Holy Grail, Cauldron and Wizardry Play Union Pool on May 4th

A double-bill of Cauldron and Holy Grail should make for a hot show. Tickets for the show at Union Pool are $10 and like-minded local band Wizardry is opening the show.

Rising stars of metal Holy Grail will be teaming up with Cauldron for a North American trek. The tour touches down in Brooklyn, NY on Wednesday, May 4th at Union Pool. Holy Grail will close all U.S shows and Cauldron will close all Canadian dates. Holy Grail has been touring in support of their critically-acclaimed Fall 2010 release, Crisis In Utopia, and Cauldron is touring behind their 2011 disc Burning Fortune.

Only assembled a few years ago, Holy Grail is already at the forefront of the new wave of metal that pays homage to such legends as Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Dio. The band's debut EP "Improper Burial" (released in late 2009), featuring just two original tracks and two covers, earned Holy Grail significant press accolades including a 2-page feature in hometown paper LA Weekly, a spot on Decibel's "25 Most Anticipated Releases Of 2010" list and inclusion on Metal Hammer's "Guide To The Best In The Upcoming New Wave Of Trad Metal". Holy Grail was also recognized with a nomination for Metal Hammer's 2010 Golden God Awards in the "Best New Band' category - quite an honor since they hadn't even released a full-length album yet! Metal Hammer sums it up best: "With a killer name, awesome logo and a sound that is more metal than metal itself, Holy Grail are one of the most promising traditionally inclined metal bands to emerge from the US in the past decade...This is metal played with conviction and belief and you're going to love it."



Holy Grail / Cauldron Tour Dates

APRIL
15 -- West Hollywood, CA, Viper Room
16 -- Oakland, CA, Oakland Metro Opera House
17 -- Portland, OR, Dante's
18 -- Seattle, WA, El Corazon
19 -- Vancouver, BC, Media Club
21 -- Calgary, AB, Republik
22 -- Edmonton, AB, Brixx Bar & Grill
25 -- Winnipeg, MB, Royal Albert
26 -- Thunder Bay, ON, Crocks
28 -- Toronto, ON, The Wreck Room
29 -- Quebec, QC, L'Agitee
30 -- Montreal, QC, Il Motore

MAY
1 -- Allston, MA, Great Scott
2 -- Hartford, CT, Webster Underground
3 -- Philadelphia, PA, Trocadero
4 -- Brooklyn, NY, Union Pool
5 -- Washington, DC, Red Palace
6 -- Columbus, OH, The Summit
7 -- Chicago, IL, Subterranean
8 -- Minneapolis, MN, Triple Rock Social Club
9 -- Kansas City, MO, The Riot Room
10 -- Denver, CO, Three Kings Tavern
11 -- Salt Lake City, UT, Club Vegas
12 -- Mesa, AZ, Nile Theatre

Links:
Holy Grail

Short Sharp Shock (SSS) Release Free Christmas Song (Earache Records)

DOWNLOAD: Short Sharp Shock - "Merry ChristmaSSS"

UK thrash band Short Sharp Shock have released a new Christmas song, "Merry ChristmaSSS", as a free download.

Earache Records did an interview with SSS frontman Foxy where he talks about the new song and what Christmas means to him. Here are some of the highlights:

Q: Why have you done a free Christmas song?

Foxy: "We are following in the footsteps of some of the greatest Christmas songs ever written from yesteryear - Slade, Wizzard, Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, Shakin Stevens, FEAR and Band Aid - that have all placed themselves firmly in our hearts and on cheap Christmas compilation CDs at this time of year. Now here's our meagre festive rattler that will be played for years to come at family discos and shake the false teeth from all our nans' heads."

Q: Did you enjoy Christmas as a kid?

Foxy: "What's not to like about Christmas when you are a kid? A time when there was actual snow at Christmas. Being the first in the yard and lining up snowballs to lob at your mates and teachers. Skidding in one strip on the ice until the caretaker dumps grit on it. Making cards, crackers (out of a toilet roll), cotton wool snowmen and calendars. Mucking around as a king in the nativity play and changing the words to the carols, "While shepherds wash their socks night...". Bringing toys in on the last day of term was always a doss. A big countdown to a day you thought wouldn't ever come, so you get to your pit early, try to sleep, then wake up with a stocking on the end of your bed full with all sorts of stuff, mosh into all your presents and play out the front of your house, get cold, then back for your dinner and watch Star Wars. Then play with everything properly on boxing day. Bingo.

The full text of the interview is posted on SSS's MySpace blog.

Links:
Earache Records
Short Sharp Shock

Enforcer: Photos from Club Europa, Brooklyn, NY 9-18-09 (NWOBHM)

Swedish traditional-metal/NOWBHM-influenced band Enforcer made their first trek through the US this Summer as part of the North American Nightmare tour. The band played Club Europa last month with Cauldron (Earache), Black Anvil and At War.

