Years go by… Actually four years since the release of “Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace” in 2008 and Dexter Holland and his band mates are back now with their ninth studio album due for release on June 26, 2012. 12 tracks, Punk Rock throughout, just like “Smash”, 1994 and selling 12 million copies worldwide was yesterday. But this is not “Americana”, “Days Go By” have a much darker vibe and approach, sounds more like “Ignition” (eventually “Conspiracy of One”), this is pretty heavy in a very rocking (Metal) sense.
Still, we’ve got lighter, funnier – sarcastic? – moments like “OC Guns” or the summer taste-like, possible hit single, teenage anthem “Cruising California (Bumpin’ In My Trunk)” which might be the favorite tracks for those who are looking exclusively for the follow up of “Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)” and “Why Don’t You Get a Job”. Life is easy! 😆 Read more The Offspring – Days Go By (2012)
rock
Lands of Past – Neverending Story (2012)
Lands Of Past is chemistry like love. Or magnetism. Dark vibes, gloomy depths and sensitive, smooth, whisper-like melodies and intense guitar riffs are merged together to guide us through Heaven and Hell, a journey of lights and shadows, hopes and fears, love and desperation, hate and forgiveness. This is our endless journey and our neverending story. This is our life, and this is love. Sadness and struggle.
After the self produced demo entitled “Call” released in 2005 and the debut album released through Thundering Records in 2008, “Call Of The Depths”, Lands Of Past are back with 10 brand new, dark, melancholic and disturbing tracks on their second full-lenght “Neverending Story”. Read more Lands of Past – Neverending Story (2012)
Manowar – The Lord Of Steel (2012)
The Kings Of Metal are back with the Lord of Steel. The Manowarriors will definitively celebrate once again the loudest and the longest Heavy Metal concert player band in the world. Both performances were included in the Guinness Book of World Records. In 1984 the band delivering the loudest performance, a record which they have since broken on 2 occasions and they also set the record for the longest Heavy Metal concert after playing for 5 hours and 1 minute in Bulgaria in 2008.
Formed in 1980, Manowar maintain a strong cult following and they are probably one of the most loved Heavy Metal band in the world. Back in the 80’s when I had my share of headbanging on their killer album “Sign of the Hammer”, probably I didn’t believed that this band will last over two decades and in 2012 they will release their 12th studio album. Read more Manowar – The Lord Of Steel (2012)
Linkin Park – Living Things (2012)
Yo! I’m gonna be deadly honest: never was a Linkin Park fan, even further, I kind of consider them the (more or less) Rock version of New Kids On The Block, or any other prefabricated boy band. Now, Rick Florino of Artistdirect called it the band’s “best record and a landmark for rock as a whole”, which, we have to admit, set our expectations probably excessively high. And once again, it’s not the case. Don’t have to be a musicologist to figure it out, Linkin Park are not Faith No More, NIN, Ministry, Nirvana or name any other genre founder and envelope pusher, edge cutter band, but a smartly managed and marketed and generally pretty over-produced band. Don’t misunderstand me, the famous Rick Rubin and vocalist Mike Shinoda on their third collaboration of co-producing a Linkin Park album were done – again – an excellent job, but the sharp production and the bombastic sound can not cover the mediocrity and shapelessness beneath the surface. And once again, Linkin Park collected a million different sounds and musical approaches and blended them into their own spiced “thing”, but that still do not actually make it their own. Linkin Park might be the perfect prototype of a fully functional machine without its own soul which each time borrowing one. Imagine Mona Lisa (La Gioconda or La Joconde) without her mouth – and mysterious smile. Read more Linkin Park – Living Things (2012)
Mr. Pan[k]sament – Doomstep Prophecies – The Remixes (2012) FREE DOWNLOAD!
Remixing isn’t a good business and generally speaking remixers are mainly disconsidered. Half way between sound engineers and musicians, remixers are doomed. If you deliver a better track then the original, the artist will definitively hate you. A friend of mine, Bluetrax explains it precisely: “See, the perfect world of music works like this: if you have a weak production, the remix cannot by any means be better than your original. so, for you as a remixer it’s a waste of time trying to get the best out of you. just try to please the world with some more senseless crap. anyway, that’s how it works most of the time. that’s why so many musicians have to fight for their rights and their money 😉 ”
I lost the numbers on the way, don’t know exactly how many remixes I did this year – already. Many. Probably too many. Here we go, 30 new tracks, FREE DOWNLOAD – in return, eventually you can vote for some of the contests I’m still in: Matisyahu, Kimbra, The Temper Trap and Jason Mraz. Thanks – appreciate it! Read more Mr. Pan[k]sament – Doomstep Prophecies – The Remixes (2012) FREE DOWNLOAD!
