I never was an Anathema fan, not back in 1990 when they started as a Death/Doom Metal band, not later when they slowly transitioned to Progressive Rock. But I admit, even if I did not follow them closely, I like some of their creation, they managed to deliver something of their own, music filtered through their personal touch. “Weather Systems” their upcoming ninth studio album have the same Pink Floyd after-taste as many of their previous creations since their 1996’s “Eternity” merged with atmospheric, dark, sometimes classic orchestral elements.
Describing their new album Daniel Cavanagh stated: “This is not background music for parties. The music is written to deeply move the listener, to uplift or take the listener to the coldest depths of the soul”. Definitively not. Parties – far as I know – are happy and energy full events, while Anathema always delivered more music suitable for burials and “Weather Systems” makes no difference, even if the lights seems to get through, in its depth this is quite dark and sad music. Read more Anathema – Weather Systems (2012)
Brad Mehldau Trio – Ode (2012)
As I previously said not only once, I’m not an expert in Jazz, but honestly, I’m so-so-so-so bored in most of the Rock/Metal, eventually so-called Rock/Metal (mandatory “core”) bands, that Jazz sometimes offers me the only reliable refugee.
Born Bradford Alexander Mehldau in 1970 in Jacksonville, Florida, Mehldau is an American jazz pianist. He attended William H. Hall High School in West Hartford and participated in Hall’s prestigious jazz program. While a sophomore in high school, he won Berklee College’s Best All-Around Musician Award. Mehldau moved to New York in 1988 to study jazz at The New School, studying under Fred Hersch, Junior Mance and Kenny Werner. He played as sideman with a variety of musicians, most importantly with the Joshua Redman quartet, before forming his own trio in 1994, with bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jorge Rossy, and later Jeff Ballard, who succeeded Rossy in 2005. In addition to his trio work, Mehldau collaborated with guitarist Pat Metheny, releasing two albums with him and embarking on a worldwide tour along with Grenadier and Ballard. Read more Brad Mehldau Trio – Ode (2012)
Nihil Quest – Splendid Isolation (2011)
Quality Metal – for FREE. Reminds me mainly of Annihilator crashed into Alice In Chains, Nihil Quest delivered their debut full-length album with 11 groovy, but classic Metal tracks.
Nihil Quest was formed in the summer of 2006. The main idea was to play music inspired in first place by hard rock and metal classics (such as Black Sabbath, AC/DC, Slayer), but also they merging different influences and sounds from Blues to Industrial Rock.
Their first release was a three song EP entitled “0.9” and it was issued in late 2009. Two years later, a full-length, 11-tracks record was released. It was titled “1.1 Splendid Isolation” (released on 11.11.2011).
The band was not interested in cooperation with any record labels, as this would mean restrictions to the way the material is being distributed. The album was published via iTunes, Amazon MP3 store and other digital outlets. However it was also made available for free on Jamendo under Creative Commons license. This kind of licensing allows for playing the music without any fees and for non-commercial use in movies, computer games etc. Read more Nihil Quest – Splendid Isolation (2011)
Exilia – Decode (2012)
Merging the sound and approach of bands such as Guano Apes and Skunk Anansie, Exilia incorporated more Industrial elements and Nu Metal grooves and delivered a strong fifth full-length album.
Formed in 1993 in the classic city of fashion, Milan, (Italy) when singer Masha met guitarist Elio Alien, Exilia debuted with the album “Rightside Up” in 2000 and their following “Unleashed” which much heavier and more aggressive sound, released in May 2004, made to the Top 40 in the German charts.
The band’s biggest hit so far has been “Can’t Break me Down” released as CD single in 2005. They have played gigs with Oomph!, Guano Apes, H-Blockx, Clawfinger, HIM, Therapy?, In Extremo, Rammstein, God Forbid, Sanctorum and Ill Niño and singed to GUN Records, division of Sony BMG. Read more Exilia – Decode (2012)
Twin Atlantic – Free/False [RMX]
Twin Atlantic formed in February 2007, in Glasgow, Scotland, by Sam McTrusty (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Barry McKenna (lead guitar, cello, backing vocals), Ross McNae (bass guitar, piano, backing vocals) and Craig Kneale (drums, percussion, backing vocals). After recording their debut EP A Guidance From Colour at Long Wave Studio in Cardiff with producer Romesh Dodangoda (Funeral For A Friend, Kids In Glass Houses, The Blackout), and building upon the support from Kerrang!, the band’s profile was boosted enough for them to land support slots with Biffy Clyro and Smashing Pumpkins. They also supported American acts The Matches, Blink-182, Finch and Say Anything on their respective UK tours.
Singed to Red Bull Records, released their debut mini-album “Vivarium” in March 2009. The band toured extensively in 2009 and 2010, having played Download Festival, Guilfest, T in the Park, Sonisphere and Belladrum over the summer of 2009, including supporting Taking Back Sunday on a tour of UK and Ireland in July 2009. This continued into a full tour of the UK in September and then the United States with The Fall of Troy and Envy On The Coast in March and April 2010. In June 2010, Twin Atlantic supported The Gaslight Anthem on their British mini-tour and on 7 August 2010 they played at the Hevy Music Festival. They also supported My Chemical Romance on their tour.
