Posted in Gig/Festival Reviews

Back to the 70´s

Ett fullsatt TheTivoli i kyliga Helsingborg hettar snabbt upp hela kajen så det kokar över!

Det är gubbarock för hela slanten. Trots det så är det en härlig skara blandad publik i alla åldrar. Unga killar och tjejer i In Flames T-shirts och en mognare äldre publik i flanellskjortor. Hela familjen samlad för en kväll överdos med groove och swing!

Megahypade Göteborgsbandet Graveyard har efter sommarens stora festivalspelningar åter intagit sin rätta miljö – klubbscenen. Det är så här dem skall upplevas och det är så här dem skall spela. Något TheTivoli ställer upp med, en bra scen med sin unika utformning med balkong runt om och ett kort men brett dansgolv. Att kunna ge både publiken och bandet en öppen och närgången spelning...

Posted in Interviews

Interview with Nemhain singer Amber Erlandsson:

Festivalphoto: How would you describe your music for anyone who hasn’t heard anything by you yet?

Amber: How about an infernal racket or Blues stained punk rock doom…

Festivalphoto: Your excellent debut album, From the ashes came out last year. When can fans expect to see the next album – have you started work on it yet?

Amber: We certainly have started work on it, and we’re about halfway there. We’re not quite sure when we’ll record it, but we’re hoping to have it released before next year’s summer festivals so we can get out and party!

Festivalphoto: You’ve recently released a 4 track EP, ”The murder mile EP” and made it available as a free download. What made you decide to give it away for free?

Amber: We wanted to get some new songs cir...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Escape/Sound Pollution

In the mid-seventies Childhood mates Richard Lowe, vocals, keyboards, and Rob Bendelow, guitars, formed LAMMERGIER. The line-up was completed by Steve Bettney on vocals, former folk rock guitarist Barry Yates on bass, and drummer John Thorne. The band was so successful that Polygram Records took them under their wings, but line-up changes followed, and ultimately, after a change of direction into commercial waters, the band folded in 1985. A slow reunion was in the cards in the late nineties, but, the comeback album, “Red Sky”, took until 2003. Today the band is back, now featuring the founders, backed by keyboard player Paul Bradder, bass player Richard Bendelow and drummer Paul Gibson...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Frontiers/BAM

1989 marked the debut of HOUSE OF LORDS. The big sounding hair band sported the vocals of James Christian, guitarist Lanny Cordola (ex. FIFTH ANGEL), keyboard wizard Gregg Giuffria (ex ANGEL, ex.GIUFFRIA), bass profile Chuck Wright (ex QUIET RIOT) and drummer Ken Mary (ex.ALICE COOPER). One thing lead to another, changes and break-ups and the end in the early nineties was inevitable. The band resurfaced in 2001 with the most controversial of their all in all eleven albums (lost tapes, live etc), “The Power and the Myth”. After that excursion James Christian brought the band back into arena rock, backed by JImi Bell, guitars, BJ Zampa, bass, and drummer Chris McCarvill...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Frontiers/BAM

I actuallt had my doubts about how SEBASTIAN BACH would return, and if. Former SKID ROW vocalist has seen it all, fame, fortune, decline, and now, some sort of rise again. He still knew how to handle a crowd last time around at Sweden Rock, but his output was modest, or disheartening. Now he is back with an album that has caused a stir. Is it that good?

Looking for hair metal? Star somewhere else, the title track is more modern and edgy. The style of old is somewhat gone, but the song still packs a punch. The same goes most of the album. “Tunnelvision” is like a modern take on “Youth Gone Wild”, the soothing “Caught in a Dream” proves that Sebastian can still charm the ladies, at least those over 35...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Massacre/Sound Pollution

Austrian Old School death metal ghouls ZOMBIE INC. debut with “A Dreadful Disease”. The band feature former PUNGENT STENCH vocalist Martin Schirenc and guitarist Wolfgang Rothbauer of DISBELIEF et al. fame. The rest of the band is guitarist Gerald Huber (COLLAPSE 7), bass player Daniel Lechner (ex. LACRIMAS PROFUNDERE) and drummer Tomasz “Nefastus” Janiszewski of BELPHEGOR and DEBAUCHERY. The band will boost a new verion of nineties death metal says the info, and will appeal to fans of Swedes like CARCASS and DISMEMBER, as well as well as Americans such as AUTOPSY and OBITUARY. Not a word about the IN FLAMES track they could be named after… Let the zombie attack begin…

Zombies again, they are more common nowadays in death metal than in Italian films in ...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Napalm/Sound Pollution

VAN CANTO, the vocal mainstay of later years return with their fourth album in five years. No doubt boosted by their chart entries and attention from penalty shot covers of carefully selected top hits they steer clear of most instrumental parts, except Basti´s drums. This time around they opt for an eyebrow-raising cover of big shots SABATON, but old-timers like me get our share of nostalgia with ALICE COOPER`S “Bed of Nails”, MANOWAR`S “Master of the Wind” and, the digi-pack bonus, RUNNING WILD`S famed “Bad to the Bone”. So, do they still attract after so many good years?

Well the barbershop MANOWAR antics of opener “If I Die in Battle” mixes vocals and use the traditional power metal features to maximum advantage...

Posted in Gig/Festival Reviews

Det första jag hör när jag kommer in på Kulturbolaget är vakten som utbrister ”De kunde ha spelat på en mindre scen med tanke på hur många biljetter de har sålt!” När jag kommer in i själva lokalen så är det väldigt glest, det är mest äldre människor som sitter ner och minglar med varandra. På scengolvet är det helt dött, scenen däremot är full av instrument. Min första tanke som dyker upp är; Hur ska de få plats på scen? Ett band som består av nio personer, ett band som annars spelar för över 10000 människor, ett band som har en gigantisk scenshow får nu banta ner för utrymmets skull.
Jag kommer att tänka på vad vakten sa och publikantalet ikväll ligger på ungefär 200 personer.

Om det inte redan framgår tydligt på bandnamnet så är Brit Floyd ett co...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Escape/Border

Brit band SHY has been around for a s long as I can remember. From their Ebony Records debut “Once Bitten …Twice Shy” I followed them closely until 1989´s “Misspent Youth”. The band was on the verge of becoming a household name in 1987, releasing “Excess All Areas” for MCA. That album is the one most people associate them with, a true landmark in the melodic hard rock genre. After their attempt at hair metal in 1989 there was silence until 1994, when they resurfaced with “Welcome to the Madhouse”, now featuring OLIVER/DAWSON SAXON and ex MADAM X vocalist John “Wardi” Ward. They seem to have soldiered on until their less exciting 2005 album “Sunset and Wine”, before attempting to call it a day. Can´t keep a good man down… SHY are back...

Posted in Gig/Festival Reviews

First up tonight are L Sol Tace. As is so often the case for the first band on a bill, the crowd is pretty sparse but the band don’t seem fazed by this. Their music is good heavy stuff with screaming/growling vocals and plenty of power. The band’s drummer reminds me of Animal from The Muppets with his long hair and arms flailing in all directions as he pounds the hell out of his drums. A decent choice as an opening band.

Next up are Stuka Squadron – the self styled Nazi vampires. They are head and shoulders above L Sol Tace in my opinion in terms of both performance and music. Their vampire teeth, leather coats and nazi caps create a good theatrical image and the band play up to that. Musically too they were excellent – a band I look forwards to seeing again.

Tonight though belongs ...