What’s the connection between two members of the avant-garde group The Thing (Paal Nilssen-Love – drums and Mats Gustafsson – saxophone), Ethiopian musician Mesele Asmamaw and the legendary Dutch post rock/avant-garde outfit The Ex? Room 101 of the Baro Hotel, Addis Abeba, Ethiopia on February 27th 2010.
The Ex has been going to Ethiopia for quite a while. The first tour, with Han Bennink, in the north, was in 2002. The next one, in the south, during 2004. Through all the new and improvised music festivals they play, The Ex has connection with many adventurous musicians. So they started a series of projects in Ethiopia. With breakcore pop duo Zea in May 2008, followed by Silent Block from France (tables full of self-made instruments, experimental electronica and much more), in May 2009. And then two projects with “Saxophone”. Not only they bring Friso Heidinga from the saxophone repair-shop Amsterdam Winds, who fixed dozens of instruments, but also great players like Ken Vandermark, Ab Baars, Mats Gustafsson, who performed in combination with The Ex members and Norwegian free jazz drummer Paal Nilssen-Love. And all cooperated with many amazing Ethiopian musicians and dancers. Like Getatchew Mekuria, Melaku Belay, Indriss Hassen, Misale Legesse and krar-player Mesele Asmamaw (who we knew before from the Mohammed Jimmy Mohammed Trio). Read more Paal Nilssen-Love, Mesele Asmamaw and Mats Gustafsson – Baro 101 (2012)
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Skafandr – Glaz (2012)
Labeled “dub metal” and delivered directly from Saint-Petersburg, Russia, “Glaz” it’s an absolutely refrashing mixture of metal and dub, one of the most efficient and criminal combination of this genres far as I heard. We’ve got 10 perfectly groovy and killer tracks.Evgenii Rybnikov – guitar, Igor Rusinovich – guitar, Yuri Vitel – bass-guitar, and Kirill Soloviev – drums find not only the perfect balance between styles, but actually write a couple of great songs, which, we have to admit it, it’s kind of rare thing in the nowadays excessively patternized music… industry. In other words, Skafandr have soul. Read more Skafandr – Glaz (2012)
Voice Of Ruin – New Video and Free Download
Randy Schaller – voice, Nils Horngacher and Marc Chevalley – guitars, Erwin Bertschi – bass and Olivier Sutter – drums delivered a perfect picture of nowadays metalcore patterns and cliches, actually they do a pretty good job, but they didn’t managed to bring into it something from their own spirit. They delivering an instant burst of adrenalin, playing fast, pumping high-energy and rage in their songs and well, for some youngsters and a debut material, this is quite alright. Read the full album review HERE.
Watch Voice Of Ruin’s new video, “Dépendances” and grab their debut album for free here: MEDIAFIRE link. Read more Voice Of Ruin – New Video and Free Download
The Walla Recovery – With Trembling (2012), EP, free download
The cello-folk quartet The Walla Recovery delivering through NoiseTrade this 7 track EP for free download. Start they musical journey back in 2001, The Walla Recovery mentioning as influences bands like Yo-Yo Ma, Nickel Creek, Goo Goo Dolls, but reminded me of a more melancholic Smashing Pumpkins or The Cure as well. I like how the cello gives a dark shine for this songs, everything is smoothly arranged and gently performed. Labeled eventually “Chamber-Folk-Rock”, this is a very tasty experience. Warm and very humanly close.
So, listen and grab the download, consider leaving a tip if you’d like what you hear and want them to make more music. Read more The Walla Recovery – With Trembling (2012), EP, free download
YOG – Half the Sky (2011)
Brutally grinding, virulent and sometimes chaotic, YOG managed to merged different sounds and approaches of extreme metal into their own slaughter.
Formed back in early 2000, in Neuchâtel (Switzerland), YOG taken off in the early days from the influence of bands like Sick of it All, Disrupt and Napalm Death only to reach into the more intense, twisted and sick sound of bands like The Dillinger Escape Plan, Botch, Pig Destroyer, Converge and other extreme combos of the modern hardcore scene.
