Basement. Don’t matter what others may say, I really don’t give a shit about, believe me, I think it’s pretty dumb to name your band with a one – common – word. The world really gonna mad, every fucking single day independently or through one of the few trillion labels, a few trillion albums are released. I quite believe: everybody’s singing, nobody’s listening (and care). And very few are actually interested in buying something. So, if you name your band as probably at least a few others already did and some few will name their own a few minutes later, you’re just increasing your chances to stay unnoticed. Not to say that if somebody will try to “googling” you, there’s absolutely no way to find you. “Cloudy Basement”, “Burning Basement”, “Bass-ment”, fuck knows, but try to figure out something.
The very next issue is: “Basement? Oh, that guys sound just like Title Fight…” Read more Basement – I Wish I Could Stay Here (2011)
2011
The Locomotive Sound Corporation – Self Titled (2011)
Aureien Dubois-Pham from the Domino Media Agency bring them to my attention and well, it was a quite nice surprise.
How many times in the last few decades it was declared: “rock is dead!” and get buried? I think indie is dead. Or at least I thought so. Then out of blue appeared Jack and Meg White and at the break of the century they had their own little revolution and gave new sense for something which faded out of sense. Since, we’ve got The White Stripes, The Dead Weather, The Raconteurs, The Black Keys and a few other exciting acts. Now we’ve got to add another name to this list: The Locomotive Sound Corporation.
Instead Alison Mosshart we’ve got more like a raging PJ Harvey from ’93 (“Rid of Me”) and raw, garage rock with roots back to Sonic Youth. And the Parisian band got a fan-friendly attitude: this self titled, five track debut EP scheduled to be released on July 11, 2011 can be listen and downloaded from their Bandcamp page for $1 (“or more”). Read more The Locomotive Sound Corporation – Self Titled (2011)
Harm’s Way – Isolation (2011)
I don’t have a clue if the novel by James Bassett written in ’62 inspired this guys from Chicago or not, but “Isolation” is definitively heavy as a cruiser on a seek-out-and-destroy mission. They delivering kind of old-school but excellent hardcore merged with some sludge and doom after-taste moments and sounds, filled with cutting and crushing groove metal riffs, pumping drums and howling basses that will tread you to the ground. Not to compare it with, but it reminds me of Biohazard’s “Urban Discipline” (1992), it has the same groove, strength and unpolished freshness and raw, but also incorporated the power of Pantera and their best riffing without actually copying anything. Usually I don’t get too easily excited, but Harm’s Way quite made me bang my head. Read more Harm’s Way – Isolation (2011)
Allcoy – Loud Music For Quiet People (2011)
Promised to be the new grunge revelation, Allcoy have delayed only one decade and so.You can get a taste of what they call “Allcore” at their Bandcamp page and buy their debut album if you like it. And these four guys from Detroit, Josh Augustine, Bryan Aldrich, Anthony Palsgrove and Drew Easton, delivering a pretty tasty alternative rock material with catchy grunge after-taste. It might be kind of out-dated and retro, but still, they write some good riffs, catchy themes and put together a couple of groovy rock songs. When most of the trendy bands are completely predictable, something “out of the beat”, even if it’s quite familiar, are sometimes a bless. And Allcoy brings back something from the rawness of the early Nirvana, the heaviness of Godsmack and the attitude of Stone Temple Pilots and blended all of this elements in their own high-energy rock. Read more Allcoy – Loud Music For Quiet People (2011)
Lost Sphere Project – Third Level to Internal Failure (2011)
Brutal, grinding and merciless, Geneva’s Lost Sphere Project are back after their first full length album, “Verse XXIV” released in 2009. Make no mistake, they gonna rip off your head and eat your heart. “Third Level to Internal Failure” is an excellent mixture of grindcore terrorism and brutal, technical death metal, the result is a fast, violent, extremely complex, uncompromising grind metal album with many cutting riffs, tempo and theme shifting, raw vocals and beneath all the butchery, Lost Sphere Project actually are quite musical, managed to write songs beyond madness, chaos and noise. Read more Lost Sphere Project – Third Level to Internal Failure (2011)
