24 Apr 2024
UsernamePassword

Remember Me? | Join | Recover
Click here to sign in via social networking

DRXNES - Single Review: Junkie

07 Jun 2021 // A review by Kev Rowland

Prior to hearing this single I had heard only positive things about Whanganui band DRXNES and having now played this I can see exactly why. This is a highly polished, highly produced number which sounds as if it has come out of a top American band and studio as opposed to little old Aotearoa. There are a huge amount of influences inside a song which is only 4 ½ minutes long, from the likes of Linkin Park to Limp Bizkit, Tool to Slipknot, and so much more. Even played at a low volume one understands this is an incredibly powerful, heavy and loud number, with the atmospheric heartbeat Floydian intro giving no indication whatsoever of what is going to happen.

They soon crunch into the groove, with the drums providing the cut through needed, as the guitars and bass are often playing as one, like a well-honed machine, creating a bouncing groove that is impossible not to move along to. There is a real wall of sound being created, but what makes this stand out are the multiple sections the band has put into just one small piece of music, with one piece near the end sounding as if they have been playing close attention to recent Sepultura, with guitars going down and dirty. But there are other sections when instead of being sung, the vocals come across far more as if it is Fred Durst from 20 years ago.

The contrast of styles and tempo within Junkie means the listener never gets bored, as while it is always intense there are different levels within that. This is a song which really moves and changes, so that one is never sure where it is going go, as just when it appears to be settled in, it takes flight and changes again. The guitars are always part of the whole, sometimes shifting and providing different melodic interchanges, but always very connected with the song as opposed to being something which is unnecessarily showy, and it certainly makes one think this is a well-oiled machine.

One can imagine that this is massive when played live, as here it has been polished within an inch of its life, while never losing the passion and energy, yet at a gig this will intentionally blow people away. To get the best result, put it on and crank it up loud, real loud.

Rating: ( 5 / 5 )
 

About DRXNES

DRXNES are a Wanganui-based metal band formed in 2015. Loved for their stadium-ready anthems and high-energy performances, they have become a critical fixture in New Zealand's live music scene. With two national tours to their name in 2018 and 2019, they have also opened for international and national touring artists including Stray From The Path, Skinny Hobos, Intervals, Counterparts, Earth Tongue and Blindspott. DRXNES are currently working on new music and touring schedules for 2020.




Visit the muzic.net.nz Profile for DRXNES

Releases

There are no releases to display for DRXNES.

Other Reviews By Kev Rowland

Gig Review: Crushfest @ The Tuning Fork, Auckland - 07/07/2023
07 Jul 2023 // by Kev Rowland
So it was down to Tuning Fork for the first night of the second Crushfest festival. Tonight was going to be Wellington and Auckland bands, and then some of the same will be playing at the second night in Wellington next month.
Read More...
Rain - Single Review: Love and War
15 Jun 2023 // by Kev Rowland
It has been quite a while since I last heard from Wellington-based singer songwriter Cathy Elizabeth, and back then Rain was seen solely as a studio project with Cathy being accompanied by Thomas Te Taite, who provided all the instrumentation including digital drums. Now they are a full band who have been performing live, and it is the first time they have recorded as such, with Thomas now, just providing acoustic guitar (plus engineering and producing etc.
Read More...
Lost Vessels - Single Review: All This Time
01 Jun 2023 // by Kev Rowland
I must admit I was not that impressed when I first saw Lost Vessels play at Crushfest, something they later admitted to me was the worst gig of their career, but since then they have improved in leaps and bounds. This has been noticed by others on the Auckland circuit as they are getting more opportunities with better support slots, and I was not at all surprised when they won the Ding Dong Lounge Battle Of The Bands in November last year.
Read More...
Unwanted Subject - Single Review: Sons of Savages
28 May 2023 // by Kev Rowland
I have caught Unwanted Subject in concert a few times over the last couple of years, and while they have been getting better each time I have seen them, I must admit that nothing prepared me for this, which right from the off is a monster. I have never heard them quite this is aggressive, nor as polished, and this multi-sectioned single sounds almost like a different band as they have pushed their metal roots to the max in this metalcore beast which sees them mixing and blending different genres to create something quite special.
Read More...
Gig Review: Stray Dogs @ AUX, Auckland - 26/05/2023
28 May 2023 // by Kev Rowland
So it was back to Ding Dong Lounge on a Friday night for one of their infamous Emo nights, which tonight was a three-band bill with Stray Dogs having an extended set, supported by Altaea and then up first we had Blindr, a band new to me. Blindr are a quartet featuring Bill Caldwell (vocals, guitar), Blake Woodfield (lead guitar), Jack Power (bass), and Charlie McCracken (drums).
Read More...
Gig Review: Turkey The Bird @ The Ministry of Folk, Auckland - 27/05/2023
27 May 2023 // by Kev Rowland
Back up to Auckland Guide Centre in Mount Eden tonight for my second consecutive gig (Sol suggested it was a turkey sandwich as I am at Vader tomorrow) to see Taranaki’s finest, Turkey The Bird at The Ministry of Folk. Before that we of course had Hoop, who are Al Baxter (vocals, guitar, harmonica, banjo, mandolin), Nick Edgar (vocals, guitar, ukulele, flute, harmonica), Emily Allen (violin, viola), Glenn Coldham (bass) while tonight Gary Hunt was filling in for drummer Rusty Knox.
Read More...
This Silent Divide - Single Review: Beautiful Creature
25 May 2023 // by Kev Rowland
Here we have the latest single from Wellington-based melodic hard rock quartet This Silent Divide, entitled Beautiful Creature. I really enjoyed their Tall Stories EP, and they played a great gig at Dead Witch towards the end of last year, and this would have been recorded at about the same time.
Read More...
Gig Review: Emily Rice @ Your Local Coffee Roasters, Pukekohe - 24/05/2023
24 May 2023 // by Kev Rowland
Earlier this week I had a message from Emily Rice asking me if I lived in South Auckland. When I responded I did, she asked if I would be interested in coming along to an event she was putting on in a coffee shop in Pukekohe to celebrate the release of her new single, Warenoa.
Read More...
View All Articles By Kev Rowland

NZ Top 10 Singles

  • TOO SWEET
    Hozier
  • BEAUTIFUL THINGS
    Benson Boone
  • LOSE CONTROL
    Teddy Swims
  • I LIKE THE WAY YOU KISS ME
    Artemas
  • SATURN
    SZA
  • STICK SEASON
    Noah Kahan
  • END OF BEGINNING
    Djo
  • LIKE THAT
    Future And Metro Boomin feat. Kendrick Lamar
  • ESPRESSO
    Sabrina Carpenter
  • WE CAN'T BE FRIENDS (WAIT FOR YOUR LOVE)
    Ariana Grande
View the Full NZ Top 40...
muzic.net.nz Logo
100% New Zealand Music
All content on this website is copyright to muzic.net.nz and other respective rights holders. Redistribution of any material presented here without permission is prohibited.
Report a ProblemReport A Problem