Don't make the same mistake that I did and forget to wear earplugs - Enforcer is loud and vocalist Olof Wikstrand has one h*ll of a metal scream.



Enforcer started about three years ago but the band didn't hit my radar until their song "Mistress of Hell" was included on Earache's Heavy Metal Killers compilation that came out earlier this year.



Enforcer is a young band but they have managed to capture the melodic power of the early 80's metal bands and sound like a cross between early Iron Maiden and Motley Crue. The band released their debut album Into the Night about a year ago on Heavy Artillery Records and are currently back in the studio to record a follow-up. There is a new track, "Roll the Dice", streaming on the band's MySpace profile.

Bonded By Blood: Live Video from Show at Maric Lanes Bowling Alley In Astoria, NY 3-28-09

California thrash metalers Bonded By Blood made their first trip to the East Coast last month as part of the Masters of Disaster tour. The local tour stop was a free show at Maric Lanes in Astoria, Queens. To echo a comment from Bonded By Blood frontman Jose "Aladdin" Barrale, I never thought I'd be thrashing out on top of a bowling alley but it was a great show. I'd love to see more DIY-style thrash/metal shows put on in the NYC area.

Here is some live footage of Bonded By Blood playing "Mind Pollution" and "The Evil Within".



The Masters of Disaster tour (which features Bonded By Blood, Witchaven and Exmortus) wraps up next week with a few more West Coast dates:
4/24 San Jose CA- West Valley College
4/25 San Francisco CA-Thee Parkside
5/01 Hollywood CA-The Knitting Factory "Thrasho De Mayo IV" w/Exumer
5/02 Reno, NV- The Underground

Bonded By Blood's debut CD, Feed the Beast, is is available from Earache Records' Webstore in a limited edition 2CD pressing that contains two bonus tracks.

Links:
Bonded By Blood's MySpace profile

Insect Warfare - World Extermination CD Review (Earache)

DOWNLOAD: Insect Warfare - "Necessary Death" (MP3)

Next month, Earache is reissuing the debut full-length, World Extermination, from Texas grind-core kings Insect Warfare.

World Extermination originally came out in 2007 and the band seemed to be gaining a strong following. They toured around the world in the first half of 2008 and followed that by abruptly breaking up. There is obviously some back story as "TRUST NO ONE. FUCK SCENES. FUCK LEECHES. FUCK BACKSTABBERS. FUCK YOU." is the message posted on the band's MySpace profile.

Musically, Insect Warfare plays straight-forward grindcore in the style of early Napalm Death. World Extermination's twenty tracks are brutal blast that are all about one minute in length and the whole disc clocks in at just under twenty-five minutes. This disc doesn't disappoint and has everything that you would expect from a grindcore band - snarled, guttural vocals, squalling guitars and pummeling blast beats. In an interview last year with Free Press Houston, guitarist Beau Beasley said “[a] lot of people say we’re not breaking any ground which is OK by me. I want to keep it primitive, simplistic, more barbaric” and that is exactly what you have here.

Similar to other grindcore bands, you aren't going to pick up on the band's lyrical themes from just listening to this disc. Beau Beasley isn't part of the anarcho-punk movement but writes about more personal concerns. He said "I play music as a direct result of things in my life. I don’t care about politics or animal rights...this is just normal stuff – feeling like a loser, lonely, frustrated…I’m not anyone special this is just the way I deal with it.” This outlook helps explain songs like "Evolved Into Obliteration", "Internet Era Alienation" and "Mass Communication Mindf*ck".

World Extermination comes out March 2nd on Earache Records.

Links:
Insect Warfare's Website

Oceano - "Depths" Listening Party at Lit Lounge on Jan. 19th (Earache)

Earache Records is hosting a world premier listening party for Oceano's debut disc, Depths, next Monday night at Lit Lounge. The listening party starts at 9PM and admission is free. There will be drinks and giveaways all night.

Earache describes Oceano as "Chicago's angriest deathcore crew". The new CD will be released this Spring and there are a couple tracks from Depths streaming on the band's MySpace profile. The first pressing of the disc will come with a limited edition bonus DVD.

Oceano is out of the road but it looks like the closest the band is coming to NYC is a show at The Meatlocker in Montclair, NJ on February 15th.

Links:
Earache Records

Thrashing Like A Maniac CD Review - An Earache Records Compilation

Let me start by giving a big shout-out to Earache for bringing thrash back to the forefront of the metal scene. This CD is subtitled "16 Ripping Cuts of New School Thrash" and that pretty much sums up the disc. Sixteen bands from around the world play old-school thrash in the style of 80's Bay Area thrashers like Megadeth, Exodus, Forbidden (Evil) and Testament.

