Palm Reader have returned with their 2nd full length album "Beside The Ones We Love" a 10 track masterpiece of violence, pent-up anger and calm, taking their cleverly unique hardcore menacing riff styling's to a new level.
Each track on this album stands on its own but to get the most out of "Beside The Ones We Love" the album needs to be listen to as a whole, to experience the blend of light with the dark. Jumping from the instant attack of 'Pedant' and 'Stone's Blood', to the massive anthems of 'Sing Out, Survivor' and 'Unabridged', to the driving riffage of 'Stacks' and 'By The Ground, We're Defined' to the screamed 'Travelled Paths', "Beside The Ones We Love" takes you on an audio journey you won't want to end!
Available on CD / Digitally / and on Vinyl LP (Transparent Magenta Limited to 300)
Following the hiatus of Palm Readers former label, IATDE Records jumped at the chance of releasing the already recorded album. "Beside The Ones We Love" which is due out on In At The Deep End Records on 6th April 2015,
Woking ragers hit a new high for UK hardcore.
Ever since Gallows brought UK hardcore into the wider consciousness a decade or so ago, the scene in Britain has been in rude health. But if Frank Carter and co presented the bold capital letter, someone was always going to have to provide the full stop. With this album, Palm Reader have brought British hardcore punk to its peak.
If 2013's 'Bad Weather' was a startling statement of intent, 'Beside The Ones We Love' is the culmination. There are hint's of Gallows in the band's ugly, relentless delivery, but there is an ingenuity in the nimble fingers of guitarists Andy Gillan and Sam Rondeau-Smith that recall Dillinger or Converge at their genre-fucking best.
Vocalist Josh McKeown refuses to resort to lyrical meat-headed cliches, delivering his tirades in a gravel-throated wail. From the opening staccato lurch of 'I Watched The Fire Chase My Tongue' to the Neurosis-meets-Poison The Well headfuck of 'Unabridged', the momentum never drops.
While She Sleeps may be bigger, Gallows more revered, but on record it's time for UK hardcore to pack up and go home. Palm Reader have won.
Kerrang KKKK
UK noise addicts spew their twitchy, techy disdain all over you.
Lurching Spitting kicking
and snapping - nope, it's not
the scary bloke at the local
on a Friday night, but the
sounds of Palm Reader. While
the UK metal crew offer a
preferable alternative to the
aforementioned drunken
nutcase, they're not a whole
lot less threatening.
Their
visceral, jittery attack is
punctuated with elements
of post-metal and sneering
punk, offering little in
the way of sanctuary. The
staccato percussive insanity
unleashed on Stone's Blood
plays thrillingly against the
Gallows-esque stomp of
Stacks, the titanic lope of
Sing Out, Survivor crushing
everything in its path
while Black Hand pitches
shimmering beauty against
frantic clawing.
That they
manage to sweep the
preceding nine killer tracks
into the shade with epic
closer Unabridged is a quite
ridiculous achievement, its
gigantic form blending grace
and agitation, desperation,
hope and loss and making
for one hell of a climax.
FOR FANS OF: Architects,
Cave In, Feed The Rhino
Rock Sound 9/10
Rock Sound Exposure Tour alumni Palm Reader have pulled it out of the bag with their second full-length. Whether it;s the seething, feedback-ridden opener 'I Watched The Fire..' or the straight-up aural battery that's doled out on 'Resolution', this is a colossal effort. 'By The Ground, We're Defined' boasts hints of The Dillenger Escape Plan's deranged fare without borrowing too much, while the epic 'Unabridged' churns, creeps and finally soars skyward in a truly ambitious eight minute closer. 'Beside The Ones We Love' is versatile, it's vicious, and it's a defining album from British metal's new hereos.
For Fans Of: Feed The Rhino, Bastions, The Dillenger Escape Plan
altsounds.com 90/100
Their bludgeoning second full-length seems to have them swinging from the rooftops vying for attention.There's no conforming to an established formula or the added use of lifeless gimmicks; but a brilliant maelstrom of collected tracks that are apocalyptic, addictive and abrasive. Perhaps pioneering a new direction in a previously rotating and stagnant scene, Palm Reader need to be applauded for what they have achieved here. Pure Brilliance. Read More
toxiconline.co.uk 10/10
Palm Reader, the hardcore quintet bunch from Woking have been getting a lot of well deserved attention recently, and after listening through this upcoming release a number of times it's easy to see why. From a play on the BBC Radio 1 Rock Show, to a full double page spread in a recent Kerrang! magazine touted as being "British hardcores new great hope", Palm Reader are certainly going places. Beside The Ones We Love is the band's second full length record and I've been told they've stepped out of their comfort zone somewhat, the big question is does it work? Yes. Oh yes. Read More
Total Guitar 4/5
The Woking hardcore outfit have had a busy few years, touring with Protest The Hero and playing just about every rock and metal festival in the UK. Based on this album, they'll be rapidly ascending bills in 2015. Despite channeling the same unpredictability and fondness for dissonance as The Dillinger Escape Plan, guitarists Sam Rondeau-Smith and Andy Gillan don't stick to any formulas: in between detuned harmonised riffs, you'll find precision-engineered palm-muted thrash and reverb-heavy tremolo picking, all delivered with a raw energy that recalls hardcore's finest.
