The first track I heard was “Paper Waves” and honestly it was not too convincing while it’s kind of dissolving in the air, but fortunately, the almost 8 minutes of “Meltdown” incorporates everything what makes Magic The Gathering and washes away the Pop-like, but almost tasteless, ultimately a filling felt of “Paper Waves”.
So, the Dutch Alternative Rock driven force, The Gathering are back with their tenth studio album, “Disclosure”, the follow up of the 2009’s “The West Pole” which also marked the debut of their new vocalist Silje Wergeland (previous front woman of Octavia Sperati). Meanwhile, we had a free download on their Bandcamp page, originally released on May 16th, 2011, and still available, “Heroes For Ghosts”, a more darker melange of (Progressive/Alernative) Rock roots and Trip-Hop flavored cinematic moments. And the whole album it’s a journey through smoothly colored, subtly layered and gently flowing soundscapes, The Gathering merging in their own style every musical genre and style their previously explored from explosive and symphonic taste-like Rock to Trip-Hop with blowing Jazz and Electronic flavor. Not even the sky is the limit, not for The Gathering anyway – anymore. And “Disclosure” is a very glossy, joyful journey. Read more The Gathering – Disclosure (2012)
rock
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)
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)
Fleeting Circus – Dream World Of Magic, EP (2012)
Imagine a frontal collision between Foo Fighters and Led Zeppelin and the result will sounds pretty much as Fleeting Circus, the new Alternative Rock star rising from Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia. Their dark and groovy sound also incorporate reminiscences of acts such as Muse, Chore, Deftones, Kings Of Leon, Jeff Buckley and Sunny Day Real Estate, while “The Dream World Of Magic” EP has two songs that made history in the first edition of the Yamaha Brazilian Beat festival, “Fake Station” and “Underground”. “Underground” is 101% Rock radio anthem, have some smooth and gentle Kings of Leon taste and that magic touch witch make a great song unforgettable. On the other hand, songs like “Come On” represents the darker and heavier side of the band where the flesh cutting riffs and pounding drums are served with dissonances and screaming vocals. Fleeting Circus find a refreshing balance between classic heaviness and modern noisiness and merged the past into the future delivering a six station trip in their own magical-musical universe. And in top of all this, you can download even for free (name your price) the EP from their Bandcamp page or buy the hard copy for only $9.99 USD. Read more Fleeting Circus – Dream World Of Magic, EP (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)
Rescue Rangers – Manitoba (2012)
Chip ‘n Dale anybody? 😆 No, seriously, this is heavy, heavy Rock, Rescue Rangers reminds me of Kyuss/Queens of the Stone Age, Helmet, Clutch, Black Label Society, and some Grunge and Post-Grunge outfits as Stone Temple Pilots, modern Rock – and Post-Rock – bands such as Tool. Although, “Why So Serious” definitively reminds me of Alice In Chains, and their glowing shadow is pulsing discretely throughout in their music.
“Manitoba” it’s a dark, intense, perfectly build-up and biting Rock album, and almost surprisingly, although they are from Marseille, France, it’s sound very American. Pascal Mascheroni – Vocals & Guitars, Christophe Fresard – Bass, and Pierre Roulois – Drums, find that killer fat sound and write the most addictive riffs and grooves which make that kind of Rock kicking. Read more Rescue Rangers – Manitoba (2012)
EndAnd – Adventures of Fi in Space (2012)
This is Garage Rock, with one leg back to the 70’s and the other kicking into the future, merging Noise and Alternative Rock influences, blinking with an eye to Psychedelia, but adding some Punk attitude and “no future” easiness, they delivering raw, biting, but definitively tasty and smartly layered mixture of Garage/Punk Rock where gentle melodies, smoothly played chords are make an efficient pair with the overdrives and driving, energetic riffs, pounding drums and buzzing basses.
Resulting from merging two EP’s, “Adventures of Hi-Fi in Space”, and “Adventures of Lo-Fi in Space”, both released in June 2012, this LP consist of quite different recordings, from polished studio quality works to all sort of DIY style recordings, including digital 4 track, analog 4 track, live recording, and minimal pro tools editing. Still the album sounds compact, every piece fits right in. And if you are into real Underground, truly experimental Rock, edge cutting stuffs, not only on the surface, but diving deep, EndAnd worth at least a chance.
And for orientation, think of Cloud Nothings, The Ramones, Helmet, Polvo, Jay Reatard, Gang of Four, Wavves, The Pixies, Guided By Voices, The Melvins, Nirvana, etc. Read more EndAnd – Adventures of Fi in Space (2012)
Monks of Mellonwah – Neurogenesis, EP (2012)
Hailing from Sydney, Australia, Monks of Mellonwah are a four-piece Alternative Rock band, and their latest, second, ad deadly EP, “Neurogenesis”, was released on 24th May, 2012. MoM reminds me mostly of the British band Bush, they are selling on the same dark shaded seas of Post-Grunge/Alternative Rock, building-up their unique sound by blending different elements, having strong roots back to Classic Blues & Rock, to artists such as Hendrix, Zeppelin, and Pink Floyd, but also incorporating influences from Red Hot Chili Peppers and more recently from Muse.
Their first E.P., “Stars Are Out”, has been highly praised since its release in 2010.
Thei are winner of the award for “Best Indie Rock Band” at the 2012 Artists In Music Awards and nominated for Best International Act at the LA Music Awards, the Monks of Mellonwah are entering some very exciting times. Dean Cramer of the influential blog Kings of A & R recently listed the Monks in his “Top 8 Emerging Artists”, and CMJ featured their track “Neverending Spirit” on their trendsetting mixtape series.