“Free” was released on April 29, in Ireland and May 2, 2011 in the UK. In its first week of release, the album peaked at #37 in the UK Album Chart. This success led to them being part of the T In The Park 2011 lineup. In the summer of 2012, the band will be on the Vans Warped Tour. Part of their US promotion, Red Bull Records and Indaba challenged remixers with the contest of remixing their single “Free”. Read more Twin Atlantic – Free/False [RMX]
Oovation – Mirage EP (2012)
The ovation (Latin: ovatio) was a lower form of the Roman triumph. Ovations were granted, when war was not declared between enemies on the level of states, when an enemy was considered basely inferior – slaves for instannce – or when the general conflict was resolved with little to no bloodshed or danger to the army itself.
Ovation is also the name of a famous guitar company founded by Charles Kaman.
And then there is Peter Bonaventura, better known as Oovation, a 21 years old producer and artist from Germany. He discovered music at the age of 13 years when he started playing the guitar. Later at the age of 18 he discovered with some friends the electronic music trough festivals like Time Warp, Nature One, I love Techno to name a few of them. He started to produce his own tracks at 19 and one year later he signed his first EP with Unusual Sound, and a few months later with Inlab recordings. Read more Oovation – Mirage EP (2012)
Devianz – A Corps Interrompus (2012)
Formed in 2004, in Paris (France), Devianz, this five piece band, now delivering their long awaited second full-length album, “A Corps Interrompus” (With Interrupted Bodies). 13 tracks, one bonus and one top collaboration with Vincent Cavanagh of Anathema on the song called “Ton corps n’est qu’atome” (You’re Body is Nothing But Atoms), revels a wild, willing and extremely capable band which managed to blending sensitive, acoustic rooted European Rock with the energy, explosion and rawness of the American Indie and Post-Hardcore. But more further than another perfect sonic experiment, Guyom Pavesi, Benoît Blin, Pierre Labarbe, Vincent Rémon, and Charles-Vincent Lefèvre write and recorded 14 songs. Read more Devianz – A Corps Interrompus (2012)
Janis Joplin – Pearl Sessions and Move Forward RMX
Three months after she died on October 4, 1970, on January 11, 1971, Columbia Records released “Pearl”, the only album Joplin ever recorded with the Full Tilt Boogie Band, the touring ensemble that had backed her on the Festival Express. Peaking at #1 on the Billboard 200, a position it held for nine weeks, Pearl included some of Janis’s most familiar and best-loved performances including her cover of Kris Kristofferson’s “Me and Bobby McGee” and her off-the-cuff a cappella “Mercedes Benz.”
The Janis Joplin’s 69th Birthday is honored by Legacy Recordings with the releasing of “The Pearl Sessions”, a two-CD set of Joplin’s final studio recordings.
The Pearl Sessions brings together, for the first time in one package, the original mono versions of the album’s 45s alongside the original LP tracks as well as the revelatory newly-discovered alternate versions, outtakes and vocal takes of Pearl’s classic tracks. The recording were discovered when researchers were putting together material for a 40th anniversary edition of “Pearl”, and find a previously uncatalogued audio tapes from the album’s sessions, produced by Paul Rothschild. Read more Janis Joplin – Pearl Sessions and Move Forward RMX
Zardonic – Vulgar Display Of Bass (2012)
Federico Augusto Ágreda Álvarez, best known as Zardonic, is a Venezuelan DJ, producer, remixer, composer and keyboardist, known for his drum and bass act as well as his dark ambient, Black Metal and minimal techno side-projects as Blackholepit. His remix work include tracks for Nine Inch Nails, The Berzerker and Gorgoroth, as well as original releases on Dieselboy’s Human Imprint label and on Skrillex’s OWSLA label.
Expect, harsh, contorted, intense, noisy Dubstep, up to satisfy all the public expectations. This music is extremely groovy, sometimes dark enough, noisy and heavy in almost a Rock/Metal sense, high energy and even a sort of violence. And Zardonic definitively knows exactly what will hit you right in your face and what makes this s*it really banging. “Vulgar Display Of Bass” is a genre bending album of collaboration with a series of other artists and producers such as Counterstrike, Reid Speed, Messinian, Mark Instinct, NumberNin6, Run DMT, Krusha, Omar Santana & Voicians. Dubstep, Drum & Bass, Industrial and Metal are forged into one and will blow up your speakers. If you’re a fan of deadmau5, Skrillex, eventually The Prodigy, definitively you will bang your head off on this one too. I’m just not so sure about the…. revolution. Still, this is a good one, might be even the best in its genre and, on the other hand, “Revolution” is a huge song and not the only, a possible anthem for a future… revolution. Read more Zardonic – Vulgar Display Of Bass (2012)
The Prestige – Black Mouths (2012)
Back at the beginning of the 90s with all that Alternative/Indie/Grunge wave, I discovered several huge bands among all the trash praised by the media and pushed by the record labels and agencies. One of them was the obscure H.P. Zinker from New York founded by Hans Platzgumer. Their last album, “Mountains of Madness” released in 1995 and its cover design by Stefan Sagmeister won several design awards and it was also nominated for Grammy. “Black Mouths” strangely, but unrelated, reminds me of that record. This Parisian quartet featuring Alex – vocals & guitars, Raphael – guitars, Thibaut – drums, and Julien – bass, delivering a same kind of colorful post-punk/hardcore, adrenaline fueled music merged with lots of colorful, experimental moments and deviations.
Can grab for free “The Truth”, the opening track of their upcoming full-length debut album. Read more The Prestige – Black Mouths (2012)
