Review: Never Found – 'Sorrow and Cyanide' EP

I was pushed in Never Found’s direction by the little carrot on a stick of “They sound like Bullet For My Valentine”, so I instantly grabbed this little bugger in both hands and ran away before anyone else noticed.
The band may very well have some similarities, but there is a whole lot more to their sound, in fact so much so they really divide genres, which I always love. We can get so bogged down on what fits where and the metal snobbery of daring to think out of the box.
 
The band hail from Oxford and Bridgend and I wonder if that is where the two main differing approaches come from. I will touch on this more below but the main thing you need to know before I delve into this EP is that this debut deserves your attention. It may be a bit rough around the edges in places, but it is a solid foundation for this young band. There is enough to get you drawn in and wanting more.
 
The EP kicks off with “Just Like Hollywood” and you could not get further from Hollywood in the sound if you tried. Imagine my surprise on awaiting a BFMV song, and getting battered with an early 1970s punk barrage, staccato drums, abusive vocals and a dirty London ghetto swagger. Bemused was not the word, but I held on in there, and we got a cracking chorus with some decent screaming. It was like a battle of two genres. I could imagine the guys sitting around a table saying, “I want punk”… “Tough. I want Bullet”… and this was the compromise. I would suspect it was one of the first tracks the band wrote. For me, it is the weakest track, but it lays down the history and influences that has got them to this release.
 
“Choking Me” bites right from the off. An excellent slice of that well documented Welsh metal sound. The drums, the riffs, the vocals, and the screaming. Not only that it, is a catchy son of a bitch. A song that just cries out for a stage. A bunch of sweaty youths giving it their all. The broken down guitar work is excellent, and it finishes in a frenzy. It still holds that punk feel, but mixes it in so much better.
 
“King Of Nothing” has that lazy, slow, brutal, thrashy riffage that we know and love. It reminded me of Motörhead in their prime, but I think that is just purely the attitude. We get more of the vocal screamathon on this, and for me this is a winner. Another catchy head banging wonder.
 
The song to wrap this all up is “Take Me Away”, and it starts like a classic thrasher, but it is probably the most accessible track. This will appeal to a much bigger audience, and they could definitely swing on the coat tails of some of the biggest upcoming bands with this one. This will sit alongside many a band and could slot in to many a genres playlist.
 
So in summing up, this is an excellent opening for Never Found. I still think they haven’t tied down the sound they are going for, but how many bands have on their first outing? There is something there, shining through each and every song. There is no doubt the talent is there in abundance, and the effort and precision are top notch.
 
The band need to gig their socks off, and find out what works live, listen to the crowds, and most of all, their own hearts. For every question there is a solution, and I have no doubt these guys will find it and tie down a very bright future.
Never Found are: Daniel Barnes – Vocals and Guitar Sam Redmayne – Guitar James Sweeten – Bass Keiran Ivey – Drum
Review Ritchie Birnie
 
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