Positioned right between bands as Between the Buried and Me and Cynic, The Contortionist sophomore album “Intrinsic” is a 10 station journey to the outer limits of Deathcore rooted Progressive Metal. Quite disturbing, twisted in and out, upside down and back and forth, complex and technical, but power and soulful, focusing both on intensity and subtle, gently layered atmosphere, “Intrinsic” is a refreshing search for authentic expression in a patterned, predictable and rarely creative world – strictly profit oriented music industry. Also blinking to artist as Rush and Dream Theater, and sometimes reminds me of the early VoiVod (“Nothingface”), The Contortionist deliver an extremely inspired and complex Progressive Metal product, the perfect blending of brutality and edge cutting, experimental, boundaries shattering music. Read more The Contortionist – Intrinsic (2012)
Reviews
P.O.D. – Murdered Love (2012)
P.O.D. anybody? Remember them – or their hypnotic/anthematic “Youth of the Nation”? Maybe it’s just me, but it seems (at least) a lifetime ago. Although “Satellite” was the band’s fourth studio album and it was released in 2001. “Satellite” went on to become RIAA-certified triple platinum while the author of “Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music” has described P.O.D. as “One of the biggest success stories in recent Christian music.”
Their previous album, “When Angels & Serpents Dance” was released in 2008, “only” 4 years ago and that album also marked the return of the original lead guitarist Marcos Curiel and the departure of his replacement, Jason Truby.
The band’s name, Payable on Death (P.O.D.), derives itself from the banking term “Payable on Death” and they chose this name to be a direct tie in to Christianity, which explains, that since Jesus died on the Cross, Christians inherit all of his assets – Heaven. Well, I do not buy products at my door from traveling salesman, and well, I do not buy salvation from (Rock) bands. Still, they sold over 10 million records worldwide. 😆 Christian Metal actually it’s not a genre oriented music, but targeting a huge market of believers and eventually, ultimately non-believers. Read more P.O.D. – Murdered Love (2012)
Dead Can Dance – Anastasis (2012)
Formed in Melbourne, Australia, in August 1981, relocated to London in May 1982, reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top World Music Albums Chart with their seventh, 1996 album “Spiritchaser” which also charted on Billboard 200, disbanded in 1998, reunited 7 years later in 2005, Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry are path openers with their unique mixture of genres and styles, merging African polyrhythms with Gothic Rock, Gaelic folk with Post-Punk, Gregorian chants with New Age and Dark Wave, or Middle Eastern mantras with ethereal and Dream Pop.
“Anastasis”, the long awaited, upcoming eight studio album by the band is not different then the previous ones. It’s an exciting and colorful mixture of dark and Oriental vibes, minimalism and subtle, polyphonic build-ups, hypnotic mantras and addictive rhythms, Dead can Dance are once again a secret doorway to a lost and find universe of subconscious and superconscious. It’s a journey and an intimate, unique, mystical experience for each and every listener. Read more Dead Can Dance – Anastasis (2012)
The Elijah – I Loved I Hated I Destroyed I Created (2012)
When the market is full-filed with millions of same look-like, sound-like, taste-like products – not quite artists I’m afraid – sometimes (pre) judging a CD by its cover, might be a pretty strong argument. First the cover, then the title – “I Loved I Hated I Destroyed I Created” – grabbed my attention.
Dan – Vocals, Michael – Vocals, Guitar, Sean – Guitar, Orchestration, Sam – Bass, and Jakub – Drums managed to explore a quite unique path somewhere between Sigur Rós and At the Drive-In, a disturbing place where ambiental, cinematic soundscapes and turbulent, furious (Post) Hardcore collide and make an actually nice pair as only opposites are capable of. Read more The Elijah – I Loved I Hated I Destroyed I Created (2012)
Marcus Miller – Renaissance (2012)
After last years fabulous “Tutu Revisited”, the bass-killer Marcus Miller (age 53) are back with “Renaissance”, 13 tracks of groovy Jazz and bass slappin’ where hard and smooth parts are merged into one as not too many musicians are capable to do. The shade of Miles Davis are constant and discretely present all over, but this is definitively and unmistakably Marcus Miller. Although “Renaissance” is – surprisingly – only his eighth studio project since his 1983 debut, “Suddenly”, Miller spent approximately 15 years performing as a sideman or session musician and he has played bass on over 500 recording on albums across different musical styles from Rock (Donald Fagen and Eric Clapton), to Jazz (George Benson, Dizzy Gillespie, Joe Sample, Wayne Shorter and Grover Washington, Jr.), Pop (Roberta Flack, Paul Simon and Mariah Carey), R&B (Aretha Franklin and Chaka Khan), Hip Hop (Jay-Z and Snoop Dogg), blues (Z.Z. Hill), New Wave (Billy Idol), Smooth Jazz (Al Jarreau and Dave Koz) and opera (collaborations with tenor Kenn Hicks and soprano Kathleen Battle). Also, as a film music pro, Miller rose from writing the go-go party classic ‘Da Butt’ for Spike Lee’s ‘School Daze’ to becoming the go-to composer for 20+ films (from the documentary 1 Love to the animated children’s fable The Trumpet and The Swan to the Eddie Murphy/Halle Berry classic Boomerang. In the 80’s he had collaborate with Miles Davis on 6 consecutive albums, he produced and wrote wrote “Tutu” for Miles Davis. Read more Marcus Miller – Renaissance (2012)
Christian Fischer – Tactical Protection, EP (2012)
Techno. Hard-hitting, still flexible and glitchy, oscillating between anthemic house and seminal electro, Leipzig original Christian Fischer, DJ and producer for over ten years knows exactly what set the dance floor on fire.
