Released in May 2011 as free download on Reverbnation, the self-produced debut EP by the French metalcore outfit Craving it’s a brutally honest massacre, a loud as hell blending of classic thrash and the nowadays raging post-hardcore/metal sounds. Some of their riffs, constructions reminds me of Testament and Sepultura, eventually Kreator. The title track definitively could became a huge headbanging anthem back in the 80s, beginning of the 90s. And – why not – it is possible to be a metal anthem nowadays too, true metalers never die!
We’ve got 6 furious and rapid tracks, the perfect soundtrack for a good time banging, so go and grab it! Read more Craving – Fucked Up Beyond Repair, EP (2011)
Life and Living
2011
Hakan Ludvigson – Soulroom (2011)
I’m not an expert in deep house, tech-house and in techno generally speaking, not a dancing type of guy and far not a clubber, but “Soulroom” have a warm, kind of intimate vibe, something charming and friendly, it just feels good and its pulse takes you away smoothly, almost stealthily. “The Soft Starlight” introduce the listener in that particular vibe and the album grows smoothly, pulsate and radiate through different rooms of that same kind of bitter-sweet feeling, an universe where cold and harness sounds are melting into strange, but humanly warm feelings and expressions.
This music is just as perfect and appropriate for sex as for relax or dance. Read more Hakan Ludvigson – Soulroom (2011)
Blue Stahli – Blue Stahli (2011)
Although I have a whole lot of new releases waiting there to be listen and eventually to get a review at the bottom line, still, there are many treasures left undiscovered from the previous year. Blue Stahli are definitively one of them and released on March 2, 2011, this self-titled album it’s the first not only instrumental album by the artist, but the second under the Blue Stahli moniker.
We’ve got 10 tracks, 43 minutes of ravishing fury and sensual emotions. Blue Stahli managed to merged anthematic rock hooks with smoothly cinematic sensitivity and epic electronic sound. Aggressive riffing, melodic hooks, bloody screams and contorted electronic layers are working in perfect harmony here to create the most efficient construction of gothic punk with industrial metal outfit. Probably most of the people will think of Nine Inch Nails and well, there are some obvious similarities, but still, this is something quite different. And highly addictive. Read more Blue Stahli – Blue Stahli (2011)
Grand Central – 01, EP (2011)
New name on the scene, no background infos, no nothing about them, so, what could I did, google them, obviously. Google “Grand Central – 01” and you will got THIS. A not so succeeded snap-shot of the Grand Central Terminal in NYC. Tried a different approach and find out that there’s a Brit cover band running under the same name and “providing the best live music from 60s to present day for your wedding, party, corporate events”… S*it! And there are also “The Grand Central Band” from New Zealand, formed in 1997… I hate “my job” (sometimes), I hate Google – but I would be disposable to merry his daughter eventually 😀 -, I hate the internet, I hate you and everybody else. Still, I love punk’n’roll, something performed and perfected to master by Lemmy Kilmister and his Motörmotherfuckinghead. And this 4 track EP delivered by the French Grand Central consist of that kind of Read more Grand Central – 01, EP (2011)
Echancrure – Paysage. Octobre. (2011)
This is a dream. Or a trip through some sonic landscapes colored by hopes, dreams, fears, nightmares and eventually some kind of desperate searching and self-searching, ultimately a need for communication and definitively a gloomy, but quite spiritual way to express feelings. And once again, in a world more and more isolated and alienated, feelings and communication are so goddamn rare. This might be a movie without imagines, or just simply a passage to a kind of intimate, hidden place where our ghosts are dancing in some soulful ritual fire. Symbolism melt into mystery, grotesque and vivid melancholy collide into one and the result are eight “Untitled” tracks which overcome and defied genres.