One (of the many) things that I respect about Earache is that this compilation just doesn't cover bands on its label but includes tracks from bands like Dekapitator (Relapse), Fueled By Fire (Metal Blade) and Warbringer (Century Media). The Earache artists run the gauntlet from well-known acts like Municipal Waste to new signees Gama Bomb (Ireland) and Bonded By Blood (Los Angeles). There are also a couple of tracks that are unique to this release.

The CD/LP comes with a exclusive 24 page Thrash fanzine, ‘Speed Merchants’, featuring interviews with all the acts on the compilation. There is also a limited edition (200 copies) orange vinyl edition of "Thrashing Like a Maniac" that is available through Earache's UK Webstore for 14.99 pounds. The way the dollar is going - this may soon be $45.00 (US) but if you are in the UK or Europe, grab this one while you still can.

Clocking in at just over 30 minutes, this is a high-energy compilation that should hold up well to repeated listening.

Links:
Earache Records US Webstore

Bring Me The Horizon - "Count Your Blessings" CD Review (Earache)

Bring Me the Horizon’s full length debut, “Count Your Blessings”, came out in the UK in 2006 amid much hype but wasn’t released in the US until late summer last year. The band generated a serious media buzz in 2006 when Bring Me the Horizon and Coldplay were the only British bands to chart on the MySpace Music Top 100. Unfortunately, with big hype come big expectations. This release is a good brutal, metal-core release but it isn’t as striking as the band’s debut EP, “This is What the Edge of Your Seat Was Made For”.

My biggest complaint with this release is that a number of songs follow the same basic metal-core structure and start to blend together at times. There are also two instrumentals on this release, including an acoustic number, which seem somewhat out of place and show the band still exploring their sound. When the band’s sound comes together, with soaring guitars and clean(er) hardcore-style vocals, they sound great.

Standout tracks on this release are Tell Slater Not to Wash His Dick, A Lot Like Vegas and (I Used to Make Out With) Medusa. You can see by these and other song titles that the band still hasn’t gotten past some broken relationships.

To really appreciate the band’s sound, you can check out a video of the Bring Me the Horizon performing live on Rockworld that was recorded in 2006.

According to the band’s MySpace page, they have two shows in Russia this weekend but no further dates or plans posted.

Fans of the band and the EP will likely love this release – for the newly initiated, the EP is a better starting point.

Blood Red Throne - Come Death (Earache) CD Review

This is the fourth release from the Norwegian death-metalers Blood Red Throne and this CD shows significant growth in the band's songwriting. While "Come Death" is a true death metal album, it follows the same structured songwriting as Morbid Angel and other late 80's American death metal bands. Each track stands on its own as a real song (there are real vocals and melodies on each track). While the tracks still retain their brutality, clean production highlights the down-turned twin-lead guitars and a solid groove-based rhythm section.

New vocalist Vald's has more vocal diversity than Mr. Hustler and his voice seems better suited to the more structured songs. The band said the following about this new release:

"This time, we aim for a more classic death metal sound, ala GORGUTS 'Considered Dead' / SUFFOCATION 'Despise the Sun' kind of sound...We have grown tired with the over-produced and fully triggered drum kits that so many bands use today, besides we have taken a slightly new direction with our music and the analog and dynamic sound fits the music better. We have also chosen a different approach to the recording process of the instruments."

The YouTube clip below gives a good sense of what the new album is all about. For anyone into death metal, this release is well worth picking up.


Links:
Blood Red Thrones' MySpace page

Evile - Enter The Grave CD Review

I just started compiling my Top 10 list of 2007 CDs and this CD will likely make the list. Evile plays old school thrash in the style of early Metallica, Slayer and Exodus and this is an insanely strong debut CD.

The band generated quite a following within the metal scene with their two independently released demos ("All Hallows Eve" and "Hell") along with some high profile UK festival gigs last year. The band signed to Earache late last year and Enter The Grave was released this past September.

Metal Mayhem UK interviewed singer Matt Drake and Drake describes Evile's sound as follows "If you're fed up with the state of current day metal, and no bands are producing great songs that you're going to remember in 20 years time anymore, then you might like us, expect metal cultivated from its roots, where the songs have character all of their own, and each band sounded like themselves, not anyone else. Oh yeah and we play thrash fucking metal, heavy fast epic blistering fucking metal."

If you check out the live video of the CD title track, "Enter the Grave" (filmed at the Virgin Store in Manchester in August), you will quickly get a feel for the 10 tracks on this disc. Simply put - this is a return to the raw, balls-out Bay-Area style 80's metal.



The band's strong playing and Drake's singing is complemented by top-notch production by Flemming Rassmussen (producer of Metallica's Master of Puppets and Ride the Lightning) The band doesn't shake off the 80's thrash label but actively embraces it.

