“Pulse” is one of the most wonderful and exciting records I had the pleasure to listen this year and I admit it, it was a huge surprise. Tommy Giles Rogers Jr. is the lead singer and founder of the band Between the Buried and Me, one of the leaders of the new – twisted – metal wave, a powerful and extremely creative band wich show a new direction and proved once again: metal is not dead.
“Pulse” is actually the second solo album by Tommy, the first was released back in 2004 under the name Giles. The new material is extremely colorful, impossible to label, crammed in some particular box. And about the influences and different musical roots of Tommy we can get an idea by listening the cover collection released in 2006 under the title “The Anatomy of” by Between the Buried and Me where we have songs by Metallica, Sepultura, Depeche Mode , Queen, Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Earth Crises, Blind Melon, Counting Crows, Soundgarden, Faith No More, Motley Crue, Pantera, and Smashing Pumpkins. Read more Thomas Giles – Pulse (2011)
Hollywood Undead – American Tragedy (2011)
If you know them, you wait for their second album for quit a long time, if you never heard of Hollywood Undead, you probably were out on some other planet when they smash off MySpace with their song called „The Kids†in 2005 wich reach over 8 million hits till the end of 2006 and made them the most wanted unsigned band of the moment. They finally singed for MySpace Records, but they left the label after the label tried to censor their first album. They moved to A&M/Octone Records and “Swan Songs” was released on September 2, 2008 and reached #22 on the Billboard 200 in its first week of release, selling 21,000 copies.
All of the band members use pseudonyms and wear their own unique mask, most of which are based on the common hockey goaltender design. Do you remember Raven? – the English heavy metal band – or you may though about Slipknot as well. The band members currently consist of Charlie Scene, Da Kurlzz, Danny, Funny Man, J-Dog, and Johnny 3 Tears after in early 2010, the band’s singer, Deuce, was voted out of the group and was replaced by touring member and long-time friend Daniel Murillo (Danny), who was an American Idol contestant in its ninth season and was the lead singer for the band called Lorene Drive. Read more Hollywood Undead – American Tragedy (2011)
lights and fractals – a trip into abstract
What we see it’s really what it is? I mean, blue is really blue, a wall it’s really a wall or the sky is above or… beyond? What we can see, smell and touch, this world and this reality it’s the only “real thing”? Well, I don’t have a scientific answer, but I’m not so sure. Maybe everything if it comes down to zeros and ones may look different. And maybe there’s an unseen, parallel universe. Or two. 😀
“Messing up” pictures it’s a fun full activity at least. Digitally speaking, there’s infinite possibilities and options, variable experiments and million of effects can be used. There’s one of my trips into a parallel universe build from actually ordinary images. Have fun! 🙂 Read more lights and fractals – a trip into abstract
Guano Apes – Bel Air (2011)
Guano Apes are back! This is the good news. Guano Apes are softer than ever. This is not so good news. “She’s A Killer” it’s pretty intense and they still have some nerve, but there’s no more real skater anthems. The reunited Guano Apes left behind the nu metal and in gender the metal roots and they have some kind of indie rock approach with electronic spices. It’s not that bad, but somehow they didn’t manage to write rememberable tunes, sticky choruses, this collection of 12 brand new songs are kind of similar and linear. They have a few better moments, “Trust” is another better song for example, but still, something is missing. They last real release, “Walking On A Thin Line” came out eight years ago and a decade it’s like eternity this times, and “Bel Air” it’s sort of thin for a come back. They original fan base probably put their skates up in the attic and till now have a family and other worries. Generally this are not too good times for the entertainment business. The economical depression, the piracy and all that things makes everything ten times harder… Read more Guano Apes – Bel Air (2011)
MindFlow – With Bare Hands (2011)
The voice of Danilo Herbert reminds me somehow of John Bush (ex-Armored Saint, ex-Anthrax). It’s powerful and classy. MindFlow was founded in 2003 in Brazil and they play a color and powerful kind of modern, progressive metal. Quality stuff, a rare feature now days. You can attach to them a few labels, mostly using the fancy “post” attribute, but actually you can not put them in a specific box and – I believe – it’s another absolutely positive characteristic. In one moment they sound like Anthrax, next minute they sound like Tool or some post-grunge band and they shifting from one thing to another very naturally, it’s enough to listen the title track of this new album and you will understand exactly what I’m talking about. Read more MindFlow – With Bare Hands (2011)
Truth Corroded – Worship The Bled (2011)
Truth Corroded are an extreme thrash metal band from Adelaide, South Australia and since 2003, the band has recorded three albums, “Our Enemy Is The Weapon” in 2005, “Upon The Warlords Crawl” in 2008 – mixed and mastered by Jonas Kjellgren of Scar Symmetry – and in 2010 they recorded their third material, this newly released “Worship The Bled”. On the new album features Daath drummer Kevin Talley, who has also performed with bands such as Chimaria, Misery Index and Dying Fetus. The band has once again worked with Jonas Kjellgren, who mixed, mastered and contributed a lead guitar solo to the albums opening song ‘ Knives of the Betrayed ‘. The album features artwork from Killustrations who has provided art for bands such as Dew-Scented, Zyklon, Sodom, Aborted and One Man Army.
