Posted in Interviews

I spoke with Doris Yeh, bass player with Taiwanese metal band Chthonic shortly after they played the main stage at this years Bloodstock festival.

Festivalphoto: You’ve just played the main stage here at Bloodstock, how did you enjoy it?

Doris: More than happy to be here, to play Bloodstock is always one of our goals, so we are very happy to play the main stage this year. The response from the crowd was really really good. Yeah I think we made them excited today.

Festivalphoto: The last couple of times you’ve been to the UK it’s been supporting Arch Enemy.

Doris: Yeah, last November was the last time. And this year for the summer festival tour we met them again a few times. It’s good to see them again. It’s always been a pleasure to play with them.

Festivalphoto: You wear different mak...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Electric Eden: Unearthing Britain’s visionary music

Electric Eden is a new compilation album which features songs chosen by author and journalist Rob Young. The two disc set is designed to serve as a companion to Young’s highly acclaimed book Electric Eden: Unearthing Britain’s Visionary Music which was published by Faber & Faber in 2010.

The album really charts the way folk music has developed and changed. Rob young comments ’This compilation is designed to follow the flow from acoustic to electric folk in the late 60s and early 70s, a magical time in British music. I’ve tried to include a mixture of rarities, unheard versions, familiar names and unjustly neglected heroes and heroines...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Initially a model and actress, German singer Nico moved into music and found fame when she sang three songs on the Velvet Undergrounds debut album before starting work on a solo career.

The Music industry is often criticised for being ruthless and money driven, and there’s no doubting that at times it can be, but then they come out with a release like this. Despite good reviews when it was first released, it was a commercial failure, so to spend more cash remastering it, add in a load of bonus material and reissue it seems an odd move from a commercial perspective, but for music lovers it’s a great move as we not only get the original album but also some rare material to listen to.

Newly remastered the album sounds better than ever...

Posted in Gig/Festival Reviews

Bunker Festival, Parkteatret, Oslo 24-25 augusti 2012

För första gången anordnades Bunker Festival i Oslo och den gick av stapeln under två kvällar på Partkteatret i stadsdelen Grunerlokka. Parkteatret är en gammal biograf där fåtöljer och filmduk ersatts av scen, barer, merch och Dj-bås. Under helgen står Fenriz från Darkthrone där och spelar grym musik att pausa till mellan banden. Och det är han som bestämmer. En stor skylt deklarerar ”No Requests”, så ingen behöver undra.
Bakom det här evenemanget står Kenneth Anker Nilsen som driver Neseblod Records och Hilde Hammer. De har tillsammans pratat sig fram till konceptet och ambitionen var att göra en festival i lite mindre format men med ett exklusivt utbud.
-Vi ville ha band som inte spelar så jävla ofta men som ...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Finnish rock band The 69 eyes are back with their tenth studio album – X. The band formed in 1989 and released their first single the following year, with their debut album (Bump’n’Grind) coming in 1992. In the early days they had a Glam/Sleaze sound, but over the years this has changed as more Gothic influences have been incorporated.

I must admit that despite being aware of The 69 eyes for some years, I’d never actually listened to them until I was given this album to review.

Brief comment on a few songs

The album starts with ”Love runs away”. It opens with powerful guitars before the vocals kick in. I must say that my first action was to check the band’s lineup to see if it was Billy Idol singing – The 69 eyes singer Jyrki 69 really does sound like Billy Idol in this song...

Posted in Cd Reviews

”The world is ours Vol.2, Anyplace crazy as anywhere else” is the follow up to last years ”The world is our Vol. 1 – Everywhere further than everyplace else”. Volume 1 featured the entire set from their 9th April 2011 show at Teatro Caupolican, Santiago, Chile, and volume 2 features more shows from 2011 – three festivals to be precise.

There are various versions of this release..

Digipak – DVD plus 2 CD
Double CD
Double Vinyl gatefold sleeve (Wacken Open Air concert)
Blu-ray
Direct to consumer box featuring 2CDs, DVD, Blu-ray and a special booklet featuring exclusive on and offstage photography.

The three shows featured on this release are – Sonisphere UK, Wacken Open Air, and Rock in Rio...

Posted in Press Releases

www.rupertstroudmusic.com
http://www.facebook.com/rupertstroud.singer.songwriter

‘His songs have that strum along / sing along quality that is in itself a gift but to be able to flesh it all out with playing that’s this convincing is a major achievement.’ – **** Guitar Techniques

‘New, interesting, alternative’ – Retune Your Ears, Acoustic Magazine

After two critically acclaimed albums, regular adulation and live appearances on BBC Introducing shows up and down the country and several exciting festival appearances, Rupert Stroud is now back with brand new single ‘Twisted Games’.

The leading track ‘Twisted Games’ has rich wall of sound from the offset...

Posted in Press Releases

www.readystance.com
http://www.facebook.com/readystance

The Ready Stance are giving away a free download of ‘Disgruntled’ from their latest critically acclaimed album Damdest.

The Ready Stance are lead vocalist and guitarist Chase Johnston, an Ohio native and alumni of the Athens, Georgia, music scene; guitarist Wes Pence, the creative force of 1990s outfit Middlemarch; drummer Eric Moreton, and old band mate of Pence’s and the wonderfully named bassist Randy Cheek. They interweave, tube-fueled guitars through melodic yarns with energy to spare. Poignant vocals and textured harmonies are their major motifs.

The album was recorded in the basement of Pence’s 1880s house and mixed at Audiogrotto, a newly converted church housing a world-class studio...

Posted in Press Releases

Album release: These Are The Good Old Days by The Finest Hour
Release date: 1 October 2012
Listen: http://thefinesthour.bandcamp.com/

“Absolutely brilliant.” – BBC Raw Talent

“The guys mix flavours of indie, rock and ska vibes to produce infectious grooves with terrace anthem lyrics carrying a veiled social comment.” – AltSounds

This impressive debut album from The Finest Hour is packed full of confidence, ambition and an energetic trip through several different musical genres.

With its big chorus, overdriven guitar and cymbal smashing drum tracks, the opening track Never Heard of Dylan highlights the band’s ability to play feel-good summer rock; later on in the album, tracks like Pocket Change showcase the wider range of influences behind the album, which manages to take in punk, ...

Posted in Press Releases

Gwyn Ashton – Official Video for New Single ‘Little Girl’ Revealed

www.gwynashton.com

Guitar maestro Gwyn Ashton reveals brand new video for new single ‘Little Girl’. Filmed entirely on an iPhone to an impressive quality, the video features Ashton along with stalwart drummer Kev Hickman who has been the backbone of Ashton’s European touring duo for the past three years.

‘Little Girl’ is the opening track from forthcoming album Radiogram, a hard-driving renegade rock and blues album which boasts nine self-penned tracks plus a phat groove version of Willie Dixon’s “I Just Wanna Make Love To You” with the Ashton trademark stamped all over it...