This is an excellent debut release by a band whose career should take off explosively.

Links:
Evile's MySpace Page
Evile's Website
Earache Records

Bring Me The Horizon - "This Is What The Edge of Your Seat Was Made For" CD Review

Bring Me the Horizon made their US debut in August playing a show at BB King’s in Times Square with Kittie. The band has a major following in the UK (where they are signed to Visible Noise) and Earche has picked up US distribution rights. Earache recently reissued the band’s debut 4-track EP, This is What The Edge of Your Seat Was Made For, from 2005 along with the band’s full-length followup CD (2006) Count Your Blessings.

The band has created quite a buzz with their live shows. Gigwise.com described a 2006 show at Hammersmith Apollo as “Mix into the equation a few stage dives, somersaults and a well-orchestrated wall of death ([Sykes]parts the crowd and gets them to run at each other ‘Braveheart’-style)." Over the past two years, Bring Me The Horizon have played major festivals like Download and have toured with a number of high profile bands that have included Lostprophets and Killswitch Engage.

The music on This Is What The Edge of Your Seat Was Made For doesn’t break any new ground but this isn't a bad thing as the band is a solid metal/screamo act. The four songs on this EP are aggressive metalcore. The four musicians (two guitars, bass and drum) are very technically proficient but flash doesn’t get in the way of substance. Most of the songs are powered by melodic guitar work and Oli Skykes’ voice.

Lyrically, the four tracks on the EP have emo themes that range from having lousy friends who treat you badly, living life to the fullest in the present, and trying to convince yourself that it is ok to cheat on a girlfriend. Here is the video for the last track on the EP, "Traitors Never Play Hang Man":



The song is pretty wild and representative of the other tracks on this EP. You can see the wild mosh pit, the breakdowns and the song grinds to a slow halt with Oli’s gurgling scream “I fucking love you”. He seems to be trying to convince himself of his love for his girlfriend.

Here is the track listing for the EP:
1) re: They Have No Reflections
2) Who Wants Flowers When You're Dead? Nobody
3) Rawwwrr!
4) Traitors Never Play Hang Man

There are a number of Bring Me The Horizon videos on YouTube - one of the more recent is the live video for "They Have No Reflections" (below).



Bring Me The Horizon has a lot of potential so I'll be looking forward to their next release. This Is What The Edge of Your Seat Was Made For is only $5.00 if you purchase it directly from Earache.

Links:
Bring Me The Horizon's MySpace page
Earache Records
Bring Me The Horizon on BuzzNet

Akercocke - Antichrist CD Review

Wikipedia describes the band as "[as] a British progressive blackened death metal band. They are well known for their Satanic beliefs and for wearing suits while performing live." Without knowing this, you can read a few of the song titles ("Summon the Antichrist", "Distant Fires Reflect in the Eyes of Satan") and quickly know what the band is about lyrically.

Musically, this has to be one of the more interesting death metal releases of the year. The band mixes the expected blast beats and cookie-monster vocals with intricately played melodies and vocals. There is also a fairly consistent middle-eastern feel to this disc which is very prevalent in songs like "The Promise" and the instrumental "Distant Fires Reflect in the Eyes of Satan". Few bands can pull off this much diversity in styles both within and between songs but Akercocke makes the sound flow seamlessly.

One of the many things I enjoyed about this disc is that it doesn't include Yngwie Malmsteen style guitar wankery that too many death/extreme metal bands indulge in. (I am really getting annoyed by bands who play the technically precise solos that are boring and meaningless). The "progressive" elements of this disc are probably closer to the early 70's British art rock bands like Yes or King Crimson.

For anyone who hasn't heard the band, the song "Axiom" show the talent and musical range of the band. Singer Jason Mendonca also has a great vocal range which can span the range of a growl to a soft croon.



It is interesting to note that the band's lyrics are causing quite a bit of commotion. I have a promo version of this disc so the only song where I can clearly hear the lyrics is the final track "Epode". This is a soft ballad where the lyrical themes are about surrendering to Satan.

The song "Summon The Antichrist" caused quite a stir when the band was touring Ireland this past May. (The amount of controversy was a bit surprising as bands with similar lyrical outlooks, like Deicide and Slayer, have all played in Belfast before) Check out this video clip from the BBC of vocalist Jason Mendonca and drummer David Gray in a live debate over this controversy.



