Tin Soldiers

Get Ready To Rock – TIN SOLDIERS – Army Of One (EP)

New four piece band who are busy working on their second album, after their 2010 debut album ?Telling Tales? gained glowing reviews. After listening to this four song EP you can see why as they have big, hooked filled rockers like ‘Always Tomorrow’ and a mellower sound on ‘Take Back The Streets’, sounding a bit like Feeder meets the Killers.They make the power pop/rock genre seem easy when often it is one of the hardest sounds to crack.

Often bands don?t always live up to second albums as many good ideas get used up on the debut (the Darkness being a classic case in point) but based on these four songs we can expect a storming album from Tin Soldiers next year.

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Jason Ritchie - Get Ready To Rock

“Guitar groups are on the way out,” as The Beatles were once told following their audition for Decca in 1962. Similar rumours of Rock’s demise have abounded over the years, and if the charts of late have been anything to go by (which they usually aren’t), you’d be forgiven for thinking that the rumours were finally true, albeit sixty years later. So isn’t it about time that a new band came along and shook things up a little to prove the naysayers wrong…? Enter Tin Soldiers, a tight-knit four-piece from Kent, whose newest foray into the world of Pop Rock, Army Of One, sees the light of day this month.
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With a standard guitar band setup, Rich Cross and Matt Wade on guitar and vocals, Matt Jennings on bass and Chris Persiva on drums, they make no bones about their Britrock roots. The EP opens with the tumultuous Falling, which showcases the band’s tight musicianship, and their ability to write a catchy melody, then dress it up in all its rock finery. There’s a great energy here, not far from that supplied by The Cooper Temple Clause some years back.
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Always Tomorrow is a quieter affair to start with, more like Feeder than the Foos, but no less well-crafted. The catchy melody and tight rhythm beg to be included on radio playlists everywhere, and certainly has the potential to trouble the charts. The title track, Army of One returns to heavier territory. With its fuzzy bass and staccato guitars, the band could easily have taken their foot off the melodic pedal, but no – you’ll be humming the chorus for days. Finally, Take Back The Streets sees Rich Cross in his best vocal form with yet another singalong chorus. Good use of melody isn’t restricted to the vox either; the middle section contains a gem of a bassline, supplemented by arpeggiated guitars that harken back to The Edge at his noisy best.
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As an EP, Army Of One is a selection of bold, melody-driven anthems, well worthy of further investigation. The boys have the good sense to vary the guitar sounds throughout, and the bass refuses to play a backseat role either. Married with plenty of thundering toms, and you’re on to a winner from the start. The production is crisp, the sound separation allows all the instruments to be heard without losing the vigour that’s essential in any rock tune. Just a bit more beef in one or two of the drum sounds and this would be nigh-on perfect.
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So have guitar bands had their day? Not if Tin Soldiers have anything to say about it. JASON KENNY - Intamission music

“Guitar groups are on the way out,” as The Beatles were once told following their audition for Decca in 1962. Similar rumours of Rock’s demise have abounded over the years, and if the charts of late have been anything to go by (which they usually aren’t), you’d be forgiven for thinking that the rumours were finally true, albeit sixty years later. So isn’t it about time that a new band came along and shook things up a little to prove the naysayers wrong…? Enter Tin Soldiers, a tight-knit four-piece from Kent, whose newest foray into the world of Pop Rock, Army Of One, sees the light of day this month.
?
With a standard guitar band setup, Rich Cross and Matt Wade on guitar and vocals, Matt Jennings on bass and Chris Persiva on drums, they make no bones about their Britrock roots. The EP opens with the tumultuous Falling, which showcases the band’s tight musicianship, and their ability to write a catchy melody, then dress it up in all its rock finery. There’s a great energy here, not far from that supplied by The Cooper Temple Clause some years back.
?
Always Tomorrow is a quieter affair to start with, more like Feeder than the Foos, but no less well-crafted. The catchy melody and tight rhythm beg to be included on radio playlists everywhere, and certainly has the potential to trouble the charts. The title track, Army of One returns to heavier territory. With its fuzzy bass and staccato guitars, the band could easily have taken their foot off the melodic pedal, but no – you’ll be humming the chorus for days. Finally, Take Back The Streets sees Rich Cross in his best vocal form with yet another singalong chorus. Good use of melody isn’t restricted to the vox either; the middle section contains a gem of a bassline, supplemented by arpeggiated guitars that harken back to The Edge at his noisy best.
?
As an EP, Army Of One is a selection of bold, melody-driven anthems, well worthy of further investigation. The boys have the good sense to vary the guitar sounds throughout, and the bass refuses to play a backseat role either. Married with plenty of thundering toms, and you’re on to a winner from the start. The production is crisp, the sound separation allows all the instruments to be heard without losing the vigour that’s essential in any rock tune. Just a bit more beef in one or two of the drum sounds and this would be nigh-on perfect.
?
So have guitar bands had their day? Not if Tin Soldiers have anything to say about it. JASON KENNY - Intamission music

Off the back of their debut record Telling Tales in 2010 Britain’s answer to the stadium filling anthem rock of the Foo Fighters are back with a new EP and it’s just as big as before.