Running the successful imprint Definition Records, which has become an integral part of the international techno scene over the years while growing into a varied outlet that has helped to shape the movement, Christian is not one to shy away from stylistic advancement and technical innovation. Being one of the first who embraced new DJing technologies such as Final Scratch, Christian’s melody-driven, uplifting and progressive sets are legendary. Fischer, who jump-started his career on the befriended Statik Entertainment label and has since released celebrated EP on imprints as varied as Craft Music, Patterns, Abyss and Whirlpool Sex, teamed up with colleague DJ Murphy, the sensational turntable talent Fischer unearthed on one of his countless Brazil tours and signed for his label straight away, to produce and play under the moniker Deckmonsters. With their crazy turntable tricks, they are breaking every preconception what a DJ set could be like. They released their first longplayer in 2008, which is now followed by Christian Fischer’s solo debut album “Bryzant Games” out now on Bryzant. In 2009 Christian just started Bryzant Radio – a bi weekly radio show. With the best Tunes from the Clubs around the World and featuring Guest-DJ-Mixes Christian invites DJs like Renato Cohen, Spektre, Perc, Bruno Morphet just to name a few. The Show is broadcast thru the best Radio Stations worldwide from Ibiza to Canada or from Philippines to Hungary. In 2010 it was released the album “Change Disko” which reflects his experience as a DJ for more than ten years in his music. Read more Christian Fischer – Tactical Protection, EP (2012)
Mission Of Burma – Unsound (2012)
In the good tradition and vein of such truly seminal artists as the Velvet Underground, The Stooges and Dead Kennedys, Mission Of Burma delivered their own flavored Post-Punk/Indie Rock and “Unsound” is their sixth and upcoming album filled with experimental explorations and paths back to the 70’s without being retro at all.
Formed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1979. The band was formed by Roger Miller (guitar), Clint Conley (bass), Peter Prescott (drums) and Martin Swope (tape manipulator/sound engineer), over the course of their brief first four-year career (1979-1983), Mission Of Burma has laid the foundation for a movement in Post-Punk Rock which remains vital today and inspired several generations. Their bracing mixture of Punk, Pop, Art Rock, and Avant-garde experimentation as they play it strident and powerful, gave them an unique flavor which remains fresh and an unmistakable trademark of the band. Read more Mission Of Burma – Unsound (2012)
Process of Guilt – Faemin (2012)
With strong roots back to Doom and Dark Metal, formed in 2002, Process Of Guilt bring darkness and contorted heaviness from the sunny Portugal.
After self-releasing two demos, “Portraits of Regret”, respectively “Demising Grace”, in 2006 they delivered their own-flavored debut album entitled “Renounce”.
Their second full-length “Erosion” was released in 2008 followed by performances while sharing the stage with acts as diverse as The Ocean, Intronaut, Minsk, A Storm Of Light, Katatonia, Napalm Death and Rotten Sound.
3 years after the release of “Erosion” the band release their third – and deadly – album. For only €5 you can download the digital album, five epic and grinding songs, revealing a new level of darkness, contortion and heaviness which will definitively nail you down. Be prepered for the collision! Read more Process of Guilt – Faemin (2012)
Dementio13 – El Lissitzky (2012)
“Sick”, “dope” and FREE (name your price) !! Exactly as the people expect to be nowadays. Still, as I often said, art and artists need to be supported, otherwise it will fade out and we will only have the mainstream plastic BS, perfectly packed, consumer-friendly, but meaningless and tasteless. I’m kind of dependent of independent music, too old to expect or believe in “revolutions”, but still willing to take the hard way and prefer to explore the unknown and unexpected, then accept the comfortable. And Dementio13 it’s definitively genderless, experimental, boundaries breaker music ready for open minds and ears.
So, if you’re not afraid to take a trip into the wide open unknown without having a clue where it’s gonna take you, “El Lissitzky” is your ticket to ride – and get free. Read more Dementio13 – El Lissitzky (2012)
Kreator – Phantom Antichrist (2012)
It’s almost an irony, or eventually the reward of hard years of work and stubbornness, although Kreator was founded as Tyrant in 1982 in Essen, Germany, they released their murderous debut album “Endless Pain” in 1985, many of their previous albums were quite popular in Europe, Japan and even in the United States, the commercial success came only with the 2009 release of their twelfth studio album, “Hordes of Chaos”, which peaked at number 165 on the Billboard 200 and debuted at #16 on the Media Control Charts, the band’s highest ever chart position in Germany.
So, both, expectations and hopes are pretty high regarding their 13th studio album, “Phantom Antichrist” released through Nuclear Blast in June 2012. Read more Kreator – Phantom Antichrist (2012)
