Wall of Sound presents: “2017 YEAR IN REVIEW” – by Wall of Sound Writer Kurt Boldy

Posted on December 8, 2017 by walladmin

This year at Wall of Sound has been mega. I’ve covered Splendour in the Grass, interviewed some of my favourite musicians such as Mike Portnoy (ex-Dream Theater, Sons of Apollo, The Winery Dogs – the list goes on), Simone Dow (Voyager) and Marcus Bridge (Northlane) to name a few. I can see WoS playing some big moves next year but it’s nice to reflect on what has happened over the past 12 months, so here are some of my musical highlights for the Wall of Sound 2017 Year in Review…

TOP 5 ALBUMS OF 2017

1. David Maxim Micic – Who Bit the Moon
2. Make Them Suffer – Worlds Apart
3. Polaris – The Mortal Coil
4. Ocean Grove – The Rhapsody Tapes
5. Voyager – Ghost Mile

TOP 5 SONGS OF 2017

1. David Maxim Micic – ‘Damar’
2. Make Them Suffer – ‘Uncharted’
3. Don Broco – ‘Pretty’
4. Polaris – ‘Consume’
5. Voyager – ‘Ascension’

BEST MUSIC VIDEO OF 2017

David Maxim Micic – ‘Someone Else’s Hat (Playthrough)‘
I know it’s not a real music video, but the creativity gone into this concept I can’t go past
appreciating. Play-through videos are normally quite a boring concept; however, with the right scene, interesting cinematography, killer music and sensible editing, what would normally be a boring shot of a dude in his bedroom, has become an artistic project.

BEST GIG YOU’VE SEEN 2017

Ocean Grove – 21-23 July @ Splendour In The Grass, North Byron Parklands
Nu-metal is a bit of a risky genre to be writing in as it kind of fizzled out a decade ago, but Ocean Grove still absolutely killed it at SITG! Eye catching stage outfits, rollerblades, rapping, metal, mosh-pits of destruction and they managed to conjure this up as the first mainstage act in the morning. The crowd feeds off energy from the performers and Ocean Grove fed us a fucking buffet. I’m very excited to see them again. (Review Here)

NEXT BIG BAND TO WATCH IN 2018

Don Broco. The English boys from Bedford have made a huge name for themselves in England but have yet to replace their capillaries with some chunky arteries in Australia. We aren’t thriving with modern rock fusion bands that are on Don Broco’s level. There are a pool of stoner rock bands, an ocean planet of asthmatic-sounding, reverb drenched, indie/alternative artists, our healthy metal/hard rock community, but no Don Broco’s. Is there a big gap to fill? Yes. Can Don Broco fill it? I really do think so.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO IN 2018

DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL. Soundwave is dead and buried. UNIFY is predominantly an Australian artist festival (not that there’s anything wrong with that). We need a festival that brings in some big metal and rock names and it’s finally here! Limp Bizkit, Arch Enemy, Ocean Grove, Korn, Of Mice & Men, Northlane, Amon Amarth + heaps more. Being a bloke that never had the chance to experience Soundwave (bought a ticket for the last show but it was cancelled!), this has got me swimming with excitement.