Their previous album, “Hart Genossen von ABBA bis Zappa” was pointed out as his favourite record of 2009 by Clawfinger guitarist Bård Torstensen. About the same album Dweezil Zappa said: “Very well done. Normally, I don’t like people re-arranging my father’s music but this was a pleasant surprise.” Not at least, Randy Brecker said: “Panzerballett is the first band I’ve heard that really leads Music into the 21st Century!”
So, what Panzerballett are actually playing? This is an intense, extremely technical Jazz-Rock with some powerful Metal infusions. In-your-face type of riffs are smartly built-in into the classy, but modern flavored Jazz-Rock constructions. “Vulgar Display of Sauerkraut” sounds like Pantera versus Al Di Meola (I’m thinking of songs such as “Alien Chase On Arabian Desert”) – eventually. Double-bass drum slaughterings and killer riffs are merged with mystic flavored Jazz breakdowns. Read more Panzerballett – Tank Goodness (2012)
experimental
Illogistical Resource Dept. – Catharsis (2012)
The apocalypse comes from San Francisco. Or just the catharsis. The nature try to get back at us? Eventually. God knows…. 😆 But wont save us from ourselves.
Dan Menapace – Bass and Synths, Jim Harris – Guitar, and Noa Appleton – Drums are explorers, soundonauts. “Speak” it’s a modern, reiterated “Astronomy Domine”, a tasty and gloomy evoking of past values, but also a brave step into the unknown and the future.
This is a groovy, sometimes blowing in your face, but mainly gloomy and atmospheric Rock machinery build to explore the universe of sounds and find new paths for creativity and expression.
Released on 14 November 2012, the 8 tracks of “Catharsis” lead us into the dark world of our worst fears and subconscious.
“When Frogs Attack” starts menacing, the Primus taste is definitively there, but Illogistical Resource Dept. add their own flavor as well. Wicked riffs and spicy grooves are blending into a powerful, catchy song, an excellent “door opener” for an album full of different blends and flavors.
“The Secret Box” it’s a more Psychedelic flavored trip with a charming, mysterious aroma. What Forrest Gump’s mom said about life, it’s go to “Catharsis” as well: “Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” Read more Illogistical Resource Dept. – Catharsis (2012)
How To Destroy Angels – An Omen (2012)
Six new tracks, $5 download in MP3 or lossless format. There is no CD release for this EP, and the 12″ 180-gram vinyl it’s already sold-out. This is the second EP by Mariqueen Maandig, Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, and Rob Sheridan, while their long expected debut album probably will be released next year. Post-Industrial? Sort of, but not quite. How To Destroy Angels it’s an extremely slippery something, not related to any genre or style, but incorporates different musical elements from experimental Trip-Hop to Post-Rock and Post-Industrial explorations. Far away from the contorted and furious expression of anger so typical for Nine Inch Nails, but in some moments similar to the spirit of the 2008’s “Ghosts” series, How To Destroy Angels are in the search for new, unexplored paths, virgin, untouched areas of the music. Quite a temerarious task for 2012, isn’t it? But Reznor once again proves that everything it’s possible with inspiration and boldness. Read more How To Destroy Angels – An Omen (2012)
Fear – The Fear Record (2012)
Originally recorded in 1981 in Sound City Studios, California, titled simple “The Record” and released by Slash Records on May 16, 1982, and it’s definitively one of the pillars of modern Hardcore, a milestone of Punk/Metal/Hardcore colored brilliantly with Blues/Jazz and all sort of unexpected, out of patterns inflections and infusions. So, why would Lee Ving decide to re-record it 3 decades away? One possible explanation might be a shity record deal with Slash and a better deal signed now with The End Records and the 30 years anniversary may be a great opportunity for some smooth and simple cashing-in. Anyway, this band and the original album deserves both respect and celebration. This re-recorded version surprisingly sounds pretty raw, the few small changes do not really makes any difference and as always, if you want the best, go back to the original.
Several songs have been rewritten to shock/offend less. The 62-year-old Ving and the world over the last three decades have been changed. Ving try to seem more mature, while the world play the card of being more enlighten, sensitive or something… Some people get offended nowadays if you sing lyrics like the one of “New York’s Alright If You Like Saxophones”. Read more Fear – The Fear Record (2012)
Byzant At Christmas (in the memory of Tibi Blaga)
This one is dedicated to the memory of AB Byzant’s father, Tibor Blaga (9/6/1941-16/11/2012). Rest In Peace!