After the release of their debut album entitled “Years of Nowhere”, they take by assault the stages across Europe with bands like Today is the Day, Genghis Tron, Gojira, Knut, Burnt By the Sun, etc. Read more YOG – Half the Sky (2011)
Morbid Angel – Illud Divinum Insanus – The Remixes (2012)
Some conservative death metal fans definitively hated “Illud Divinum Insanus”, the last year released Morbid Angel album because Mr. Vincent and his band mates delivered also some industrial and modern metal sounds and fans considered this an act of betray. Those fans definitively should stay away from this double remix album set to be released on 28th February. Although, “Illud Divinum Insanus” made it to my favorite 150 albums of 2011, so I was quite excited about this remix project.
On this compilation featuring 39 artists and they pushing the butchery even further, twisting Morbid Angel into the more noisier, electronic, but quite sick area of music. From contorted industrial remixes to wobbling dubstep out-takes, “Illud Divinum Insanus – The Remixes” it’s definitively the ultimate trip to hell and back. Read more Morbid Angel – Illud Divinum Insanus – The Remixes (2012)
Rehab – Gullibles Travels (2012)
In August 2008, a new radio-friendly remix of the single “Bartender Song (Sittin’ at a Bar)” was released by Universal, featuring Hank Williams Jr. singing the second verse. The song peaked at #60 on the country charts and was the band’s first single to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 at #64. In all its versions, including a remix with Hank Williams Jr., the song has sold over 1 million copies to date. The single garnered them a CMT Music Award nomination for “Wide Open Country Video of the Year.” “Graffiti The World”, the band’s 2005’s third album would also go on to sell over 300,000 albums.
The story goes back to 1998 when Danny (Boone) Alexander and Jason Brooks (Brooks Buford,) both recovering alcoholics and drug addicts, met at a local rehab facility and connected over their love of music. Alexander and Brooks formed Rehab, originally as a trio, adding on Denny Campbell (Steaknife.) Soon after their self- released album, “To Whom It May Consume”, produced by Steaknife and Brooks Buford, Epic/Sony offered them a record deal. Steaknife was incarcerated before they signed the deal and the group continued on as a duo. Read more Rehab – Gullibles Travels (2012)
Corrosion Of Conformity – Corrosion Of Conformity (2012)
Ladies and gentlemen, Heavy Metal! After a hiatus of over five years, the eponymously-titled eighth studio album by Corrosion Of Conformity will be released on February 28, 2012 by Candlelight Records. It is their longest gap to date between studio albums – seven years, Reed Mullin is back behind the drum kit after 12 years, but also the first to not feature Pepper Keenan on vocals and guitar since 1989. Pepper joined Down in 1991, although it has been disputed whether Keenan has left the band or he is still officially member.
Formed in 1982, in Raleigh, North Carolina COC came a long way from crossover thrash and punk metal, through heavy metal down to Southern metal. And the three knight of metal, Woody Weatherman, Mike Dean and Reed Mullin delivered 11 solid tracks to go on further. Read more Corrosion Of Conformity – Corrosion Of Conformity (2012)
Air – Le Voyage Dans La Lune (2012)
Based on two popular novels of the time, Jules Verne’s “From the Earth to the Moon” and H. G. Wells’ “The First Men in the Moon”, Georges Méliès, assisted by his brother Gaston, wrote and directed in 1902, the black-and-white silent science fiction film “Le Voyage dans la lune” (A Trip to the Moon). It was named one of the 100 greatest films of the 20th century by The Village Voice, ranking at #84.
The film runs 14 minutes if projected at 16 frames per second and is the first science fiction film which uses innovative animation and special effects, including the well-known image of the spaceship landing in the Moon’s eye.
“Le Voyage dans la lune” is the seventh studio album by French electronic music duo Air and the album takes its inspiration from the classic film. Read more Air – Le Voyage Dans La Lune (2012)
Napalm Death – Utilitarian (2012)
Slow and grinding, “Circumspect” gonna cut up your veins and left you to bleed out slowly. If you’re not gonna die, the follow up “Errors In The Signals” will definitively tread you to the ground and smash off your head. Still, worth to survive and listen to “Everyday Pox” and its murderous saxophone licks and obviously to everything after up to the closing “A Gag Reflex”.
The 15th studio album by the grindcore veterans formed in Birmingham, England in 1981, will be released on February 27 in Europe and February 28 2012 in North America via Century Media, and once again, Napalm Death delivered an extremely efficient killing machine in 16 pieces. Read more Napalm Death – Utilitarian (2012)