Backtrack Lane – Black Truths & White Lies (2012)
Do you remember Rock? Did you were there in the 80’s headbanging? Everything were simple, straight and much more honest then it is now. Listen to the French Blacktrack Lane just remembered those days. This is Rock. (Very) Hard Rock with groovy Heavy Metal taste, killer like Zakk Wylde’s Black Label Society at the end of the 90’s, or as Skid Row were grinding on their second album in 1991. Not too many bands deliver that kind of powerful, still melodious, heavy, classic Rock/Metal. Although they also mention as influences bands such as Papa Roach, Avenged Sevenfold, Foo Fighters, Guns N’ Roses, and Megadeth, this is definitively the best and the strongest kind of Rock and it feels great to listen their songs. And it’s not only nostalgia, but it’s about real, breathing and alive music. It’s kind of shame that a band like this is still looking for a label!!! Read more Backtrack Lane – Black Truths & White Lies (2012)
Rush – Clockwork Angels (2012)
Not a clockwork orange, but clockwork angels. Ladies and gentlemen, Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart are back after a five years gap with their 19th studio album, scheduled to be released on June 12. They play in this line-up since July 1974, having 38 years of impressive and spawning career.
Rush’s sales statistics place them third behind The Beatles and The Rolling Stones for the most consecutive gold or platinum studio albums by a rock band, they possesses 24 gold records and 14 platinum from which 3 are multi-platinum records – they sold over 40 million units worldwide.
They have been cited as major influence by various other artists and bands from Metallica to The Smashing Pumpkins and from Primus to Dream Theater and experienced different styles of Rock and Metal from their early Blues-inspired Heavy Metal through Progressive Rock and Electronic spiced, New Wave influenced Rock.
Their previous release, the 2007’s “Snakes & Arrows”, although it was Read more Rush – Clockwork Angels (2012)
M.T. – Rock Remix Collection (2012)
Remixers are widely under-rated and almost marginalized, kind of feeders of the Music Industry. Most of the remix contests are about promoting the artist and the remixes are generally only secondary sub-products of this process. This is not quite fair, but well, music became lately only a secondary sub-product of the Music Industry/Business, so, it’s not quite surprising.
M.T. (Mihai Tivadar) is a Romanian musician and producer with a constant activity on the national rock scene. He made his name as a keyboard player, guitarist and main songwriter of the rock band Dirty Shirt. Additionally, he has played in and wrote music for several other bands, most notably Rhetorica, Arca, Eclipse and Neverland. He actively took part in the organization of festivals such as East West Fest, Dirty Fest, and RockFest Seini as well as a number of successful tours such as Dirty Tour (Romania, Hungary and Germany), Metal Orient Express (Romania), Tripod Tour (Romania and Hungary), Allied Forces Tour (Romania and Hungary), From East to West Tour (France and Belgium), etc. Read more M.T. – Rock Remix Collection (2012)
Future of the Left – The Plot Against Common Sense (2012)
I’m a Punk Rocker. Hell yeah! True, in my early forty’s, with considerably less hair and tooth then two decades ago, dragging with me several more or less chronic diseases, but still banging. Sometimes. On the other hand I had never believed in the values of the political left. Getting further, I do not believe there is any value in any political build-up and honestly, I do not trust anybody, sometimes not even my own bloody self.
I like Future of the Left and along with PiL, I think FotL is one of the very rare genuine (Post) Punk bands that managed to merge noisiness and aggressiveness with caustic content, intelligence and coherent message. I don’t think there’s anything left “politically correct” – like it ever was something -, but still, this is about music, and FotL still got both the magic and the bollocks to deliver some banging songs while the mainstream is drowning in its own emptiness. And you might be or not lefty, they have something to say while most of the singers only open their mouth to show their tooth. Definitively there is a plot against common sense while Diplo is considered “one of the most influential music taste-makers”…. 😆 😆 😆 Read more Future of the Left – The Plot Against Common Sense (2012)
Mental Architects – Celebrations (2012)
Mental Architects are a math rock trio from Sofia, Bulgaria, formed in 2001. Tony- guitars, Niki – bass/ keys and Max – drums/ electronics delivering a very intense, but refreshing cocktail of Math Rock and Progressive Rock, heavy riffs and very technical parts, rapid passages and slow, sometimes meditative moments are smartly build together in a flowing, beautiful hurricane of music.
They reminds me of Valerian Swing and their brilliant 2011 album “A Sailor Lost Around The Earth”. “Celebrations” consist of eight songs, each one of them being a small masterpiece, a little joyful ride. Read more Mental Architects – Celebrations (2012)