Bang Ur Head[ache]
A headache or cephalalgia is pain anywhere in the region of the head or neck. It can be a symptom of a number of different conditions of the head and neck. The brain tissue itself is not sensitive to pain because it lacks pain receptors. Rather, the pain is caused by disturbance of the pain-sensitive structures around the brain. Nine areas of the head and neck have these pain-sensitive structures, which are the cranium (the periosteum of the skull), muscles, nerves, arteries and veins, subcutaneous tissues, eyes, ears, sinuses and mucous membranes. Read more Bang Ur Head[ache]
Jah Wobble and Keith Levene – Yin and Yang (2012)
It’s something in the air, and I don’t mean love, this must be the year of P.I.L. (Public Image Ltd). First John Lydon teamed up again with former (and future) PiL members Lu Edmonds, Scott Firth and Bruce Smith and recorded and release the first new PiL album, “This is PiL” after two decades. Then founder PiL members, bassist Jah Wobble and guitarist Keith Levene revisited this year the PiL’s groundbreaking 1980’s album “Metal Box” – which they were the driving forces behind – with several highly-acclaimed shows performing “Metal Box in Dub live”. Now they make a step even further and they decide it record some new material which became “Yin and Yang”, a 10 track journey in the outer limits of Dub and Post-Punk/Modern Rock. Read more Jah Wobble and Keith Levene – Yin and Yang (2012)
Tweaker – Call The Time Eternity (2012)
Tweaker it’s the side project of drummer/programmer Chris Vrenna started after his departure from Nine Inch Nails in 1996. The album, The Attraction to All Things Uncertain, was Vrenna’s “solo” debut in 2001. The following “2 A.M. Wakeup Call” in 2004 also made the debut of guitarist/programmer Clint Walsh as a permanent fixture to the band and featuring a quite famous line-up of guest vocalists including David Sylvian, Will Oldham, Robert Smith, Burton C. Bell, Craig Wedren, Hamilton Leithauser, Buzz Osborne, Jonathan Bates and Johnny Marr.
Tweaker toured select North American dates with Skinny Puppy in 2004 and the live band line-up was consisting of Chris Vrenna (drums, percussion and keyboard), Clint Walsh (guitar and keyboard), Paul Ill (bass guitar and keyboards) and Nick Young (vocals).
There was rumors that Tweaker would release a new album in 2008, although no material surfaced, and in that period Vrenna worked with Marilyn Manson on his 2009 album “The High End of Low”. Read more Tweaker – Call The Time Eternity (2012)
ASIDEFROMADAY – Chasing Shadows (2012)
This is the third album for the French Post-Metal/Sludge band and they deliver a disturbing and noisy mixture of heaviness and gloominess. With roots back both to Sepultura/Soulfly and Kyuss/Monster Magnet, but emerging a Post-Rock/Post-Metal edge and exploring the darkest corners of soul and contorted music, ASIDEFROMADAY merged the vibe of Depressive (Black) Metal with the energy, noisiness and strength of Modern Metal while the seven epic tracks of “Chasing Shadows” it’s a fearful voyage colored with complexity, flavored with raw aggression and twisted ambiance.
This is definitively not an easy-listening, but darkness has its own beauty and ASIDEFROMADAY explore and reveals those aspects step by step. Read more ASIDEFROMADAY – Chasing Shadows (2012)
VS – Just a sigh (Part 1), EP (2012)
Formed in 2004, VS it’s a French band playing a mixture of atmospheric and electro fueled Post-Rock. It’s hard not to compare it to Sigur Rós, but simultaneously, VS it’s quite different from the leading band of Iceland and their foggy, still soulful music.
“One” kicks in like a modern electro Rock anthem, it’s more related to Filter then to the nowadays fancy Shoegazer obscurity. VS manage to mix smartly electronic layers with acoustic instruments and the result it’s a very gentle, but groovy, pulsing music rooted back to very different genres.
Surprisingly, “Industrial”, the second track is a much quieter, mood and not groove oriented track. It’s a dark, but gentle track nicely coloured with strings and samplers.
The following “Exp” have a strong late Smashing Pumpkins taste and vibe, even Billy Corgan would be proud of it. Read more VS – Just a sigh (Part 1), EP (2012)