Akercocke is touring Australia next month and here are all the tour dates:

Oct 19 2007 8:00P The Arena w/The Berzerker Brisbane
Oct 20 2007 8:00P The Factory w/The Berzerker Sydney
Oct 21 2007 8:00P Crowbar w/The Berzerker CS.UNI Wagga
Oct 24 2007 8:00P Fowlers w/The Berzerker Adelaide
Oct 26 2007 8:00P Heat Nightclub w/The Berzerker Perth
Oct 27 2007 8:00P Hi-FI Bar w/The Berzerker Melbourne
Oct 28 2007 8:00P Hi-FI Bar w/The Berzerker Melbourne

Links:
Akercocke's Website
Akercocke's MySpace page

Earache's With Passion Announces Break Up and Final Show

Earache artist With Passion has announced that they are playing their final show in Roseville, CA next month. The band released What We See When We Shut Our Eyes earlier this year but the band's tour (which included a show at Europa) fell completely apart. I think the band only played two dates on what was supossed to be a cross-country tour.


With Passion's lineup changed over between their first and second Earache CDs and the final original member, Mike Nordeen, left recently for The Human Abstract. The band has announced on their MySpace page that the remaining members are going back to their previous projects (Conducting From The Grave and Cyanide Era).

Here is the complete MySpace bulletin:
Yes, it's true. Sept. 22 is planned to be the last show we ever play as With Passion. Many of you seem very upset by this, but it is for the best and I will explain why...

We have been struggling to keep afloat in the business side of music for at least 2 years now. We had high hopes that our new album would pull us out of that struggle, but instead our album was released with less than expected promotion and distribution and we ended up unable to even get on the road to support it. It simply seems ridiculous for us to continue on under this name since, as many of you have noticed the last original member Mike Nordeen (bass) departed the line up about three months ago to go onto bigger and better things in The Human Abstract. Many of you are fans of our other/previous band Conducting From The Grave. John, Greg, and I have decided that we should continue again as CFTG and Steven, whom replaced Mike for the last two tours will be joining us on bass. Former vocalist of CFTG, Drew, will be completing the line-up for the band. Fidel will be returning to vocal duties in his previous band, Cyanide Era. We are now writing new material for Conducting From The Grave that should be posted online within the next couple months. We all believe that this decision is in our best interest as musicians and in our fans' best interest as well. We appreciate all of your support and we hope that all of you will continue to support us in these other musical projects.

-Jeff

If you have not heard of Conducting From The Grave or Cyanide Era, please check these links:
www.myspace.com/conductingfromthegrave
www.myspace.com/cyanideera

In summation, it seemed that two years ago when us CFTG dudes joined with Shaun and Mike that it was the best idea to solve both CFTG and With Passion's line up changes, but now since they have both quit and nothing is working out for us as far as tours and album promotion, it seems that this is the right time to let the name With Passion die. We will still continue to write metal together as Conducting From the Grave and play locally, but we don't plan on touring anytime soon. It's been good times and we appreciate all the support anyone has given to us and any previous line up of this band, and we hope to see as many of you at our last show as possible.

-John

Municipal Waste: The Art of Partying CD Review

NME says that thrash "is a style of music that makes you want to pour lager over your head and jump off speaker stacks" and that the genre was founded by a "bunch of young metal dudes in the Bay Area of San Francisco [who] thought 'Gee, this music is ace, but it'd sound better if it was played faster and by drunk people'". There is a nice writeup on Municipal Waste and SSS (Short Sharp Shock - Earache labelmates of Municipal Waste) in the article.

NME has it right in that Muicipal Waste takes their music back to the pre-Satanic era of thrash metal. The music is fast and aggressive, comparable musically and lyrically to early Suicidal Tendencies, DRI, Gang Green and Kill 'em All era Metallica. Municpal Waste's lyrics center around beer (naturally), high school food fights, and radioactive warfare. The CD artwork, by San Francisco based artist Andrei Bouzikov, matches well with the band's lyrical themes and shows radioactive zombies at a keg party.

This CD continues where the band's previous release, Hazardous Mutations, left off. The band really doesn't slow down through the 15 tracks on this disc. As expected, the music is tight, the guitar work shreds and drumming constantly pushes the music forward. Stand out tracks include "Headbanger Face Rip", "A.D.D. (Attention Deficit Destroyer)" and "Born to Party" (which has the chorus "Municipal Waste is going to f*ck you up"). All of these tunes are perfect shout-alongs for the mosh pit. The band also shows their great sense of humor with the voice-overs on Beer Pressure and the 'hidden' bonus track. The bonus track sounds like a cover of an 80's pop song (but I haven't been able to track down the details on the track).

This CD has been released in Europe and is available on iTunes but the US release date has pushed back to July 31st. What is interesting is that the UK version (available through Play.com) has two bonus tracks:
Thrashing's My Business....and Business Is Good (Bonus Track)
I Just Wanna Rock (Bonus Track).

The band is finishing a short tour with Agnostic Front with a show in Detroit tonight and then they are off to a month-long run through Europe in August.

There is a new video for Unleash the Bastards (gore version) posted to the Earache site (link) along with photos from the photo shoot for Headbanger Face Rip (link).

