Hygienic Horror!

So, in the two week half term for Easter I pleasantly enjoyed, it seems The Marches School were focusing their efforts on re-designing and recreating the boys' toilets by performing arts. These new toilets are very modern in style, feature a red and blue colour scheme and have got speakers constantly tuned into BBC Shropshire's radio station to lift the atmosphere a bit.

From reading that, you're probably thinking this is very good and people are happy with the changes. Up to this point, you're right; for you see there are a solid row of cubicles that have bottom to ceiling barriers, no urinals and an "open to the corridor" hand washing area (as described in the The Marches' letter subjecting the toilets).

The problem here is, now that everyone is free to observe the males actions after visiting these new cubicles, I have realised just how shocking the hygiene standards in this school are. Today I filled in a tally chart to try and prove my ill-fated suspicions right or wrong, and it turns out that out of a total of 31 students that were counted, 14 did wash their hands after toilet use but an increased and disgusting total of 17 pupils neglected their hygiene.

Personally, I find this very interesting (why these teenagers believe they shouldn't wash their hands) and extremely repulsive. I did a little research and found out that the amount of germs on your fingertips DOUBLE after toilet use - surely this would increase your chances of wanting to clean yourself. This is not just a problem for these foolish and neglecting teens, but for anyone in the school, for say if they do not wash their hands, then in the next lesson are handing out sheets to everyone in the class, the germs have been spread to the innocent and hygiene abiding pupils unfairly.

All this trouble from such a simple and primitive 30 second task. The mentality of such behaviour is truly outrageous and something must be done. Once or twice I have asked those in question why they didn't wash their hands, one student "couldn't be arsed" another simply laughed at me. I'm sorry to waffle on about this but another incident that shocked me was when I commanded one young boy to wash his hands as he blatantly wasn't going to and he looked at me as if I had just instructed him to walk off a cliff.

Again I apologise for such a focused rant, but this really sickens me and I hope the standards improve very soon. If you have any enquiries or comments, please don't hesitate to post them below. Thanks for reading!
-Andy.

Cancer Bats 'Dead Set On Living' Review

Opening calmly with a somewhat eerie atmosphere, it is clear from the first drum beat that Cancer Bats are not for hanging around. The guitar riffs and bass are as complimentary to each other as ever and Liam's ever happy rainbow dust style lyrics "There's a special place in hell for people like you!" are supplying the icing on this battering ram of sound cake.

One thing that Dead Set on Living does that previously I have not detected in the Bats' sound is groove! The presence and element of groove they add - not too much to alter their trusted style but enough to get noticed and impress - provides a whole new dimension to their music which prior to this people, including myself, thought their fusion of metal and punk was incapable of any other addition as weighty and fulfilling as this groove. It shows a degree of maturity, and also that, musically, these four Canadian's are on a very expansive path with possibilities that they are fully aware of.

The first track from this steel ripping album to blast my ear drums down was 'Old Blood' and, of course, I was incomparably and unexpectedly impressed. The successor of 'R.A.T.S' is 'Bricks and Mortar' and as the title suggests it is a pummelling mix of what I love about Cancer Bats, full out aggression, throat wrenching screams, unaltered heaviness and the slightest whiff of groove can be detected.

'Road Sick', the second single with a rather amusing music video changes the tone and immediately bellows 'We're VERY punk'. This is pleasing, after two crushing tracks that the Bats' know to surprise their audience and deliver a more emotional message in this brilliant track. Any doubters by this point must surely be swallowing their hateful words and regretting the day they crossed Liam Cormier and co. Luckily for me, I was not foolish enough to imprison myself like that.

There are one or two songs on this album that perhaps do not leave the same effect on the listener as the previously praised more stand out tracks, 'Breath Armageddon' is an example; the chorus is catchy and sing-alongy, but nothing about the song grabs your attention. Although it does have a very homely and welcoming sort of vibe - the vibe that is found on the best albums and not specifically the best individual tracks.

The title track and fifth in order, is winning the vote for most anthemic. With superb time changes and infectious bellowing of "I will, never forget!" reassures you that the Bats take their work very seriously and reminds you of how glad you are that they were a prized discovery.

'The Void' features yet another new added element - doom! The song starts slowly building an atmosphere of pure doom ridden madness; then the grooviest Cancer Bats riff ever written kicks in and you're almost knocked off your feet. The track continues beautifully and fulfils the hype it gives itself with such fantastic song writing. Some may be wondering that they made a mistake when purchasing - underestimating how much of a chemical equation they were in for: Punky groove + Doomy metal = Cancer Bats. Balancing it is a totally different task.

At this point, the arrival of 'Old Blood', you should've have decided that what you are listening to is a pure goddamn gem. If this is a track you (somehow) hadn't heard prior to right now you are most likely completely stunned and struggling to find the words necessary to praise these sweaty, beard endorsers enough! Keep it comin'!

Track eight - 'Drunken Physics', is one of rather anthemic qualities and hits extremely heavily, the Bats here show off their mastered use of switching from very doomy and heavy breakdown chorus sections to fast paced verses brilliantly. The listener can ask for no more and should be truly enthralled by the master class they are witnessing.

The pleasantly christened 'Bastards' doesn't do a lot until the explosive side comes out at the chorus, the switch from comfortable consistent riffing to a heavy anthemic and very groovy chorus really does make a positive impact on the listener. Although this track is not one you would single out as a great individual track, it is with the likes of' Breath Armageddon' in the sense that these are songs that make the ALBUM excellent, and without them the likes of 'Bricks and Mortar' would not impress as much.

The penultimate 'Rally The Wicked' does an excellent job incurring repetition to build the tension and make that big explosion so much better and the sudden calm down moment perhaps surprises as this is not the usual method, but again things like that make this album so fantastic.

Finally, album closer time! It has been a truly marvellous journey to here and the finisher 'New World Alliance' is no worse than anything here. It does have a very definitive album closer vibe and that vibe is worn very proudly which is a good sign. All in all, this album deserves to reach the Bats' new heights as they truly deserve it!

Words provided by: Andy Smith

Dead Set On Living!

Hello everyone!
Andy here, sorry this blog has been somewhat dormant, I have been rather busy recently and here's why:

School is getting more intense as we near our final set of GCSE's and concentration levels increase rapidly. Also, coursework projects have kept me behind after hours for a lot of the time but most are finished now and study leave is fast approaching so I will be free soon enough!

During the Easter half-term, I vacated to a sunnier and very different place with the other 6 members of my family (Mum, Dad, Sisters 1, 2, 3 & 4. Lucky, aren't I?) for the first week; this was thoroughly enjoyable and a welcome break! The second week of this half term was spent mainly relaxing and a lot of reading has been done.

I have taken an interest in particular in Che Guevara's works; he was such a revolutionary man and it astonishes me as to how he kept such brilliant diaries. By reading them, I feel like I am gaining an insight into what went through his mind and of course his 'Guerilla Warfare' book is an expertly written manual on how to employ the tactics of guerilla warfare and how they were successful in Cuba during the revolution.

Also, the Brian McGilloway authored Inspector Devlin series has become a favourite of mine and I am ever so glad I picked up 'Gallows Lane' in Waterstones the day I did, for otherwise I would be missing out on such an intellectual and clever thrilling series that never fails to impress.

More recently, Cancer Bats - a band I have discovered toward the end of March and become truly enthralled by - released their Dead Set on Living album! It is just shy of 40 minutes and is an absolute treat for any fan of genius music or any CB fan. I have written a review of it as a display of my affection and will be posting it soon!
Thanks for reading and once again I am sorry at the lack of posts previously!
Andy.