From Hollywood to Melbourne and from soul to pop and from blues to metal, Solar Flare (in different forms) seems to be a quite popular name among artists. I dug till China and back, but it was kind of “mission impossible” to find anything about this particular Solar Flare. Finally I get some help from the Domino Media Agency and about this “Swiss doom conspiracy”.
Switzerland already delivered several exciting products this year, and the land of 26 cantons seems to be very resourceful also in metal. Rocal was formed in 2006 in Geneva, Switzerland and last year their released their fifth record, “HELIOGABALUS” – which is a single 70 minutes monolithic piece. Solar Flare is a side-project from Impure Wilhemina formed also in Geneva by Michael Schindl (Guitar, vocals), David Schindl (Drums), Thierry Baertschiger (Guitar) and Didier Baertschiger (Bass) in 1998. In 2006, the band suffered several line-up changes: David and Thierry leaved Geneva, and were replaced by Mario Togni (drums) and Alexandre Müller (guitar).
This collaborative split is exclusively available on Call of Ror label’s e-shop and for entire streaming on SoundCloud. Read more Rorcal vs. Solar Flare – Split (2011)
Reviews
Archnemesis – Peoples Radio (2011)
Their debut full length album “Peoples Radio” is available now for free download at their official website, just like their debut EP, “Diamonds And Glass”. Cookies for Christmas! Anyway, this is a quite fan (and user) friendly approach.
Formed by Justin Aubuchon and Curt Heiny, Archnemesis prefers to defined themselves by the self-coined term “Intelligent Electro-Crunk”. Merging funky licks with acid layers, digging back to the earliest jazz and blues samples and mash them up with modern hip hop and soul samples, contorted dubsteb wobbles and to all this boiling cocktail adding their own sound and creating something brand new and fresh, Archnemesis definitively know to set a club on fire with their glowing grooves. Dancing becomes a nasty business, isn’t it? So, let’s get dirty! 🙂 Read more Archnemesis – Peoples Radio (2011)
Neurotech – 2011, free downloads
I was damn sure I did write about “Antagonist”, the band’s debut album back in March when it was released, but hell no, I could not dig out that review, but with all the troubles and errors I had faced this year with this site and my hosting, I’m not surprised of anything anymore. Anyway, “Antagonist” and their brand new EP entitled “Blue Screen Planet” are available at their official site for free download, respectively “name your price” as digital release, while you can still buy the “Antagonist” special CD+T-Shirt pack for only 15€.
Although “name your price” means even zero, I still believe artist deserves and needs all of our support, mostly artists from the underground who bring to the surface alternatives for the usual mainstream bulls*its.
Neurotech from Ljubljana, Slovenia, formed back in 2007 by Wulf delivering a pounding mixture of metal riffing and electronic layers merging powerful metal with spacy, cinematic trance/ambiental electro music. It’s a quite electrifying and refreshing experiment, harmonies, strong choruses and deep textures, grinding guitars are make perfect match here melting into one. Gothic romanticism and heavy brutality collide in their music resulting something beautiful and gloomy, mysterious and heavy. And just as I said, they efforts needs to be rewarded. Read more Neurotech – 2011, free downloads
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross – The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, OST (2011)
The 2010’s score by Reznor and Ross for David Fincher’s “The Social Network” won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score and the Academy Award for Original Score in 2011 and Reznor announced that he would again be working with Fincher, this time to provide the score for the American adaptation of “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.” A cover of “Immigrant Song” by Led Zeppelin produced by Reznor and Ross, with Karen O (of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs) as featured singer, was released as trailer for the film and it became viral on the internet. I have to admit it, I’m a Reznor fan since his 1989 debut studio album under the moniker Nine Inch Nails and follow his career since constantly and I admire his work, his ability to reinvent himself and his music, his creativity to not copying himself repeatedly, but dare to experiment with sounds and eventually styles, although remaining Trent Reznor and ultimately Nine Inch Nails.
The soundtrack for “The Social Network” it wasn’t his first involvement into cinema. Reznor produced the soundtracks for Oliver Stone’s “Natural Born Killers” in 1994 and David Lynch’s “Lost Highway” in 1997 where he is credited for “Driver Down” and “Videodrones; Questions”, while another track, “The Perfect Drug”, is credited to Nine Inch Nails.
A soundtrack is quite a different thing than a music album of an artist or band. Can’t compare one to another in no circumstances. It’s actually – I believe – a totally different occupation/job and involved quite different crafts, skills, ultimately talent. Read more Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross – The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, OST (2011)
Chevelle – Hats Off to the Bull (2011)
Formed in 1995 and selling over three million albums in the United State, released six albums, the first, “Point #1” was produced by Steve Albini, while their second album, “Wonder What’s Next”, was certified Platinum, Chevelle delivering a powerful, intense alternative/post metal, compared often with Tool, Clutch and Helmet. Despite comparisons, Chevelle having a unique sound and style, delivering mature, multicolored music.