“Yours for free”, or “Pay as much as you want” is the best way to spread this kind of experimental, gloomy, “unfriendly” music. Read more Echancrure – Paysage. Octobre. (2011)
Frank Palangi – EP (2011)
Maybe the time is right for a new John Bongiovi for a brand new generation. Rock solid and catchy, Frank Palangi merge kick ass rock energy and soulful melodies only to deliver modern, powerful and catchy rock songs, possible anthems of a new age. Gifted with a powerful voice and the fire of creation, armed with raw ambition, Palangi seems to be determined to conquer the world.
Recorded in Nashville, TN with producer Rogers Masson and the Grammy nominated rock band “Day of Fire” to backup Frank. In music center of the world, Nashville, TN at Soundstage Studios. Frank has written, performed, and co-produced this material and it was mastered by Rogers Masson and multi-Grammy Award winner Gavin Lurssen. Read more Frank Palangi – EP (2011)
150 albums of 2011 – from 101 to 150
naisian – Mammalian (2011) Far off from the Brit scene and tends, Naisian from Sheffield, brings to the surface a tumultuous, contorted metal with roots back both to the classic Black Sabbath sound and the mixture of sludge and post-hardcore riffs, in their music is a perfect balance between dark and noisy elements and sometimes psychedelic, other time warm and calm, spacy moments. James Borrowdale – guitar and vocals, Adam Zejma – guitar and vocals, Micheal Aitken – bass and vocals and Jordan Garlick – (only 🙂 ) drums, create a quite exciting and unique blending of intense metal and avantgardist surfing. “Mammalian” can be listen and downloaded (“name your price”) from the band’s Bandcamp page. It worth every minute and every penny. Read more 150 albums of 2011 – from 101 to 150
150 albums of 2011 – from 51 to 100
The Famine – The Architects Of Guilt (2011) “The Architects of Guilt” is the second full-length album by the death metal band The Famine released the February – months before I started this website and although I had write a review back then, it wasn’t translated for this and while I deleted my blog meantime, it’s actually lost. The album had a quite contorted story,vocalist Kris McCaddon left the band before the recordings and bassist Nick Nowell took over his duties. After the recordings, the band’s studio burned down in February 2010. They lost not only all of their equipment, but also the tracking for their album. So, their label, Solid State payed for a new recording session and the band re-recorded the material. Read more 150 albums of 2011 – from 51 to 100
150 albums of 2011 – from 1 to 50
For me it’s kind of mission impossible to strip down the music of 2011 to a top 10 or something. And definitively it would be totally unfair.
I had a few expectations, I had a few surprises and a few disappointments, it was a busy year with too many releases, a quite mad over dumping it’s going on in the music industry in the last couple of years, I guess mainly because of the massive piracy, but also because lately everybody singing, nobody’s listening, kind of: there are more people on the stage than in the audience. At least almost. Unfortunately not everybody is talented, gifted as well, but eventually better promoted. Music became a product, not a way of expression and communication, it’s… strictly business. But I still love the music, I’m addicted. I had listen and I wrote about a few hundred albums this year. Read more 150 albums of 2011 – from 1 to 50
Cartographer – Hats, Capes, Dark Arts (2011)
Some people turn up they radio, others watch one of the music channels on TV, others buy and read music magazines or on-line sites, others got their music from they friends. Some says music should be free. Some people think that music is a product, others that is an expression, a form and manifestation of art. Everybody is absolutely right. I guess. I’ve got a friend who still listening exclusively his old MCs (mechanical cassettes), other friends of mine still collect vinyl records, some people buy CDs while others are completely satisfied by mp3s. Some of my friends listening all kind of musics, don’t bother label and sort them by genre and style, others listening exclusively Metal, Jazz, Punk or whatever they prefer. Love – I doubt it, but music definitively is in the air.
Sometimes I see an interesting cover, sometimes I read somewhere something about an artist or a band, sometimes a friend recommend me something, sometimes the bands send me materials for review, sometimes the record labels or some agency. I never listen the radio, I do not watch music channels, I don’t care what’s on the top of any charts, I don’t care what the critics, “the experts” says about… anything.
I stumbled accidentally into Cartographer and I liked what I heard from the very first moment. Read more Cartographer – Hats, Capes, Dark Arts (2011)
