If you were thinking how a melange of Dead Can Dance with Tool would sound like, don’t dig further, Vajra is the most perfect possible match for it. Singer, composer, producer, writer, and keyboard player Annamaria Pinna formed Vajra during her self-imposed exile in India and “Pleroma” is kind of a collection of 10 “sonic postcards” which painting up by sounds this mystic journey to self-conscience filled with hypnotic mysticism and some explosive sonic hurricanes.
The opening “Inside The Flame” have that ancient driven power which made magic the debut Tool album and it’s a perfect attention grabber. “Almost One” have the touch of Godsmack, it’s a mixture of gloom and groove with Rock strength, hypnotic, but simultaneously kicking. “India” is a meditation/reflection, a subtle cinematic prayer which lead us directly into “Blind”, another Post-Grunge and Dark Rock filled anthem with pulsing guitar riffs and pounding drums, evoking Godsmack’s “Voodoo”, but adding a further Oriental and mystic tone, color to it. “Intuition” it’s like shattered from a dream, a slippery trip down to labyrinth of subconscious where shadows and lights are dancing together and melting into one. Read more Vajra – Pleroma (2012)
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G.M.B.C. – Complete Omnivore (2012)
Completely disturbing, noisy and contorted, explosive, G.M.B.C. delivering the most dangerous type of Hardcore with Metal outfit in the footsteps of Converge and merging the furious attitude of Dead Kennedys with the overwhelming sound and energy of Pantera. G.M.B.C. are here to set the world on fire. The 8 tracks of “Complete Omnivore” are a merciless and compromiseless ride into the wild and once the pogo starts, nobody can stop it! But this isn’t only about energy and aggression, G.M.B.C. came up with some grinding you into the ground rhythms, some cutting to the bones riffs and at the bottom line they actually delivered a couple of great songs.
“Baldwin’s Case” have some moments which sounds like a meat grinder. “Evil Sex Machine” have the heaviness and southern spirit of Down combined with some madly speed Hardcore grinding. “Platini Beach” have a kind of Punk vibe while “Rasputin” sounds like a modern version of Napalm Death – both track are only few seconds over one minute. “Fat On Dry” sounds like Dead Kennedys doing a little Grindcore butchery, and “Moto Salad” have the sick taste of The Dillinger Escape Plan. Read more G.M.B.C. – Complete Omnivore (2012)
kafabindunya – Obi (2012)
According to kafabindünya, ordinary songs with lyrics limit the story that the listener imagines, by the content of the lyrics That’s why kafabindünya composes instrumental music and they want people to build their own stories and use their music as the soundtrack of their own fiction, only influenced by the song’s name. Denying the so called moody and repetitive harmonic structures used by most of the Post-Rock bands, kafabindünya focuses on composition and express feelings through music.
Formed at Istanbul, Turkey in the early 2000s, kafabindünya shared the stage with bands like Mogwai, Caspian, Kokomo, Arms and Sleepers and alike, in 2012, they finally released their debut album “obi” through Peyote Music. Merging heavy, intense moments with fluid and gloomy, smoothly layered cinematic moments and Oriental tests with Western sounds, kafabindünya creating their own flavored universe. One of my favorites it’s the explosive “When We Were Young” and the tumultuous closing act, “Yapılabilecek Bir Şey Yoktu”, but “Obi” it’s a 11 stationed, vividly colored, flawless journey gently adorned with surprises and exciting twists. Read more kafabindunya – Obi (2012)
Topsy The Great – STEFFALD (2012)