hitthefloor.com 4/5
In a world where too many bands strive to play the loudest and heaviest riffs possible, Palm Reader's meticulous chaos is like a breeze of fresh air. Don't expect the usual tracks characterised by constant chugging guitars and an ongoing pounding rhythm all the way through (although they are present!) Read More
ghostcultmag.com 9/10
When a band begins to build hype, and you're not absolutely convinced on what they're able to do to live up to it, there is no better feeling than hearing said band release a record which grabs that hype and throws a grenade in its mouth. Palm Reader's stock will rise with the release of Beside The Ones We Love and it is absolutely what they deserve. Read More
noisecannon.com 9/10
From the opening stomp of 'I Watched The Fire Chase My Tongue', to the all out eight minute closer 'Unabridged', Palm Reader's second album Beside The Ones We Love is a vicious yet vulnerable barrage of rage. This album feels cathartic, like Palm Reader are releasing the frustration of not being heard over the past couple of years by playing as aggressively as possible and forcing people to listen. 'Traveled Paths' is not only one of the best tracks on this record, but also one of the most passionate and heartfelt songs to be heard from alternative hardcore. Read More
rocknreelreviews.com 5/5
Not since Gallows burst onto the scene and rewrote the British hardcore rulebook has a band sounded this good. Palm Reader might not yet have reached that level of popularity, but Beside the Ones We Love suggests that they deserve it. It's a pissed off and fantastically creative piece of work. And the rest of the UK hardcore scene better take note, because Palm Reader have staked their claim to the top of the mountain and on this form, it will take something special to knock them off. Read More
Onemetal.com
In Beside the Ones We Love, Palm Reader have created something that eludes definition and fumes with experimentation. In this respect, they draw comparisons with The Dillinger Escape Plan and rival them in their fearless embrace of the paths less travelled. One thing's for certain: no matter what happens next, Beside the Ones We Love is going to have a huge and lasting impact on the UK hardcore scene. Read More
roomthirteen.com 11/13
Yet as strong as Bad Weather is, it sounds positively pedestrian in comparison to the technically astute, unhinged chaos that Palm Reader now bathe in, balancing raucous and intricate guitar playing with prominent melodies and modern hardcore belligerence, invoking - to a certain extent - The Dillinger Escape Plan's convulsive rhythmic pandemonium and the quirky, punk-fuelled venom of pre-2011 Gallows (themselves In At The Deep End alumni). Comparisons aside, Palm Reader undeniably own their sound all the more this time round, making Beside The Ones We Love a genuine, riotous statement of intent for the southerners. Read More
lizzieslowdown.com 9/10
One thing is for sure this band is brave and daring and will go above and beyond to prove their worth among their contemporaries. All We Are is like a question and answer. They've taken a scene and set themselves the task of questioning the norm, by answering it with one fucking staggering EP that changes the dynamic of everything. Read More
ourzonemag.com 9/10
Palm Reader are unlike so many of the hardcore bands they get lumped in with. Their frantic live sets and intelligent lyrics are what really sets them apart; it comes as little surprise that their second album is an absolute killer.?
More methodical than it's predecessor Bad Weather; Beside The Ones We Love sees Palm Reader take a far more precise approach to their sound, ditching their scrappy edge. That's not to say that lead vocalist Josh McKeown is any less vicious and aggressive with his lyrical delivery. 'Pedant', which beings with a gut churning "fuck you!" perfectly captures the fiery punch that Palm Reader consistently deliver. In contrast to this 'Sing Out, Survivor' is a grueling build up that's going to have you twitching your legs and raring to go.?
Palm Reader are back, bare knuckles, ready to fight.
muteprint.com
Palm Reader's follow up to their stunning debut album Bad Weather, Besides The Ones We Love is a combination of emotion-filled screams and jolty, Dillinger Escape Plan-esque riffs. The hardcore quintet have produced the best hardcore album the UK has seen since Gallows' Grey Britain, a huge claim, but one that Palm Reader have earned themselves with this album. Read More
withguitars.com 8.6/10
Woking's Palm Reader return with their second full length album this April and I was lucky enough to get my hands on a copy. A band that are a mixture of hardcore and metal and most of all aren't style over substance. A band who aren't all about haircuts and breakdowns, a band that are actually able to build a song around structure and think outside of the box. 'Beside The Ones We Love' is an absolute blinder from start to finish.
Through out all ten tracks Palm Reader push themselves to the brink and then bring it back home and deliver it all with style and panache. Tracks such as 'Stacks' have a much more mellow vibe whilst still keeping that aggression flowing.
Having listened to Palm Readers debut full length a good while ago it is excellent to see a band that are naturally progressing and aren't sticking to a known formulae. More bands need to throw shit against the wall and see if it sticks otherwise why write new albums if they are all going to sound like your debut?
Palm Reader lads - keep up the good work. 8.6/10
Stencilmag
This successor to their debut album, 'Bad Weather' is a brilliant natural progression for them as a band which
they pull off effortlessly and each track displays great creativity and character, especially through their clever
use of bleakness and dissonance, making this a must hear album for 201 5 and reinforcing Palm Reader as a
heavy contender for hardcore bands to keep an eye on and take the scene by storm! Read More (Flash Player Required)
musicology-online.co.uk 8/10
The musicianship present is staggering though. Drummer Dan Olds demonstrates an incredible talent behind the kit and is juxtaposed by the primal screams of Josh Mckeown as he proceeds to simply rip his vocal chords to shreds. Interesting contrasts are in abundance throughout the album, the best example being Sing Out, Saviour. Building up to bursting point before unleashing a truly souring guitar lead, it's easily the best track Palm Reader have written in their short career. Read More