The Kent quartet’s latest is four slices of hook heavy pop-rock that does big on a budget. They’ve flirted with the limelight, but largely shied away from the success they’re quite clearly capable of garnering. With this EP, a precursor to their latest full length due later this year, they once again prove that riff heavy chorus led rock is alive and well this side of the pond.



‘Falling’ kicks things off with biting force and from there the pace never really lets up, sure ‘Take Back The Streets’ might be slower, but to think that means weaker is to completely miss the delights Tin Soldiers have to offer. Vocalist Rich Crossingham soars at every chance he gets (which is a lot) and these evocative in your face melodies are akin to some of Feeder’s finest moment, but with the tenacity of Dave Grohl’s smile.

Relatively unknown, Tin Soldiers can only benefit from comparisons with these monoliths of modern rock and have come into their own enough musically to not be hindered. It's bands like Tin Soldiers with tracks like the flighty ‘Always Tomorrow’ that will see stadium rock reclaim the charts and the public consciousness.
WATCH // Tin Soldiers - 'Always Tomorrow'



The aforementioned song along with ‘Army Of One’ and really all the tracks here aren’t exactly beguiling in terms of lyrical content, “All eyes are on you now, like a scream inside that wants to get out,” as they often rely on cliché, but it’s so catchy that you can forgive them as you sing along anyway. Musically they bring out the big guns with Chris Persia’s drumming leading the way, but the tight and edgy axe-work from Matthew Wade is what really ignites this band.

If you miss the jubilant naivety of Ash, the simple raw emotion of Feeder, and Muse now leave you, well bemused then Tin Soldiers are the band you’ve been waiting for. This is what your mother meant when she told you to go and have some good clean fun.
- Altsounds

ritish four-piece Tin Soldiers have been receiving a fair amount of praise since the 2010 release of their debut album ‘Telling Tales’, including being named one of Big Cheese Magazine’s best of 2010 and an official introduction in Kerrang! Magazine. But as the band release their new single ‘Just What I Needed’, you can’t help but feel that things aren’t likely to slow down anytime soon for the quartet. The single is a fantastic slice of pop-rock as it brings to mind bands like Sum 41 and even Foo Fighters, which the band actually cite as one of their influences. Opening with fast-paced, driving guitars, the track can also be described as a great salute to post-grunge as it generally emits an awesome and animated type of energy throughout. Of course, the catchiness of the track doesn’t go unnoticed as the band go for an upbeat, stadium-worthy chorus which is sure to go down a storm at future gigs. Currently working on their second album, ‘Just What I Needed’ works as a good taster to what many will be eagerly anticipating. Be sure to catch the boys as they head off on tour this summer for what will surely be a terrific set of shows. - shout4music.com

Ploughing their way through the ranks of the music industry, Tin Soldiers have been proudly introduced to the readers of Kerrang! and are well on their way to the top. Their debut album, “Telling Tales” was released last year and they’re back with brand spanking new single, “Just What I Needed” to be released on the 18th of April.
The track relies on an extremely upbeat base that is added to by pop-rock style vocals. The chorus is unbelievably catchy and although rather basic and nothing particularly new, it gives an overall good impression of the band and clearly demonstrates their ability to conjure up the perfect rock song similar to something The Foo Fighters are capable of.
Tin Soldiers have already built themselves up quite a fanbase but my expectations are that this will continue to grow significantly over the next few years as they easily hijack the music channels and show off their radio-friendly melodies.
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- Get Ready To Rock