Links:
Municipal Waste's MySpace page
Municipal Waste's Main Website

S.S.S - Short Sharp Shock CD Review

Liverpool's Short Sharp Shock (S.S.S.) is Earache Records' latest signing. The new self-titled CD is the band's first full-length and it is a welcome return to the sounds of 80's skate-thrash. S.S.S. takes a page from the early/mid 80's California metal scene and obvious points of comparison would be bands like Mustaine/Burton-era Metallica, Megadeth, and Exodus. Frontman Foxy explains: "The music, it breaks down barriers of all kinds. Don't know why or how, what with today's musical tastes of glitz and glam and watered down crap. Maybe thrash is such an old dinosaur that people have forgotten it and not it's new again..."

The new CD contains 17 songs; most of which clock in under two minutes. Check out of DIY video for Warhorse and you will get a good feel for the band's sound.

Warhorse Video



There is an interview with the band on Earache's site that provides some great background material on the band. To start with the band's history...

How long has SSS been in existence? What releases have you put out before signing to Earache?

MARK: We got together in March 2004 I think. We had around 6 practices, made a demo and started playing gigs. We then put out a self titled 7" EP, which was a split release though our own Thrashgig label and Dead and Gone records. We then saved up our pennies and recorded and released our album, which is again self titled. Earache heard this and offered us a deal, including re-mastering and re-releasing this album for June 07.

Surprisingly, the self-titled 7" is still available through the band's MySpace page. (This is going to be one of those "buy now or pay eBay prices later")

SSS -self titled 7" 4 songs-CDC/Bath Night/Thrash with a small Moustache/BLACK NIGHT WHITE LIGHT--->LAST FEW COPPIES!

PAYPAL THRASHGIG@aol.com
UK-3.99...EUROPE-4.75...WORLD...5.25...copy with poster+comic

The new CD came out last month and a limited edition colored vinyl edition was released earlier this month. S.S.S frontman Foxy has this to say about the coloured vinyls: "Everyone likes something thats unique and that noone else has got. Well this is true for 100 lucky souls that can claim a limited red wax SSS lp. Eighty copies of the red vinyl edition (which was only sold through the band's MySpace page) are completely gone and the remaining copies will be sold at the band's Aug 8th show in Liverpool.

Here is a couple more snippets from the Earache interview (the full text is on the Earache site). The only question that I have is why Coney Island's Cyclone isn't one of Foxy's favorite roller coasters. (I would think a Brooklyn show would resolve this issue -- just think, Agnostic Front is playing Cha-Cha's in Coney Island. Maybe S.S.S. will be next...)

How would you describe your brand of thrash?
FOXY: I have O.T.D...(old timers disease) - I can’t get rid of it! It’s in my blood for the rest of my days. It’s a bitter affliction, it wont budge. It’s got a hold on me and I cant shake it - a lot like our musical tastes. Suicidal Tendencies and SOD take away the pain of today's illness...and modern musical climate.
MARK: We're not talented enough to play straight up thrash metal, plus we don't have the attention span, so we focus in on more of the crossover sound - liberally nicking bits from
DRI, Excel, Suicidal Tendencies, SOD, No Mercy, etc. We all come from a punk rock and hardcore background, so that high energy and hard impact is essential to our sound.

You hail from the home of the Beatles - how do you think the rest of the world views Liverpool?
FOXY: Burnt-out, broken in cars on bricks, curly hair and tashes, 3 football teams (I hate footy), drug addicts, shell suit tracksuits and dirty women. It’s a hole...but its our hole.
MARK: The rest of the UK views us as a dump, and the rest of the world probably only knows us from The Beatles and football, so I don't care. I love it here (and I love the Beatles too)!

What can we expect to see at a live SSS show?
FOXY: Human wreckage, head banging, crap moustaches.
MARK: Pigs heads, idiots, beards.


Foxy, the word on the street is you love roller coasters. What’s the fascination?
FOXY: Ha! Who told you that? But ya...coasters RIP! Speed is the need...my need is speed. Wooden coasters are the KING! The threat of these wooden thrashers falling over or coming off the tracks and you flying out, smashing your face on the ground with broken teeth, is always high on my list!


