Gong – I See You (2014)

Gong – I See You (2014)

Gong – I See You (2014) How old you are? “I See You” will be probably the swan song of this legendary band which spinning around for the last 47 years. Brain-child of Daevid Allen, other notable band members include Tim Blake, Didier Malherbe, Pip Pyle, Gilli Smyth, Steve Hillage, Francis Moze, Mike Howlett and Pierre Moerlen. Others who have briefly played in Gong include Bill Bruford, Brian Davison, Don Cherry and Chris Cutler.
This is an effervescent mixture of progressive, psychedelic and space rock reaching out the border of jazz fusion and other vivid experiments. With a tasteful addition of mythology.
Gong was formed in 1967, after Daevid Allen — at that time a member of Soft Machine — was denied re-entry to the United Kingdom because of a visa complication. Allen remained in France where he and a London-born Sorbonne professor, Gilli Smyth, established the first incarnation of the band. Read more Gong – I See You (2014)

Rise of the Northstar – Welcame (2014)

Rise of the Northstar - Welcame (Japanese Edition) [2014]

Rise of the Northstar - Welcame (Japanese Edition) [2014] I actually missed this type of straight forward, brutal, NY flavored hardcore. Although this is a French band, this sound just like it was conceived in Brooklyn. Flawless, absolutely brilliant debut album!
They describe themselves: “Rise of The Northstar is a young thrash band whose spirit was born in the back alleys of 1980’s Shibuya. Indeed, Japanese culture, mangas and its “Furyos” all blend into ROTNS’s sound. Through its lyrics, music and imagery, the band created itself a unique identity, bringing together 90’s New York Hardcore, Shonen Manga, Heavy riffs and catchy Rap vibes… Tokyo hold on tight, Rise Of The Northstar is coming.”
It reminds me both of heavy predecessors as Cro-Mags, Madball and Biohazard as freaky American comedy rock acts such as Green Jellÿ.
VITHIA – vocals; EVA-B – lead guitar; AIR ONE – Guitar; FABULOUS FAB – bass and HOKUTO NO KEV – drums delivered a murderous butchery throughout, there is no time to breathing, but head banging! Read more Rise of the Northstar – Welcame (2014)

Emigrate – Silent So Long (2014)

Emigrate - Silent So Long (2014)

Emigrate - Silent So Long (2014) If the name do not ring any bell, I tell you this: Emigrate is a New York based metal band, led by Richard Z. Kruspe, the lead guitarist of the leading Neue Deutsche Härte band Rammstein. Their sound is a mixture of rock and metal elements with some different resonances and the most exciting thing about their second album it’s the presence of some famous and infamous guest artists such as Marilyn Manson, Lemmy Kilmister (Motorhead), Jonathan Davis (Korn), Peaches, Frank Dellé (Seeed) and Margaux Bossieux (bassist of the all-girl NY punk band Dirty Mary). Bossieux was involved also in the recording of Emigrate’s debut album. She and Kruspe have a daughter and they have an on-again, off-again relationship over the years. Read more Emigrate – Silent So Long (2014)

Sanctuary – The Year The Sun Died (2014)

Sanctuary - The Year The Sun Died (2014)