This is genuine, noisy, garage taste like, Avant-garde Rock band, somewhere between Big Black, Sonic Youth and H.P. Zinker. Topsy The Great’s debut album will be out on vinyl in September on fromSCRATCH Records. We’ve got 12 grinding, contorted, noisy Rock tracks, delivered by this Italian trio consist of guitarist Emanuele Ravalli, bass player Alessandro Gambassi and drummer Lorenzo “Bob” Coppini. They call their own style “Tesla-Core”, which is actually pretty clever and appropriate, while among their influences they name bands such as Black Sabbath, Black Flag, Big Black, Sonic Youth, Lightning Bolt, Fugazi, Oshinoko Bunker Orchestra and Melvins. This is a quite intense mixture of Punk rooted Garage Rock with Hardcore intensity and experimental/Avant-garde taste like (truly Progressive) Post-Rock. Got to listen this to feel it, understand it, but once you will got the taste of it, once when everything came through, you will love it and finally you will scream for more. Although, the recording is pretty raw sounding – bet it was recorded live -, the material is enjoyable and the trip is exhaustive, but worth every single minute of it. Read more Topsy The Great – STEFFALD (2012)
Ostfront – Ave Maria (2012)
Operation Ostfront (German for “Eastern Front”) was the sortie into the Arctic Ocean by the German warship Scharnhorst during World War II. In May 1941, after the loss of the German battleship Bismarck, Adolf Hitler had forbidden any German capital ship from venturing into contested seas. By December 1943 the tide had turned against Germany. The Battle of the Atlantic had been lost, and supplies poured into the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union. In September 1943 the German battleship Tirpitz was disabled during the British Operation Source, leaving Scharnhorst and Prinz Eugen the only operational heavy ships in the Kriegsmarine. In November 1943 the Arctic Convoys restarted. On 19 December 1943 Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz submitted a request to Hitler to allow Scharnhorst to attack the next convoy sailing through the Barents Sea. On the 25 December 1943 Dönitz ordered Ostfront to commence. Admiral Fraser, alerted by Norwegian resistance information to the possibility of an interception by Scharnhorst, prepared a trap for the German warship.
On 25 December Scharnhorst sailed to intercept the British convoy, JW 55B, believing it to be sparsely protected. In the ensuing Battle of the North Cape Scharnhorst was separated from her escorting destroyers and was sunk. This is history.
Neue Deutsche Härte – “New German Hardness” it’s a term invented by the German music press in 1995 specially to describe/defined the music delivered by Rammstein on their debut album “Herzeleid”. Also known as German Electronic Metal or Dance Metal (tanzmetall), this new genre has its roots in the music of bands such as Laibach, Die Krupps and Oomph! and along Rammstein the genre is proudly represented by bands such as Eisbrecher, Megaherz, Megaherz, Tanzwut, Umbra et Imago, In Extremo, Omega Lithium, Stahlhammer, Fleischmann, etc.
Ost+Front will definitively delight all and each Rammstein fan. Read more Ostfront – Ave Maria (2012)
Uglyhead – The Garden (2012)
If there is a missing link between Joy Division and Ministry, that must be Uglyhead. But Uglyhead incorporates several other different reminiscences from Syd Barrett smell like Psychedelic Rock to The Sisters Of Mercy trademarked Dark mechanics and from Field Of the Nephilim perfumed mysticism to contorted Garage Rock noisiness. This isn’t a walk through on a Sunday noon through the sunny park, “The Garden” is more like a secret dark place wit 10 alleys (paths) or 10 growing trees, branching around, exploring the mysteries of this world and our hidden inner universe. Merging different sonar elements, genres and styles, Uglyhead revels its own genre and style, delivering an atmospheric, highly textured journey and painting-up a tale of transformation, consumption and devastation.
Uglyhead is an experimental Rock band originally from Seattle, Uglyhead now operates primarily out of San Francisco, and the project is headed by musician/producer Jake Alejo. Read more Uglyhead – The Garden (2012)
Steve Vai – The Story Of Light (2012)
Mr. Steven Siro Vai started his apprenticeship in the court of (the king) Frank Zappa, going on his first tour with Zappa in the autumn of 1980 after he did some guitar overdubs for Zappa’s album “You Are What You Is” and previously transcribe a number of Zappa’s guitar solos, including some on the “Joe’s Garage” album and the “Shut Up ‘n’ Play Yer Guitar” series.