Formed in late 2007, Tin Soldiers' instinctive knack for catchy songwriting soon propelled the band into some of the UK's most popular rock rags, sparking glowing comparisions with Feeder, Muse and the Foo Fighters. Reworking these popular influences into a unique alternative outfit, the band showcased unmistakable star quality from the earliest stage of their career. Spiked with a digestible hint of hard rock, the Kent quartet appeal instantly with glittering choruses and guitar-driven meoldies. Released this summer, 'Telling Tales' garnered praise from critics across Britains melodic rock scene who have widely compared Tin Soldiers to an edgier Feeder. Mixed by seasoned studio engineers Greg Brimson (Supergrass, Metallica) and John Cornfield (Muse, Radiohead) Telling Tales is nothing short of power pop perfection. Plucked from Tin Soldiers' critically acclaimed breakthrough, the aptly-titled single 'Word's Got Out' swiftly made its way onto an MTV playlist. With equal attention to driving riffs and moving balladry, Telling Tales smacks strongly of big-budget stadium rock. Destined to divide and conquer, Tin Soldiers will delight anyone with an appetite for anthemic modern music. - Big Cheese

Ploughing their way through the ranks of the music industry, Tin Soldiers have been proudly introduced to the readers of Kerrang! and are well on their way to the top. Their debut album, “Telling Tales” was released last year and they’re back with brand spanking new single, “Just What I Needed” to be released on the 18th of April.
The track relies on an extremely upbeat base that is added to by pop-rock style vocals. The chorus is unbelievably catchy and although rather basic and nothing particularly new, it gives an overall good impression of the band and clearly demonstrates their ability to conjure up the perfect rock song similar to something The Foo Fighters are capable of.
Tin Soldiers have already built themselves up quite a fanbase but my expectations are that this will continue to grow significantly over the next few years as they easily hijack the music channels and show off their radio-friendly melodies.
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- Get Ready To Rock

TIN SOLDIERS
KENT ROCKERS MARCHING TOWARDS ARENA STATUS

THOUGH TIN Soldiers aren’t quite Spider-Man-level superheroes yet, the fresh-outof-
university quartet do enjoy slightly Peter Parker-esque double lives. Take frontman Rich Cross, a science graduate, whose soaring voice evokes Feeder’s Grant Nicholas. Though his two loves are kept separate in Tin Soldiers – completed by Matt Wade (guitar), Matt Jennings (bass) and Chris Persiva (drums) – Rich still enjoys it when they coalesce. “Muse’s stuff is perfect for soundtracking everything going on in science at the moment,” he reckons. “They could even use them to advertise the [Geneva-based Big Bang project] Large Hadron Collider! But I haven’t written my equivalent of Supermassive Black Hole yet.” Rich is getting closer though; the band’s debut album Telling Tales is certainly a bombastic arrival. Making big budget noises on a shoestring, the Kent rockers’ polished melodic
potential has already had major labels sniffing around. Tin Soldiers, though, are happy to play the long game. “You can either wait for them to tell you what to do or
go ‘Fuck it’ and release a whole load of stuff anyway,” Rich reasons. “If they get interested, great, but if not we’re doing it anyway. We’d love to put out three or four albums then be in a position to tour America and put on an incredible show.”
Drummer Chris certainly has stamina for such longevity, having completed a half marathon and a gig inside 24 hours at London’s recent musical athletics meet, Run To The Beat. Rich says his bandmate’s legging-it skills were honed during
the shoot for their slasher film-inspired new video Word’s Got Out – a too-gory-for-TV production featuring a murderous hitchhiker pursuing the band. “Apparently a lot of TV stations loved it but were like, ‘We can’t show that, there’s so much blood and suggested death!’” laughs Rich. “Better luck next time. We always take a
video camera with us whenever we go on the road – it tends to be an adventure!”

Words: Adam Kennedy Photo: Paul Harries
kerrang!
tin soldiers
FOR FANS OF:
Feeder, Foo
Fighters.
HEAR: Their
debut album
Telling Tales is
out now - Kerrang! Bauer Publishing

Tin Soldiers - Telling Tales

We can only assume that when making this record, Kent four-piece Tin Soldiers donned white coats, locked themselves in some sort of mad scientist audio-laboratory, and set out to fuse Feeder, Green Day and Ash together - thus creating the catchiest album known to man... When they emerged and dropped the finished disk into the nearest player, it turned out that through their experiments in pop-rock fusion, they had in fact written the pop record that the Foo Fighters never wrote. From start to finish, every minute of 'Telling Tales' will wedge itself inside your head. Catchy doesn't even come close. - Rocksound

Telling Tales

Pop-rock debutants on manoeuvres

Situated proudly on the indie pop-rock spectrum (somewhere in the hinterland where angular guitar chops collide with Grant Nicholas's epic choruses) the obvious reference point for Kent's Tin Soldiers is an anxious Feeder with sharper teeth.