Panzer Princess – Get Off My Back (2011)
Sleazy, ripped off from two decades ago, the Swedish Panzer Princess brings back the sparkling of glam metal just like it was yesterday. In June I had Michael Monroe of the Finnish Hanoi Rocks brand new album “Sensory Overdriveâ€, and the spirit of Hanoi Rocks, L.A. Guns, Mötley Crüe, Vain, Vixen, Faster Pussycat, Dogs Damoúr, and all the other sometimes called “hair-metal” bands of the 80s is all over on this “Get Off My Back”. And well, “Get Off My Back” and it’s 12 tracks are not just a fine time-capsule, but this dirty rock’n’roll sounds quite fresh and while nowadays everybody follows exclusively trendy patterns, it’s quite a rock’n’roll suicide. Read more Panzer Princess – Get Off My Back (2011)
Pop Evil – War of Angels (2011)
“Last Man Standing”, the leading single of the second full-length album by Pop Evil was released last fall and it’s a strong, powerful, 101 % American rock/metal song with all its best characteristics. “Monster You Made”, the second single from the album, was released on June 7, 2011 and it’s a power-ballad, maybe we chances on the charts, but actually quite pale and pointless. The album it’s right between great rock songs and themes and pale, faceless, plastic and second-hand taste like indie/post grunge whatevers. Good to hear catchy, beefy riffs like “Last Man Standing”, “Boss’s Daughter”, “Epitaph” or “Black & Blue” have, I see (hear) no sense in the Pearl Jam meats Bon Jovi copying “Let It Go”, “Next Life”, “Purple” and the mentioned “Monster You Made” ballads and cliches. Read more Pop Evil – War of Angels (2011)
Vicious Rumors – Razorback Killers (2011)
There’s no future without past, and maybe for some youngsters it may seems incredible, Vicious Rumors are on the heavy metal scene for 32 years, being one of the true “defenders of the faith”. And not only accidentally I quote the 1984s Judas Priest album’s title, on “Razorback Killers” introduced him self for the first time on a Vicious Rumors album vocalist Brian Allen, another old acquaintance from the mid 80s when he was the front-man of the band Malice and they stroked with albums such “In the Beginning…” and “Licence to Kill”. Back then Brian Allen were widely compared to Metal God Rob Halford and his voice still have the same power and characteristics.
While composer and guitarist Geoff Thorpe is the only constant member right from the beginning, “Razorback Killers” is “only” the band’s tenth studio album, but features several guest musicians including former guitarist Mark McGee. Read more Vicious Rumors – Razorback Killers (2011)
Naisian – Mammalian (2011)
Far off from the Brit scene and tends, Naisian from Sheffield, brings to the surface a tumultuous, contorted metal with roots back both to the classic Black Sabbath sound and the mixture of sludge and post-hardcore riffs, in their music is a perfect balance between dark and noisy elements and sometimes psychedelic, other time warm and calm, spacy moments. James Borrowdale – guitar and vocals, Adam Zejma – guitar and vocals, Micheal Aitken – bass and vocals and Jordan Garlick – (only 🙂 ) drums, create a quite exciting and unique blending of intense metal and avantgardist surfing. “Mammalian” can be listen and downloaded (“name your price”) from the band’s Bandcamp page. It worth every minute and every penny. Read more Naisian – Mammalian (2011)
Kauan – Kuu.. (2011)
“Kuu” is the Finish word for “moon” while “Kauna” means “long”. Kauan started by Anton Belov in February 2005 at Chelyabinsk, Russia. Belov also play under the moniker Helengard with Alina “Witch_A.†Roberts (Inferno, ex-Semargl) and in the project called inea with Ilya Rikhter (from K Seven and R Is For Rockets). Kauna started as a folk black band and in 2006 Lubov Mushnikova joined the band as a violin player. The duo moved in the direction of folk doom and grown into folk rock/post rock maintaining their gloomy, epic sound. Even though the band is from Russia, they writes lyrics both in Russian and Finnish language. “Kuu…” is their forth full-length album and it’s probably their most sophomore, experimental and colorful release up to date. Read more Kauan – Kuu.. (2011)
