Anger Is A Gift

Music:

Member Since: 4/1/2005
Band Website: angerisagift.co.uk
Band Members:

Aj Grand-Scrutton:
Vox/Effects/Synths etc..
Roy Foster:
Guitars
Glen Extance:
Bass
Daniel Dacosta:
Drums
Influences: This is a list of artists that have infleunced the band as a whole and as individual members:
Rage Against The Machine, Mr Bungle, Faith No More, Incubus, Public Enemy, Jimi Hendrix, Fantomas, Tomahawk, Hed P.E., One Minute Silence, , Limp Bizkit, Groove Collective, Machine Head, Black Sabbath, George Clinton and The Parliament Funkadelic, Pantera, Korn, Skindred, Beastie Boys, The Mars Volta, At The Drive In, Sikth
The list continues
Sounds Like:

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ANGRY CHICKEN MANAGEMENT:

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!--REVIEWS--!
"Vocally the singer sounds good, passionate and in touch with the anger that clearly drives this band on!! Musically talented and with a bright future, Anger Is A Gift are set to dominate the rap rock world in years to come. You can check out this great band at www.angerisagift.co.uk. Get hold of a copy of Keep Hope A Lie ... its definitely worth owning, very pleasing on the ear and a breathe of fresh air to the scene."
- www.angryculture.com - September 2005
"New Patriot Black aka Step Back is fuelled by a powerful chorus guaranteed to get you humming along, and by your second visit you'll find yourself singing at full pelt! Like most of Angers tunes, it sounds tight, and flows from start to finish, punchy in your face lyrics that are bound to get you hooked after one listen. Anger have proved in the Essex scene that putting on a good live show will get you noticed, they have a dedicated fan base that you can see screaming along at any gig Anger play."
- www.unsignedessex.co.uk - 2006
"From the name alone I am instantly thinking Rage Against The Machine, far from a bad thing in my opinion. The first track's edgy, insistent beginning does nothing to dispel or disappoint my expectations as it builds with the repeated "read the headlines..." matra before launching into one of the funkiest rap-rock hooks i have heard in the best part of a decade. With all the musical and lyrical ideas being thrown about in this tune it still never lets go of a really powerful groove, the kind that compels your head to nod and voice to shout along. The vocals, when spitting rap fire lyrics, often have a dub/reggae influenced feel, almose reminding me of slowed down drum'n'bass MCing, and he definitely has a dinstinctive voice. As you would expect from a RATM-influenced band the anti-capitalist politics and anger are all present and correct. Ralling against the "boys in blue" in the commen on police shootings that is New Patriot Black, protesting against being pigeon-holed in Cliche and appealing to hope over apathy in Tell Mama."
Gary Ashell - Panic Magazine - Issue 7 December '06
''One of the best unsigned bands in essex, and with a live show that is second to none, Anger are capable of great things and will be a band to watch out for in the future.''
Dan Rankin - Open Minded Music
"Now, a short spin of Noisy's mix CD of choice and a change in pace when Witham's Anger Is A Gift step up and truly rock out with their particular take on rap metal – loud and scary with a lead singer that is just recovering from bronchitis and discards his shoes to perform in his socks – seeing these guys live isn't an experience you'll forget in a hurry. Kicking off with quite possibly their strongest track 'New Patriot Black' and dedicating their closing Song to us, these guys certainly gained some more fans tonight."
Noisy Zine 07
"Second band to hit the stage was Anger is a gift. I don’t think I’ve seen these guys before live so was nice to hear something a bit different to bands usually playing at chinnerys. I would also say that about the first band – noisy did well to put on such great variety.
Straight away I noticed the singer had taken his shoes off, which is the first time I’ve seen that on stage. They kicked off with a song I really like called ‘step back’. I was happily singing along and dancing about to that, heh. You can tell that a major influence for this band is Rage against the machine, in music style as well as vocal technique.
Song two was called sound the alarm, that was good but I do like that first track. The start of the third song really fooled me into thinking it was like System of a down but as it went on it slipped back into RATM. It still sounded really rocky though. I didn’t quite catch the title of the forth song but it sounded like it could be a type of tai chi heh and highlighted probable rap/hip-hop influences. By the fifth song I realised (maybe it was just me) that the songs seemed to be getting heavier as the set progressed.
It was hard to take pictures of the singer because he was always moving, he didn’t stand still. I think the final song was called ‘eticate’ which seemed politically motivated like the first track, and sounded similar actually. I really liked these guys, even though they sounded like RATM, because they weren’t the usual indie/emo/rock that you usually get there. It was really refreshing. Favourite band of the night."
AM FM XM SIRIUS SATELLITE WEBCASTS
In a local scene dominated by post-hardcore, emo, classic metalcore and indie acts, it's a breath of fresh air to Colchester and the surrounding area when a band such as Anger Is A Gift appear. Blending the slightly less orthodox mix of rap and metal (upholding that mid 90s nu-metal obsession that came with Korn and died with Linkin Park) , the band draw influences from groups such as Limp Bizkit, Public Enemy and the ever famous Rage Against the Machine (the latter of which can be heard strongly in their riffs and vocal style).
Their music boasts a wide variety of funk and blues based guitar lines, over the top of which front-man Aj spits lyrics spanning numerous political and social themes. Mid-tempo, bass driven verses sit comfortably alongside aggressive, cymbal soaked choruses, and addictive drum lines can be heard throughout. Vocally, the singer is talented and strong (if straying slightly too close to the Zack de la Rocha line) and can master rap led verses equally as well as shout filled sections.
Locally the band are known for their energetic live shows and strong stage presence, and their EP titled 'Keep Hope A Lie' sold out its first batch of copies in one night. Separately recorded internet single 'New Patriot Black (Step Back)', an infectiously catchy rap-metal track showcasing some of the band's highest qualities, even has its own music video. Add to this an impressive catalogue of shows inside and outside their local area (including Open Minded Music Fest 2004 and a slot supporting the mighty reggae-metal legends Skindred at nearby venue The Twist) as well as a solid fanbase throughout the local underground scene and you have yourself a recipe for a band set to go places. Furthemore, its good to see a bunch of guys making the music they love regardless of fashions of the time. Never in Essex has rap-metal sounded so good.
The Deadwire (www.thedeadwire.co.uk)

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