Sanctuary - The Year The Sun Died (2014) It was the middle of the 80’s when this band blew out of blue and delivered one of the best ever heavy metal album entitled “Refuge Denied”, produced by Dave Mustaine of Megadeth and released in 1987 by Epic Records. Afterward they toured with Megadeth and Warlock.
The band consisted of Warrel Dane (vocals), Lenny Rutledge (guitar), Sean Blosl (guitar), Jim Sheppard (bass) and Dave Budbill (drums), and they were from Seattle – just like another great band of those times, Queensryche. Actually “Refuge Denied” was a deadly explosive mixture of Iron Maiden type of European heavy metal, some subtle Queensryche flavors and power, respectively speed metal grindings. And, not at least, the Warrel Dane type of blood-freezing high pitch screams. It was perfect!
Their second album, “Into the Mirror Black” was released in Europe in 1989, while the US version came out the one year later. “Mirror Black” was a darker, slower, eventually more Queensryche style of progressive metal related album. A video clip for the song “Future Tense” was made and received some airplay on MTV’s Headbanger’s Ball. During the tour – with Fates Warning, Forbidden and Death Angel – guitarist Sean Blosl left the band and he was replaced by Jeff Loomis.
Their bad luck was called grunge. That new genre made their hometown more famous then Jimi Hendrix ever did and unfortunately they had a record deal with a major label which over-night wanted to turn them into a Pearl Jam copy. The pressure form the record label and tensions inside the band lead in 1992, Sanctuary to officially disbanded.
But the story actually didn’t ended there. Warrel Dane, Jim Sheppard and Jeff Loomis formed a new band called Nevermore in the same year. Dave Budbill lives in Florida, and he is currently the drummer for Alive Inside. Sean Blosl is creating music and film through Golden Flower Media, while Lenny Rutledge became a musical producer, and has his own studio. Lenny actually helped Nevermore on the demo sessions of their 1998 third album, “Dreaming Neon Black”. Read more Sanctuary – The Year The Sun Died (2014)

Figure – Monsters Volume 5 (2014)

Figure - Monsters Volume 5 2014

Figure - Monsters Volume 5 2014 This is a monstrous trip back to my childhood’s worst nightmares. A journey on the wicked sound of post-dubstep EDM which bring back to life Pumpkinhead, Freddy Krueger and all the vicious mutant monsters and hell resident devils. And FIGURE (aka Josh Gard) knows what make us click, he crafted the most intense mixture of banging rhythms with massive bass drops and delivered once again a bloody sonic butchery!
Drawing inspiration from such classic horror as “It’s Alive” (1974), “Pumpkinhead” (1988), and Evil Dead (1981), and featuring an array of diverse artists including Kool Keith, Dirty Deeds, and Bitter Stephens, the newest installment of the “Monsters” series is a masterpiece fusion of horror iconography and massive bass.
In the hyper-evolutionary world of EDM, DJ/producer and drumstep champion Figure, is a force to reckon with. The Indiana native crafts a soundscape of dark and disturbing sonic stimuli, with a thread of melodic production that keeps listeners enthralled.
EDM/Heavy Bass producer and horror enthusiast FIGURE has released the fifth installment of his massively successful “Monsters” series today! With 13 massive tracks and featuring such diverse talent as D-Styles, Kool Keith, and Bitter Stephens, “Monsters Vol. 5” delivers all of the horror and bass that fans have come to expect, making the year long wait well worth the patience! Read more Figure – Monsters Volume 5 (2014)

Celldweller – End of an Empire, Chapter 01: Time (2014)

Celldweller New Album End of an Empire

Celldweller New Album End of an Empire Klayton is Celldweller and his – finally – back! Independent artist and producer, personifying the sound of the iPod generation, he creates a hybrid fusion of digital and organic elements: intricately designed soundscapes constructed from Dubstep, Drum & Bass and Electro, woven together with aggressive Rock/Metal and Orchestral elements. Celldweller ignores genre boundaries and creates a pioneering vision of the future of electronic music.
Follow-up to the 2012 ‘Wish Upon A Blackstar,’ Celldweller delivers the first glimpse of his 3rd artist album, “End of an Empire” and has released the title track for his upcoming new album. Out on September 16, 2014, through Klayton’s own record label FiXT, ‘End of an Empire (Chapter 01: Time)’ features 5 new, original tracks along with remixes from Breathe Carolina, Comaduster, KJ Sawka and OCTiV. Read more Celldweller – End of an Empire, Chapter 01: Time (2014)

Snurfu – Play This Game (2014)

