Best (bands I like) Ascension. Fucking love that band. I generally loathe long, wanky, overly complicated music as it often doesn't hold my attention well, but power metal just soaks my fucking panties for some reason. I suppose it's because the music is generally farcically overly-complicated but still sounds like simple hooks and is easy to follow? I don't know, but I love it. Plus they're tight as a tight thing live. Dear John. These guys shagged us out of the running at the Capt. Tom's BOTB and rightly so - they fucking smashed it. I expected to hate them when I heard they used electronic samples etc (because I haven't seen many acts really tickle my fancy using them) but DJ were so fucking fluid, tight and heavy. Loved them. Absolutist. Great live act - the long spacey slow passages are something I normally avoid like the plague but it adds so much more brutality to the crustier elements of their set. GBOL. Really well-paced band. Awesome sauce. Worst (Bands I dislike or like less than what seems to be considered the correct amount) X-Certs / The Little Kicks. Lumping these two together because they both whelm me in the same way. Good bands, good performers, good songs, I just don't find them engaging. I have no idea why, maybe I'm just a hipster who doesn't like things because they're popular. Skizofrenik. I hate any band with "quirky" spelling in their name - just a pet hate of mine. I've seen 'frenik a few times, played with them a lot with Heller State. The drummer is a machine, really tight and really talented. Obviously draws a lot of inspiration from Travis Barker, but I think they have a way to go when it comes to crafting songs and making their sets flow. The songs often feel like they're pulling in two directions at once, never quite making up their mind if they're pop-punk or crusty. Plus I grudge bands who've been around on the scene as long as them still having covers in their sets - it feels lazy. I can't think of any bands offhand that are BAD, but those are the first to mind that I don't enjoy very much. xx