While there are not too many woman fronted Rock/Metal bands, it’s pretty hard not to compare those bands to each other. This Parisian band reminds me mostly of the Göttingen based Guano Apes and Sandra Nasić got a serious competitor in Vanessa. Although, she’s got also something from Amy Lee of Evanescence as well, but they also reach out for some of the Portishead’s tumultuous sensuality sometimes. The music of Serments it’s a solid blending of Rock and Metal, a smartly textured braiding of electronic and acoustic elements where heavy riffs and spacious synth layers are efficiently assembled together. Sometimes Pop and Trip-Hop flavored, melodious elements are smartly sneaked into the gloomy and twisted atmospheric trips of the band adding a glamorous, smooth touch to their mainly dark and heavy tones. Also, the band introduced several Metalcore inspired, modern sounds in their mostly 90’s flavored Rock/Metal sound which gives to their rides a further intense and fresh breath.
Formed in 2005, they draw serious attention among the Parisian scene starting with 2007. Read more Serments – Erotic Drive (2012)
Monthly Archives: November 2012
Illogistical Resource Dept. – Catharsis (2012)
The apocalypse comes from San Francisco. Or just the catharsis. The nature try to get back at us? Eventually. God knows…. 😆 But wont save us from ourselves.
Dan Menapace – Bass and Synths, Jim Harris – Guitar, and Noa Appleton – Drums are explorers, soundonauts. “Speak” it’s a modern, reiterated “Astronomy Domine”, a tasty and gloomy evoking of past values, but also a brave step into the unknown and the future.
This is a groovy, sometimes blowing in your face, but mainly gloomy and atmospheric Rock machinery build to explore the universe of sounds and find new paths for creativity and expression.
Released on 14 November 2012, the 8 tracks of “Catharsis” lead us into the dark world of our worst fears and subconscious.
“When Frogs Attack” starts menacing, the Primus taste is definitively there, but Illogistical Resource Dept. add their own flavor as well. Wicked riffs and spicy grooves are blending into a powerful, catchy song, an excellent “door opener” for an album full of different blends and flavors.
“The Secret Box” it’s a more Psychedelic flavored trip with a charming, mysterious aroma. What Forrest Gump’s mom said about life, it’s go to “Catharsis” as well: “Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” Read more Illogistical Resource Dept. – Catharsis (2012)
How To Destroy Angels – An Omen (2012)
Six new tracks, $5 download in MP3 or lossless format. There is no CD release for this EP, and the 12″ 180-gram vinyl it’s already sold-out. This is the second EP by Mariqueen Maandig, Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, and Rob Sheridan, while their long expected debut album probably will be released next year. Post-Industrial? Sort of, but not quite. How To Destroy Angels it’s an extremely slippery something, not related to any genre or style, but incorporates different musical elements from experimental Trip-Hop to Post-Rock and Post-Industrial explorations. Far away from the contorted and furious expression of anger so typical for Nine Inch Nails, but in some moments similar to the spirit of the 2008’s “Ghosts” series, How To Destroy Angels are in the search for new, unexplored paths, virgin, untouched areas of the music. Quite a temerarious task for 2012, isn’t it? But Reznor once again proves that everything it’s possible with inspiration and boldness. Read more How To Destroy Angels – An Omen (2012)
Bad Brains – Into The Future (2012)
When music becomes boring, going back to the roots it’s always an option. And the ninth studio album by Bad Brains it’s both a classic and a fresh breath of Rasta-Hardcore.
Originally formed as a jazz fusion ensemble called Mind Power in 1975 under the spellbound of bands such as Chick Corea’s Return to Forever and John McLaughlin’s Mahavishnu Orchestra. Two years later, a friend of the band, Sid McCray, introduced the band to Punk Rock, playing for them bands such as the Dickies, the Dead Boys, and the Sex Pistols. They became obsessed with the new genre and changed their name to “Bad Brains”, after the Ramones song “Bad Brain”, but using the word “bad” in the sense of “good”.
The band developed an early reputation in Washington D.C., due in part to the relative novelty of an entirely black band playing Punk Rock, but also due to their high-energy performances and undeniable talent. In 1979, Bad Brains found themselves the subject of an unofficial ban among many Washington D.C. area clubs and performance venues – later addressed in their song, “Banned in D.C.”. The band subsequently relocated to New York City.
Widely regarded as among the pioneers of Hardcore Punk, Bad Brains recordings also featured elements of other genres like Funk, Dub, Heavy Metal, Hip-Hop and Soul. The band broke up and reformed several times over the years, sometimes with different singers or drummers. Among others, Chuck Mosley, former Faith No More singer being part of the group between 1990 and 1991. The band’s classic and current lineup is singer H.R. (Human Rights), guitarist Dr. Know, bassist Darryl Jenifer, and drummer Earl Hudson, H.R.’s younger brother.