Snurfu 2014

Snurfu 2014 It’s not brain surgery, but only rock’n’roll and it feels good as it is. And probably it’s not much left to say because it’s that type of rock you love it or hate, but if you love it, you will have to play it loud and grab a beer!
While I have wrote about their debut EP “Bag of Bones” back in 2009, recently I wrote about Massive and their ass-kicker world-wide re-released debut album “Full Throttle” and it seems that the good old rock’n’roll it’s back in trends again. Well, probably it’s still not fancy as the electronic layers and bass drops, but I still can’t think of something better if you gonna have a party!
Fans of AC/DC and Massive will enjoy it, but it also have a nice glam/sleaze touch here and there. Sometimes feels like Poison and Motorhead are jamming together. Songs like “Boo”, “Stepto-Cock” or the title track will ringing in your ears for days. More like this, please! Read more Snurfu – Play This Game (2014)

King 810 – Memoirs Of A Murderer (2014)

King 810 - Memoirs Of A Murderer (2014)

King 810 - Memoirs Of A Murderer (2014) Violence. These days are pretty much about violence, no matter if we think about Iraq, Gaza, Ukraine or the United States of America. We can speak about what’s going on in Ferguson, Missouri, or we can look at what happened in Frisco, Texas where a 16-year-old homeschooled teenager shot down both his parents. And – unfortunately – we’ve got plenty of other stories on daily basics each and every day from all over the world.
King 810 make out of violence a kind of trademark and marketing strategy. Recently they had to cancel their gig at Download Festival because vocalist David Gunn and bassist Eugene Gill, were arrested and taken into custody on Friday on charges of “assault with intent to do great bodily harm” – for an incident occurred in October 2013, outside of a bar in Flint, MI. All because of a stupid fight and, eventually, publicity.
King 810 risking to be more famous for their criminal record and violent imaginary, rather then for their music… And it’s sad. And ultimately, it’s unfair too.
Something really went wrong with this species, isn’t it? Read more King 810 – Memoirs Of A Murderer (2014)

Godsmack – 1000hp (2014)

Godsmack - 1000hp (2014)

Godsmack - 1000hp (2014) Rock is dead? I heard that in the 80’s, the 90’s and generally, at least once in a while somebody took that imaginary shovel and start digging that imaginary hole for this genre. And – surprise! – the genre it’s alive, kicking and evolving since the late 40’s.
You say “Godsmack”, you think of Alice In Chains and you start singing “Voodoo”. That self-titled 1998 album which contain that song entered the Billboard 200 at number twenty-two, and was certified 4x platinum by the RIAA in 2001 after being initially certified gold in 1999.
The next album, “Awake” debuted at number five on the Billboard 200, and has been certified 2x platinum by the RIAA. “Vampires”, a song on the album, also earned the band a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Instrumental Performance in 2002. Two of the songs – “Sick of Life” and “Awake” – on the album were used in United States Navy commercials as background music.
They wrote a song, “I Stand Alone” for the soundtrack Read more Godsmack – 1000hp (2014)

Krokofant – Krokofant (2014)

Krokofant - Krokofant (2014)

Krokofant - Krokofant (2014) Kongsberg, a town located at the southern end of the traditional region of Numedal, is perhaps best known for being the home of Norway’s major defence contractor, Kongsberg Gruppen, formerly Kongsberg Vaapenfabrikk. Two of its well known products were the Kongsberg Colt and the Krag-Jørgensen rifle. The latter was adopted in the late 19th century as the standard army rifle in Denmark, Norway and U.S.A.
Notable, since 1964, the town has hosted Kongsberg Jazzfestival, an annual international jazz festival where prominent world acts such as BB King, Diana Krall, Ornette Coleman, Joshua Redman and John Scofield have played in recent years.
Also, Kongsberg it’s the home of some prominent artists such as Morten Harket – the lead singer of A-ha; jazz pianist Morten Qvenild; jazz guitarist Ivar Grydeland and pianist Håkon Austbø – among many others. And while Oslo it’s proud of Shining, now Kongsberg have this murderous trio called Krokofant. Krokofant?
What can we expect from a band named after a bizarre mixture between crocodile and elephant? Definitively good stuffs! Read more Krokofant – Krokofant (2014)