Standout tracks Just About Us, Wait For You and 24 Hours demonstrate some keen songwriting skills and in Grohl-like drummer Chris Persiva they have a trump card elevating the whole several considerable notches. At times, hints and snippets of Lostprophets, Franz Ferdinand, Def Leppard and the ubiquitous Foo Fighters blur the fine line between homage and light-fingeredness, but a relentless gusto and verve nailed to a punchy radio-seeking production brushes too much cynicism aside. Anyway you look at it, it's a strong start.

7/10 Tim Batcup
- Classic Rock / Future publishing

TIN SOLDIERS, 24 HOURS
If you want catchy then it’s time to make the acquaintance of Tin Soldiers who rival the Ebola virus in terms of sheer infectiousness. - Kerrang magazine

Hailing from the Garden of England, fair Kent, Tin Soldiers strike a middle ground somewhere between a high energy Feeder (best sampled via new single 24 Hours) and any number of chunky-riffed monster pop bands. Notably Just What I Needed tips a nod to Foo Fighers' Monkey Wrench style riffs, but in general this is only a whiff of scent rather than an over powering cologne. Nevertheless, Tin Soldiers clearly love their pop/stadium rock and have absorbed this into their catchy, riff-based song writing.
People have been taking notice too; they've been played on Kerrang! Radio, reviewed by Drowned in Sound and worked on recordings with experienced individuals who in turn have recorded Metallica, Bush, Supergrass, Feeder and, er, Natalie Imbruglia. Without bothering themselves too much with trying to be completely original, Tin Soldiers have a solid song writing style that delivers catchy, memorable tunes that can only get better with experience. For now, it's nice to see ambition and lively tunes from a band practically on our own doorstep. See them before they become massive! - Playmusic - October 2008

There is a subtle but profound difference between a good song and a great song. For this writer, that line is measured in how long after the disc has left the player, you can still remember the hook. This is one department that young Uk upstarts Tin Soldiers excel in. The opening track to this disc JUST WHAT I NEEDED is in possesion of a whaling fleets worth of hooks and rest assured when the top of the crop comes round again in November this track will be right in there fighting for the top spot.

The tracks that follow on what is a 5 track (and a remix) sampler go on to show what a competent songwriter young Rich Crossingham really is. While lyrically none of these tracks will be remembered as classics, the old adage of "dont bore us get to the chorus" is more than appropriate here as a positive glut of massive radio friendly choruses tumble forth from my white earphones.

The list of influences are fairly transparent - a liberal dose of Grohl, a touch of death cab for cutie (especially on token ballad Day By Day) and a flat bed of emo dynamics but when delivered with the energy and confidence that these guys do it is easily forgivable.

All the way through the thirty minutes or so music here, you get the distinct impression that these guys would really come into their own in the live arena and the bands press release relates that over the past couple of years the band have really worked hard on their live set across the UK and the result is a tightly crafted outfit with a great sense of space and dynamics.

So overall a great start form the guys and a good place from which to build to bigger and better things.
- THE MAG

Tin Soldiers - Word’s Got Out (On The Run Recordings)
TC

Four-piece outfit from Kent who, here at least, kick up a mighty post-grunge racket that is highly listenable and shows promise of a band with a lot to offer.

It’s a punchy number with a wonderfully commercial hook and is driven along at a pounding rate by the rhythm section. The band cite Foo Fighters as a major influence and there is a clear debt to them on this, with an anthemic chorus that sticks inside your head like putty. It’s maybe over commercial in some respects, with guitar riffs that might have emanated from Ash, but it is a single after all!

There’s bags of energy on this, the first single from the upcoming album, which will also include remixes of last year’s singles 24 Hours and Wait For You. The set’s being produced by Greg Brimson who has twiddled the knobs for both Muse and Feeder, so if he can help Tin Soldiers capture some of the best bits of the aforementioned past masters then it promises to kick start 2010 with a riotous bluster.

4/5 - God Is In The TV

Chugging guitars, explosive time changes, like Muse playing proper pop songs with Dave Grohl at the volume control. As you can imagine melodies are rife, guitars spin off and drums are given a good kicking, indeed frenetic dancing and weird shapes are often thrown as a result.
Q MAGAZINE Online March 2009 - Q magazine

Chugging guitars, explosive time changes, like Muse playing proper pop songs with Dave Grohl at the volume control. As you can imagine melodies are rife, guitars spin off and drums are given a good kicking, indeed frenetic dancing and weird shapes are often thrown as a result.
Q MAGAZINE Online March 2009 - Q magazine