Released on November 20, 2012 on Megaforce Records, “Into The Future” it is a tribute dedication to Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys, a longtime friend of the band who died of cancer this year. Read more Bad Brains – Into The Future (2012)
Fear – The Fear Record (2012)
Originally recorded in 1981 in Sound City Studios, California, titled simple “The Record” and released by Slash Records on May 16, 1982, and it’s definitively one of the pillars of modern Hardcore, a milestone of Punk/Metal/Hardcore colored brilliantly with Blues/Jazz and all sort of unexpected, out of patterns inflections and infusions. So, why would Lee Ving decide to re-record it 3 decades away? One possible explanation might be a shity record deal with Slash and a better deal signed now with The End Records and the 30 years anniversary may be a great opportunity for some smooth and simple cashing-in. Anyway, this band and the original album deserves both respect and celebration. This re-recorded version surprisingly sounds pretty raw, the few small changes do not really makes any difference and as always, if you want the best, go back to the original.
Several songs have been rewritten to shock/offend less. The 62-year-old Ving and the world over the last three decades have been changed. Ving try to seem more mature, while the world play the card of being more enlighten, sensitive or something… Some people get offended nowadays if you sing lyrics like the one of “New York’s Alright If You Like Saxophones”. Read more Fear – The Fear Record (2012)
Byzant At Christmas (in the memory of Tibi Blaga)
This one is dedicated to the memory of AB Byzant’s father, Tibor Blaga (9/6/1941-16/11/2012). Rest In Peace!
Motionless In White – Infamous (2012)
Who wants to look like Marilyn Manson? Chris Cerulli, Motionless in White founder member and lead singer might be one of the right answers. “The Divine Infection” sounds just like a filthy Manson anthem picking up from where they left off with their 2003’s “The Golden Age of Grotesque”. “A-M-E-R-I-C-A” it’s fueled by the same fury, although some nowadays fancy Metalcore infusions are making room here and there like the worm eating up an apple from the inside. “Sinematic” it’s another quite Mansonish track; for a change, it’s a sick ballad. “Hatefuck” sounds like a murderous mixture of Manson and Killswitch Engage. The title traack, “Infamous” it’s another 100% Mansonish Industrial Rock sickness.
“Puppets 2 (The Rain)” – featuring Bjorn Speed Strid of Soilwork – sounds like a collision of Cradle of Filth with Bullet for My Valentine; a brutal mixture of Death and Extreme Metal with Metalcore, death-growling vocals and melodious choruses. They smartly incorporated blast beats and breakdowns in their Gothic perfumed atmosphere and Death Metal fueled massacres.
“Infamous” it’s like a constant race between good and evil. It’s like the beauty and the beast, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde were not three, but one single person. And obviously, a headbanger!! Read more Motionless In White – Infamous (2012)
History of the Hawk – Future Ruins (2012)
Punk ain’t dead. Even more, the present it’s intense and murderous and definitively there are more then simple hopes for a future. And this is genuine Punk, I mean, not that soap-box/bubble-gum, Californian sun-burnt and Pop flavored “Punk” which the media and the multinationals selling for decades now. “Descending Light” explode like a grenade and the whole “Future Ruins” it’s a killer spiral of energy and aggression. With roots back to Black Flag, Minor Threat and Dead Kennedys, but related to contemporary challengers such as Gallows and Converge merging brutality and intensity, Hardcore energy and Post-Metal rawness, History of the Hawk delivered a truly unique and own flavored, pounding and crushing Punk album. It’s fresh, it’s furious, it’s colorful and re-inventing the heritage of the past to send it right into the future. Read more History of the Hawk – Future Ruins (2012)
Bang Ur Head[ache]
A headache or cephalalgia is pain anywhere in the region of the head or neck. It can be a symptom of a number of different conditions of the head and neck. The brain tissue itself is not sensitive to pain because it lacks pain receptors. Rather, the pain is caused by disturbance of the pain-sensitive structures around the brain. Nine areas of the head and neck have these pain-sensitive structures, which are the cranium (the periosteum of the skull), muscles, nerves, arteries and veins, subcutaneous tissues, eyes, ears, sinuses and mucous membranes. Read more Bang Ur Head[ache]
Green Day – Dos (2012)
If “¡Uno!” was not so convincing, “¡Dos!” it’s even worst. Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt in an interview stated that “¡Dos!” was going to have a “more garage rock — a little dirtier, like you’re in the middle of the party” sound. Well, honestly, this is pretty bubble-gum and Beatles flavored teenager-punk. Party maybe, garage and rawness definitively not. Nowadays Green Day are on urge to cashing-in, but their songs are less inspired then the most cheesy Beatles song ever, while “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” sounds like a Grindcore butchery versus “Fuck Time” for instance. This is (over) washed, perfumed, radio and media friendly prepared and packed, harmless, boring American subterfuge culture product like the cheeseburger, the Coke and president Obama. Very nice, but completely tasteless, fake and forgettable.
“Rubber Soul”, “Revolver”, and “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”, the Beatles albums from the mid 60’s were more Punk then this. Read more Green Day – Dos (2012)
