Lou Reed, one of the most influential rock icons, died at the age of 71 on October 27, 2013. Reed was best known as guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter of The Velvet Underground. After his departure from the group, Reed began a solo career in 1972. He hit the mainstream and gain large audience the following year with the song “Walk on the Wild Side”.

“Transformer” and “Berlin” are probably two of his most famous albums. In 1975, Reed released a ground breaking double album build-upon feedback loops and entitled “Metal Machine Music”. In 2011 Reed released “Lulu” a collaboration album with Metallica. Read more R.I.P. Lou Reed March 2, 1942 – October 27, 2013 ›

Extra noisy and contorted sound, power beats, fancy drops and smart melodic hooks, Cyberpunkers are back with a solid three track EP out on Freakz Me Out Records. This time they deliver another fine collection of different moods, sounds, genres and tempos, but definitively extremely danceable tracks. “Shock” is a murderous clubbanger, firestarter, dance floor grinder. Probably the best one out of the three, but the whole EP is solid and these Italians still manage to put together some interesting songs while the new EDM scene – generally – is vapid, meaningless and bloody boring.
The “Cyberpunkers” project is the child, born in 2006, of the passion for Cyberpunk culture of two young Italian DJ’s. The format aims at giving a fresh start to this style. In a nutshell, a transposition of the Cyberpunk world in modern clubbing. Read more Cyberpunkers – Shock EP (2013) ›

Matthew Shipp was born December 7, 1960 in Wilmington, Delaware. He started piano at 5 years old with the regular piano lessons most kids have experienced. He fell in love with jazz at 12 years old. While Matthew Shipp was attracted to jazz, he also played in rock groups while he was in high school. Shipp attended the University of Delaware for one year, then the New England Conservatory of Music, where he studied with saxophonist/composer Joe Maneri. He has cited private lessons with Dennis Sandole (who also taught saxophonist John Coltrane) as being crucial to his development.
After moving to New York in 1984 he quickly became one of the leading lights in the New York jazz scene. He was a sideman in the David S. Ware quartet and also for Roscoe Mitchell’s Note Factory before making the decision to concentrate on his own music.
Shipp has been very active since the Read more Matthew Shipp – Piano Sutras (2013) ›

Founded by teen brothers Max and Igor Cavalera in 1984, Sepultura (the Portuguese word for “grave”) is the most successful metal band from Brazil, they sold over 3 million units in the USA and almost 20 million worldwide. Neither of the Cavalera brothers are still part of the band now. Max left the band in 1996, after the release of their most successful album “Roots”, while Igor left in 2006, after the release of the album “Dante XXI”. Jean Dolabella, drummer of Diesel (later changed to Udora) and drummer for Andreas Kisser 2009’s solo album, join Sepultura for the following two albums “A-Lex” (2009) and “Kairos” (2011). Jean was a drumming teacher at the Pro-Music School in Belo Horizonte, he left Sepultura in 2011. Jean was replaced by 20 year old Eloy Casagrande who previously played in Andre Matos – the solo band of ex-Viper, Angra and Shaaman singer. Former Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo also made a guest appearance on the album on the song called “Obsessed” and guitarist Andreas Kisser has taking over the microphone on the Chico Science & Nação Zumbi cover “Da Lama ao Caos”. The album was produced by Ross Robinson, who also produced Sepultura’s fabulous and most appreciated “Roots” album.
The upcoming thirteenth studio album it’s scheduled for release on October 25 and will be released by Nuclear Blast, the same label which released on September 30 “Savages”, the ninth album by Max’s Soulfly. Being on the same label already created tensions between the two bands. Referring to Sepultura Max declared “that the band shouldn’t even be called SEPULTURA” and regarding to the new collaboration with Ross Robinson, Max said “Ross hadn’t done anything good in a long”. I’m not so convinced about this, but I’m damn sure that “The Mediator Between Head And Hands Must Be The Heart” it’s definitively one of the Sepultura’s finest album. Read more Sepultura – The Mediator Between Head And Hands Must Be The Heart (2013) ›

Happening it’s a quite colorful and interesting trio from France. Reminding me of Therapy?, Helmet, Clutch and several other alternative metal bands, but with roots back to Motorhead, they deliver some truly memorable songs – which is more and more rare nowadays when everybody try to sound the same.
“Birth” it’s a pounding, loud, electric EP with 5 strong rock tracks, while “Wild Vision” it’s a more melancholic, acoustic EP consist of 5 tracks, 2 of them being remakes from 2 songs of the “Birth” EP, “Lacks”, respectively “Empty Bottle”. Although I like the idea of “unplugged” and their effort sound pretty good, I prefer them full-force, with their electric sound. I like the energy of their music, the grinding riffs and the hardcore attitude they emit. Read more Happening – Birth & Wild Vision EPs (2013) ›

Released on 15 October 2013 and available only as hard copy on vinyl and CD, the French band called Anorak released their third album “Go Up In Smoke”, a deadly mixture of powerful, classic thrash rooted metal riffs and modern, chaotic hardcore with extreme, grindcore flavor.
Anorak was formed in Amiens (France) in 2005, as a combo of drums, guitar, bass and a screamer. Merging hardcore and metal, they mixed these genres with various influences, combining technical build-ups and and extreme brutality in their sound.
The debut 4-song demo was released in early 2006 followed by their 2007 debut EP called “Faces of Cruel Kids on Rotten Walls”. Read more Anorak – Go up in smoke (2013) ›

“The most successful songwriter” – according to Guinness -, the ex-Beatles member seems to came back to life lately. After last year’s “Kisses on the Bottom” – consisting primarily of covers -, Sir James Paul McCartney is back with a brand new album entitled simply “New”. It is his sixteenth studio album, but his first since 2007’s “Memory Almost Full” to consist entirely of new compositions. And surprisingly – or not really – McCartney sound fresh while he’s bringing to the surface more Beatles resonances then ever before.
McCartney intended to work with one of his favorite producers, chose one of them, but ended up recording with all four: Mark Ronson, Ethan Johns, Paul Epworth and Giles Martin, although Martin produced the majority of the tracks and he was also the executive producer of the album. Recording took place at Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles; Avatar Studios in New York; Abbey Road Studios, Air Studios and Wolf Tone Studios in London; and The Mill in East Sussex. The album sound colorful, but still have character, integrity, it’s a vivid puzzle, but at the bottom line all the pieces are fit together. Read more Paul McCartney – New (2013) ›