But Vai actually began playing guitar in 1973, at the age of 13, one year later he took guitar lessons from guitarist Joe Satriani, and attended the Berklee College of Music. Zappa referred to Vai as his “little Italian virtuoso” and listed him in the liner notes as performing “stunt guitar” “strat abuse” and “impossible guitar parts”. Vai featuring on over 20 Zappa’s records, but also on several David Lee Roth, Alcatrazz, G3 and contributed to one Whitesnake and one Public Image Ltd. album. I admit, I’m not an unconditional fan of his work, but have my preferences, I really love his Zappa fueled “Flex-Able” debut album and “Flex-Able Leftovers” EP, I was pretty excited about “Sex & Religion”, and, of course, the infamous “Album” by P.I.L. is one of my favorites. But, on the other hand, he pretty fucked up the 89’s Whitesnake “Slip of the Tongue” album where he definitively over-played the guitar and his virtuoso style really do not fit it in.
He’s eighth studio album, “The Story Of Light” which was released on August 14, 2012 on Favored Nations, somehow take us back to the “Flex-Able” feel and vibe, but incorporating smartly all the other Vai’s achievements collected along the way from 1984 till now and building a smooth musical bridge from “Flex-Able” to his 2005’s “Real Illusions: Reflections”. Read more Steve Vai – The Story Of Light (2012)
The Darkness – Hot Cakes (2012)
“One for the money, two for the show, three to get ready…” So, this is the third installment from the Lowestoft, Suffolk, UK based Glam Rock band, The Darkness. Not a piece of cake considering the troubled history of the group, but a hot cake – hopefully!
The Darkness rose to fame even before singing their first record deal, sold 1.5 million copies only in the UK of their 2003’s debut album ” Permission to Land”, disbanded due serious alcohol and cocaine issues in 2006 soon after releasing their second album “One Way Ticket to Hell… and Back”, but reunite with all of the original members in 2011 and their third album is set for release on August 20, 2012 in the United Kingdom and on August 21, 2012 in North America. Read more The Darkness – Hot Cakes (2012)
Myriad – Specter, Fate & Fable (2012)
If you like Rush, Myriad will conquer you as well almost instantly. Sometimes it’s a thin line between copies, imitators and creative, genuine artist and this New York based trio it’s somewhere between. “Specter, Fate & Fable” it’s so Rush that it’s obvious for anybody, but still it’s not the same, the band gathering influences also from other progressive Rock acts such as Kansas, ELP, Yes, Jethro Tull, King Crimson, UK, Camel, Genesis, Pink Floyd, King’s X, Flower Kings, Spock’s Beard, etc. But the main and dominant influence is definitively Rush. On the other hand, it’s at least hard to be the equals of Lifeson, Lee and Peart…
Also, there was a pretty obscure, but reached to cult status Australian progressive rock duo also under the same name: Myriad, and even more recently, there is a band named The Myriad from Seattle, so, the band name is not so inspired as well and although they have web site, MySpace and Facebook profile, it’s pretty difficult to locate and identify them. And by the way, the site looks and taste pretty old-fashioned and kind of amateurish… Just like their videos – unfortunately. Like it or not, in a consumer’s world, the wrapping matters more then it’s normally should.
But then again, “Specter, Fate & Fable” it’s a quite enjoyable “food for ears”, eventually for soul. And have a decent cover. 🙂 Read more Myriad – Specter, Fate & Fable (2012)
Black Light Burns – The Moment You Realize You’re Going To Fall (2012)
“The Moment You Realize You’re Going To Fall”, the sophmore album by the Wes Borland leaded and fronted Black Light Burns sounds sweat and dark in a quite David Bowish manner. It’s impossible to stick any label to this music, it’s impossible to squeeze it into any defined genre of style, this is post “something” without being typically finicky and selfishly obscure and pointlessly exclusivist, it’s simultaneously Rock, mainly noisy and garage taste-like, but sometimes Jazzy, and Industrial in a quite classic sense and approach, but avoiding all the cliches and mandatory conformity. It’s arty, but not abstract and it’s trippy without becoming shapeless. Wes Borland definitively founded a fascinating, very own flavored path here and delivered a pretty exciting material.
Vividly colored, changing moods and grooves, “The Moment You Realize You’re Going To Fall” it’s a bold, literally edgy cutting, modern (Industrial) Rock album, one of the finest of it’s kind.
Quitting Limp Bizkit in 2001, Read more Black Light Burns – The Moment You Realize You’re Going To Fall (2012)