“Hats Off to the Bull” consist of 11 tracks and 43 minutes play time is another trip into the dark, mysterious side of the (post) metal. Hanging to conventional genres, styles, labels, don’t really work in their case, this is metal, but sometimes they throw away their electric instruments and play interiorized, chill, but disturbing, acoustic tune or they just get into some gloomy, sometimes quite contorted, subtle and gently layered gloomy space build up of sounds. But at the bottom line they still and always rocks. Read more Chevelle – Hats Off to the Bull (2011)
deepfield – Nothing Can Save Us Now (2011)
Currently based in Chicago, Illinois, deepfield (the “d” is always lower case) was formed in Charleston, SC in 2005 by singer Baxter Teal, guitarist Eric Bass (now the bassist for Shinedown), drummer Russell Lee (drums) and bass player J. King. After only shopping a 3 song demo the band found themselves playing a showcase in New York, where they were promptly signed by industry legend Bill McGathy to his new label, In De Goot Recordings.
“Archetypes and Repetition”, the 12 songs debut album produced by Paul Ebersold and Skidd Mills was released in the summer of 2007. The band toured the U.S. extensively from 2007-2009 with bands such as Shinedown, Chevelle, Puddle Of Mudd, Saliva, Saving Abel, Drowning Pool, Tantric, Nonpoint and The Exies.
Delivering a post-grunge flavored modern rock tied with solid hooks and pounding rock themes, deepfield sounds powerful, massive and mature, merging melodies and harmonies with energy and strength. Read more deepfield – Nothing Can Save Us Now (2011)
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones – The Magic Of Youth (2011)
You have been good, children? St. Nicholas filled your boots with gifts, cookies and sweets overnight? I’ve got something sweet for you today kids. The ninth studio album from Boston ska punk band The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, “The Magic Of Youth”, released today, 6th December, 2011 on Big Rig Records will definitively cheer up your day. Sick of too much hatred? Sick of winter? Sick of another day? Well, this definitively gives another perspective, it will make a difference, will bring at least a sunshine. No emo-shit, no post-whatever, no alternative – or alternated – metal. This is straight, simple, charming ska/punk rock, served hot and full flavored. Read more The Mighty Mighty Bosstones – The Magic Of Youth (2011)
Hooka Hey – Little Things, EP (2011)
A little piece of the 70’s careless, still heavy, harmony full, but simultaneously powerful as well rock. Several names came up instantly with every chord they take, but names are less important: the kids of today probably never hear of most of them anyway. But they may get know Hooka Hey, a French band, formed in 2008 on the basis of two other bands: Sentenza and Holsters.
In May 2008 Hooka Hey released their first album finding balance and merging into one the power of Led Zeppelin’s guitar and the rawness of Neil Young’s folk. It was followed by an acoustic EP, “The Country Side” which highlights the country face most of the group and it was only distributed to fans.
“Little Things”, the bands third EP was released this year in September and we’ve got a little bit of everything. Read more Hooka Hey – Little Things, EP (2011)
Blackout Beach – Fuck Death (2011)
This album sounds like a mesh up of David Bowie with Brian Eno, a little bit of both of them and a twist of everything, a mysterious hellhole of soulful electronics and psychedelic post-whatever – intentionally avoiding the therm of rock. It’s spooky, but simultaneously quite fascinating. Its have charm, spirit – and ultimately soul, soul that is totally lacking from the music nowadays when everything is resumed to sound, production and trends. Well, this is absolutely out of trend, off beat as it says. But it feels good, I like it.
This is Carey Mercer’s (of Frog Eyes and Swan Lake) solo creations began as a project called “Bertrand Russell and the Country Club” and the first album entitled “Light Flows the Putrid Dawn”, was issued in June 2004 on Soft Abuse. Read more Blackout Beach – Fuck Death (2011)
D-A-D – DIS.NEY.LAN.DAFT.ERD.ARK (2011)
When the lights are out in Disneyland, anything can happen. This was Disneyland After Dark back in ’82. Then the lawyers of The Walt Disney Company showed up, threatening with lawsuit and the Danish rockers changed their name subsequently into: D.A.D., D•A•D, D:A:D and D-A-D, and each name practically represents a period in the band’s history.
The brand new album entitled “DIS.NEY.LAN.DAFT.ERD.ARK” was released on the latest fatalistic date of the human history: 11-11-11, while the album is another nice piece of the history of the band and a fresh set of pulsing, pounding hard fucking rock songs in the best possible tradition. It’s odd, but nowadays, two thousand fucking eleven, you need lot of guts to play – and release – a hard rock album.
D-A-D began playing together in the early 1980s in Copenhagen, Denmark, and they released their first EP in 1985 and have now existed for more than twentyfive years, with only one change in the lineup, as Laust Sonne replaced former drummer Peter Lundholm Jensen back in ’99. This is odd too for a rock band, isn’t it?
And they (still) got a good sens of humor. 🙂 Read more D-A-D – DIS.NEY.LAN.DAFT.ERD.ARK (2011)
