautiful Mistake. My only concern with this release however, is that a few of the songs seem to drag on a bit, with both ‘Now Laughing’ and closing track ‘Telescopes’ being 5 mins plus, which is no means a bad thing, but when this band are so capable of writing good fast aggressive songs, it might have been beneficial to include one or two straight ahead fast hardcore songs on this release to mix it up a bit.

With the UK scene having somewhat of a revival at the moment, and more UK bands getting on the map than ever before, it really wouldn’t be a surprise to see Proceed blow up with this release – it’s packed full of good post hardcore tunes which flirt with a number of genres, with the songs importantly sound as fresh after the tenth listen as they did the first time. Impressive stuff, and definitely ones to look out for. [8]

- Lauren Crook - Chasing Safety

This is a cracking catchy HC released from Hertfordshire based 'Proceed' and all I can say if you're a fan of HC then you really do need to check this band out. Seven tracks in all and not one filler to be heard either. Proceed are a diverse band and what's more there's no compromise in the style of music they write. Check out tracks such as 'Treading Water', 'It's Just Another Hiding Place' and 'Now Laughing' and you'll see what I mean. If you're after a band singing stupid emo songs to corny pop/rock tunes then you're in the wrong place. Proceed are one of the best bands in ages and I can't believe that they've been around five years without me hearing them. As well as a great mini album the production is top notch and packaging is spot on. Great work guys. 9/10 - Street Voice UK

Having suffered a heavy blow at the start of the year, when frontman and guitarist Dan Lancaster was diagnosed with a serious heart condition, Proceed make their triumphant and much welcomed return. The latest effort by Dan and his fellow band mates Adam Faires (vocals/keyboards), Tom Doyle (bass) and Brad Jackson (drums) was put on hold while he recovered from his surgery. Now with an almost fully recovered frontman, the Hertfordshire based quartet are keen to kick things off again, which is hardly surprising considering the band have already completed a successful run of live shows playing alongside other UK talents such as Enter Shikari, Flood of Red and Devil Sold His Soul. Opening track ‘Treading Water’ is an interesting track, falling somewhere between the sounds of Funeral for a Friend and From Autumn to Ashes. The layer of growling vocals over the bands infectious hooks and gorgeous melodies is likely to make this a hit on the dance floors of rock clubs across the country. ‘Swemo’ will really get fans going as it cranks the pace up a notch in the early stages with blistering solos, thumping drums, underlying synths and throbbing bass lines. The hard hitting ‘Telescopes’ could well be another hit and perfectly draws the mini-album to a close with its superbly balanced mix of contrasting vocals, courtesy of both Dan and Adam. ‘Seven Months And A Fire Blanket’ is a testament to the bands creativity and is without any doubt one of the finest melodic-hardcore albums to have be released in recent months! - Scene Slut