Here’s my top 10:
1.The Phoenix - Elysburg, Pennsylvania (Old school park + AIRTIME KING!)
2.The Beast - Cincinnati, Ohio (Didn’t a thrash band write a song about this? WINK WINK)
3.Grand National – Blackpool, UK (Killer humps that will rip you out your seat!)
4. Son of Beast - Cincinnati, OH (Wood with a loop!)
5. Shivering Timbers - Muskegon, MI (A MAMMOTH of a coaster!)
6. Giant Dipper - Santa Cruz, CA (A classic/sick 80s arcade in Neptune's kingdom)
7. The Texas Giant - Arlington, TX (One word....relentless)
8. The Comet - Lake George, NY (100 continuous rides in 2002!)
9. Meanstreak - Sandusky. OH (Great before trim breaks added...all girl thrash band named after it!)
10.Thunderbolt - West Mifflin, PA (Old as the hills, plus the lights on the cars work)

Short Sharp Shock are:
Foxy – Singer
Magill(Mark) - Bass
Broomo – Guitar
Dave - Drums

Anyway, to sum it all up, this CD is a must for any fan of old school early-80's metal. The band is currently touring the UK with Municpal Waste and here is hoping that a US tour follows.

Links:
Earache Records (link)
S.S.S.'s MySpace page (link)

Biomechanical - Empires of the World CD Review

I hadn't heard Biomechanical prior to listening to this CD but was somewhat aware that this disc made a few "Best of 2006" lists. I have to agree as this is simply a great disc. Vocalist John K has range that goes from a death metal growl to being able to challenge Rob Halford or Bruce Dickenson. It is refreshing that the vocals are clean in numerous parts making the lyrics understandable. Guitarists Jamie Hunt and Chris Webb play complex and intense melodies which keeps every song interesting. While I would compare the overall sound of the band to early Judas Priest (turned up to 11) or Pantera, the guitars don't sound like the NWOBHM bands. This is neither the dual-lead guitar sound of Priest or Thin Lizzy nor the free-form wankery of some of the more extreme math-metal bands but a complex, almost orchestral sound that is enhanced by Hunt's use of a MIDI guitar which brings in some cinematic elements.

There are also a number of sound effects used on the CD. While it all sounds really cool, I didn't fully understand the context and looked up some of the band's comments on their forum. Here is their comment on the voice-over on the track Enemy Within:

It says:

“Listen to me…Listen to me, you must awake, you have to awake, there isn’t much time, There isn’t much time left for me. This is my final offence.”

The idea was inspired by the 1987 film ‘The Prince of Darkness’. A person was receiving a warning through his dreams and this is what’s happening on the album. The intro is a warning heard from the moment just before the Final Offence, sent to his own sub consciousness so that he will awake and prepare him self for what he has to confront in the future.

This CD was originally released in 2005 but was rereleased as a 'redux' edition late last year by Earache. The new addition adds a dead-on cover of Judas Priest's Painkiller and three videos which are the Empires of the World video, and two 'behind-the-scenes' videos showing the making of the Empires video and the recording of Painkiller.

This is a band to watch as they could easily cross over into the mainstream and break big. The band just finished a tour of Europe supporting 3 Inches of Blood. Announced plans are a tour with Sikth in July and the band is also working on a new release entitled Cannibalised. The band announced on their website forum that the new album will consist of ten tracks and will conclude the first two albums 'Eight Moons' and 'The Empires of the Worlds'. The album will be out sometime around September - October 2007.

Let's hope for a US tour...

Links:
Biomechanical Main Website (link)

With Passion Show Canceled Tonight at Club Europa

With Passion's show at Club Europa is canceled tonight. The band posted the following message to their MySpace page:

We had two shows cancelled on us due to all the other bands dropping off this tour. We are on the east coast right now so if you can help us with a show last minute hit us up, we will play your backyard, basement, living room - anywhere there is room. The 24th we play at El N Gee in CT, and the 27th we play at Yesterdays in Wheeling WV, so if you can book us in between those dates in that vicinity even if its a house party show please hit us up. All we want is an oppourtunity to sell some merch because having days off sitting in Wal Mart parking lots all day is no fun when we could be playing shows. Thanks a lot.

If anyone can help the band out, please contact them through their MySpace page.

With Passion - What We See When We Shut our Eyes CD Review

Imagine a death metal band whose music is anchored by a guitarist that sounds like a Yngwe Malmsteen disciple. With Passion's music goes beyond the boundaries of technical death metal as the soaring guitar leads (which carry across all tracks) are closer to jazz-oriented power chords than the blistering speed metal of many tech-metal contemporaries. Across this disc, the music takes many twists, ranging from typical death metal stomp to soft melodic interludes -- often within the same song. The musical prowess of the band and diversity of sounds keeps this disc interesting through repeated listenings.

The band just finished filming their first video for the song "Pale Horse Rider" and have posted some stills from from the video shoot (link). The video is described as "dark and evocative, the shoot...capture(s) the band’s live performance coupled with a horror themed storyline that is sure to accentuate the eerie sentiment of the song." A release date for the video hasn't been announced but it looks like this will be something to watch for.

The band has just started a US tour and will be playing Club Europa in Brooklyn on April 23rd. I haven't (yet) seen the band play live but I have been watching some of the band's live clips on YouTube (below) and am looking forward to the show.