Truth Corroded give us 10 new tracks of classic, intense thrash metal with some death and metalcore infusions. Read more Truth Corroded – Worship The Bled (2011)
Saliva – Under Your Skin (2011)
“Badass” reminds me instantly of “American Badass” by Kid Rock, well, one of his better moments in deed, but somehow it sounds pretty strange from Saliva this hardcore/hip hop approach, on the other hand, “Badass” is much better than they radio friendly ballad like tunes such as “Never Should’ve Let You Go” for instance. And “Under Your Skin”, the band’s seventh studio album it’s pretty colorful, if not quiet eclectic, there’s something for everybody, maybe they try a little bit to hard to satisfy a too large audience. Or the media. But – really – Billboard it’s not everything.
Still, Josey Scott and his band mates managed to write a few good new themes and songs. “Burn It Up” it’s another piece with hardcore roots and rapping leads shifted with clean choruses, it have burning grooves and heavy guitars. Read more Saliva – Under Your Skin (2011)
Ten After Two – Truth Is… (2011)
Intense, smashing and raging post-hardcore phrases and post-emo/screamo, more melodious passages seems to be the recipe of this young band from Sacramento, CA formed in May of 2009 by two school friends, drummer Vincent Adorno and guitarist Pat Hennion.
Next arrived vocalist and guitarist Josh Doty, who previously played in a band called Elanor Manor and he also introduced vocalist Sean Wall. The final piece to the puzzle was bassist Danny Clark and the band begun writing, producing their music. Read more Ten After Two – Truth Is… (2011)
TV On The Radio – Nine Types Of Light (2011)
Scheduled for release on April 12, “Nine Types of Light”, the upcoming fourth studio album by TV on the Radio consist of 10 brand new songs and the same kind of smooth, soft, tasty, very discrete, but still touching type of minimalist electronic indie construction with a charming romantic accent, but also including funk and rock, post-rock elements in a very colorful blending. If you knew and love them, you know what I’m talking about. The second track, “Keep Your Heart” instantly reminds me of “China Girl”, the song co-written by David Bowie and Iggy Pop during their years in Berlin, first appearing on Pop’s album “The Idiot” (1977) and rerecorded and released by Bowie on his album “Let’s Dance” (1983). But Bowie is not a news in TV On The Radio’s world. Their second studio album, “Return to Cookie Mountain”, received critical acclaim, and on the album features guest appearances from David Bowie, Celebration, Dragons of Zynth, Martin Perna and Stuart D. Bogie of Antibalas, Blonde Redhead and Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Nick Zinner. Also, during their US tour, the band performed a few covers with Bauhaus singer Peter Murphy and Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor. Read more TV On The Radio – Nine Types Of Light (2011)
Terra Tenebrosa – The Tunnels (2011)
A tenebrous album by Terra Tenebrosa from Stockholm, Sweden. Build on the ruins of Breach, Terra Tenebrosa is a new band on the metal scene and “The Tunnels” is they debut effort wich contains 7 twisted and gloomy tracks. Since Terra Tenebrosa is a brand new brand, their biography is more or less a blank page, I found them only on MySpace and Facebook, but not any useful background info, so all I have are their songs. And as I said, their are deeply heavy and dark ones, not an easy listening for sure, but still, Terra Tenebrosa navigate on some troubled, but intense and interesting “waters”. Read more Terra Tenebrosa – The Tunnels (2011)