What We See When We Shut Our Eyes will be released on Earache on May 8, 2007.



Links:
Main Website (link)
MySpace Page (link)

Anata - The Conductor's Departure CD Review

This CD made a number of "Best of 2006" lists and, while I never made a "Best of" list, I have to agree. This is one of those rare CDs where the vocals serve as an instrument and all the instruments serve a clear purpose. Clear production highlights the talent of the band and none of the instruments are mixed on top of others. Every note seems to have been chosen with precision and Fredrik Shalin's vocals go beyond the cookie-monster growl that is used too often in this genre. The technical precision of the band isn't to say this is "math metal" -- the tempos are a bit slower than some of Anata's contemporaries and there is no "speed for the sake of speed". The slower tempos add to the pounding brutality of the songs and yet every song is still melodic. My favorite tracks are Downward Spiral into Madness and The Great Juggler. I also enjoyed the disc's instrumental track Children's Laughter. There is a poll on Anata's website where visitors get to select their favorite songs and current fan favorites are Downward Spiral and Better Grieved than Fooled.

The lyrics are fascinating and complex. I was impressed with the response that Fredrik gave when asked about the lyrics to The Great Juggler (from Anata's web forum):

I'm glad to hear that there is at least one person who read my lyrics, thanks! The great juggler is like most of my lyrics about myself. Firstly, I am the great juggler. It's about how I was (dis)regarded by other people in my younger years, aspiring to achieve something musically. "Joined the circus at seventeen" stands for forming Anata. Later on it deals with getting so consumed by my music that I almost alienated from the rest of what is life. You prefer staying inside and doing your thing, while neglecting a lot of other things. And the thing is, that no matter how good you get at doing your thing, in this case playing alternative music, the circus tent will always be very small. You will forever be regarded an outsider and a freak. For most of the time I love it, but sometimes it hurts quite a bit.

Btw I initially wrote this as a short story "(taken from) A letter from The Great Juggler". It's about a person that travels with a circus, now writing a letter to his old friend. Later I wrote some music to fit parts of the story, and that is what you hear in The great juggler.

Feel free to ask about other lyrics! I'll try to check in once in a while.

Fredrik
ANATA

The band also posted to their web forum that they are recording a new CD this summer. Let's hope for a US tour to follow.

At The Gates - Slaughter of the Soul CD/DVD Review

Earache has done a really nice job with some of its recent reissues. The inclusion of six bonus tracks along with a bonus DVD with the recent reissue of Slaughter of the Soul should make fans seriously consider picking up a second copy of this release. (As this release is routinely included in "Best Metal Album/CD" polls year after year, I am assuming most people reading this already have a copy).

For those who aren't familiar with At The Gates, Slaughter of the Soul was originally released 11 years ago and the band broke up in 1996 (after two US tours in support of this CD). This CD is a rarity as it is one of those few CDs that define a musical genre and serve as a blueprint for bands that follow. Slaughter of the Soul set the standard for melodic death metal and its influence can be heard in a number of current bands today (most notably Shadows Fall).

There isn't a bad track on this CD and the music has aged well over the years. The first track, Blinded By Fear, was a MTV Headbanger's Ball staple (and the video is included on the bonus DVD) and starts the disc off with pounding intensity. The band never loses its heaviness as the songs range from brutal onslaughts to beautiful instrumentals. The final track The Flames of the End is an instrumental that would fit well as the soundtrack to a horror film. (This track was originally written by Anders for one of his low-budget horror movies). The bonus tracks are also a real treat. They include the two track demo from 1995 (Onto Others and Suicide Nation) which got the band its contract with Earache along with covers by No Security, Slayer and Slaughterlord.

I have never been a fan of "The Making of the Record" documentaries as I immediately associate them with poorly made VH1 Behind the Music specials. This DVD was surprisingly good. It features Tomas Lindberd, producer Fredrik Nordstrom and a very quiet Martin Larsson (who gets very animated when talking about just how bad Anders' homemade horror films were). The documentary adds a lot of insight on how the record was made (on a shoe-string budget) and why the band broke up after its recording. The new liner notes in the CD booklet also add to the understanding of where Tomas and the band were at this point in their lives and career.

Rating: 10/10

I have seen a lot of questions on the 'net about new At the Gates material and the persistent reunion rumors:

• Anders has put up at At the Gates website and MySpace page which has some interesting info about the band and its past history. While neither of these sites discuss reunion rumors or what the band members are currently doing, there are some pretty cool YouTube clips from the band's final tour posted on the MySpace page.
• Peter (vocalist from the Haunted) and others have hinted about an At the Gates reunion (see text from an interview he gave last year). These rumors have been denied by other band members.
• Adrian posted a three track demo from Terror, a side project he worked on with Anders and Jonas prior to the recording of Slaughter of the Soul