Posted in Press Releases

JAMES IHA TO RELEASE FIRST SOLO ALBUM IN NEARLY 15 YEARS –“LOOK TO THE SKY” OUT NOVEMBER 5TH ON THE END RECORDS

James Iha began his career as a co-founder of The Smashing Pumpkins in Chicago in 1987. He recorded and toured with the group until 2000, during which time they released ten albums and became one of the biggest bands of the era, selling millions of albums and filling arenas worldwide.

In addition to his guitar playing and singing, James was also a contributing songwriter to the band, co-writing some of their best loved songs, including “Mayonnaise” from Siamese Dream. In 2003, he joined the acclaimed progressive rock band, A Perfect Circle, featuring members of Tool and Marilyn Manson.

Look To The Sky is James’ first solo album in nearly 15 years, following 1998’s Let I...

Posted in Cd Reviews

It’s been five years since Witchcraft released their last album (The Alchemist). Since then they’ve had a major change in lineup – losing two members and recruiting three new ones (the extra recruit being a second guitarist so guitarist/singer Magnus Pelander is able to drop his guitar duties and focus purely on singing). They’ve also switched record labels and are now with Nuclear Blast.

They’ve got a very 1970’s hard rock sound with a definite Black Sabbath influence.

Brief comments on a couple of tracks.

Album opener ”Deconstruction” starts with a nice heavy Sabbath-like riff, and when the vocals kick in, the Black Sabbath similarities just keep on coming...

Posted in Interviews

Richard Lion, en av Skånes tongivande metalprofiler har legat lågt en tid men meddelar att från och med nu kan alla som gillar black metal-influerad käng/punk/crust börja spetsa öronen. Till sitt nya projekt ”Wolfsblood” har han sedan några månader hittat en fast sättning och börjat repa inför inspelning. Richard Lion har ett förflutet i bland andra ”Flegma”, ”Tenebre” och ”Funhouse” och det är från de två sistnämnda vi känner till gitarrist Fredrik Täck.
Divina Nova, tidigare i ”Twilight Orchestra”, har greppat mikrofonen och på bas återfinns Sanna Rönngård, ex ”Daddys Little Secret” och ”Baseborn”.
För att hitta en trumslagare satte Richard ut en annons på Bandfinder där han sökte en ”Käng/punk/metal-trummis till ett ”Motörhead”-”Discharg...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Redlight king may be a new name to many people but they’re about to make a whole load of new fans. They’re on tour with Shinedown in October so will be playing nine UK dates with them and judging by this single then assuming they’re as good live as they are on CD then they’re likely to go down extremely well and come away with plenty of new fans.
Movie fans may know one of their songs – ‘Comeback’ which was the second single/video from ‘The Avengers Assemble’ soundtrack.

Their debut album was released last year in the US and is finally getting a UK release through Spinefarm. This is the first single to be taken from the album, and it sounds pretty damn impressive.

It’s definitely a radio-friendly song that deserves to get plenty of airplay...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Chris Helme first rose to fame as the front man of John Squire’s post Stone Roses band ‘The Seahorses’. His latest solo album, ”The Rookery” was recorded in just 9 days at The Rookery, a country hideaway nestled in the wilds of the Yorkshire Dales. That’s an impressive feat – 9 days is very little time to record a full album, but that shows his experience.

”Pickled ginger” is an unsual track. Opening with the what sounds like a double bass being tuned, it then moves into the main part of the track. There’s some lovely gentle guitar and what sounds like woodwind instruments (but these days may be keyboards amde to sound like that), and the track gently meanders along. It’s a beautiful track but it is very different to the rest of the album and as such feels out of place.

”Longway...

Posted in Interviews

I spoke to Orianthi at Bloodstock in between her solo acoustic set and her performing with Alice Cooper.

Festivalphoto: You played on the Jaegermeister acoustic stage here at Bloodstock earlier this afternoon. How did you enjoy that?

Orianthi: It was fun. I was really happy that people showed up. I really like playing with a band and rocking out, but when you play acoustic it’s the bare bones of the song, it’s like how you’ve written the song, so it’s almost like you’re sitting up there naked. It feels a little weird at first but people dig it when they hear a song thats broken down like that so it was fun, it was different, and tonight I get to rock out with the band, cover myself in blood and have a good time.

Festivalphoto: That looked to be a very expensive guitar you were playing to...

Posted in Gig/Festival Reviews

Under eftermiddagen och kvällen har band av varierande kvalitet framträtt på scenen vid Trollsjön i Eslöv där Helldorado Rockfest arrangeras för första gången. Som namnet antyder har tonvikten lagts på rock och då företrädesvis den typ av partymusik som inbjuder till höftsväng och allsång. Två band sticker ut i programmet. Det ena är gamla punkgänget ”The Bristles” från Landskrona och det andra är dödsmetallarna ”The Forsaken”. Det här är deras första Sverigespelning sedan 2005 och det är få i den här publiken som vet vad de kan förvänta sig när de ska gå på som kvällens sista band. Klockan har passerat elva och hobbyrockarna som hetsat upp sig till föregående bands AC/DC-covers och som skrålande halsar öl är roliga att studera. Jag och mitt sällskap slår vad...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Frontiers/BAM

Canucks TRIUMPH had levels of success in their native country and in the States that was rather unheard of in Scandinavia. Formed in 1975, the power trio of Rik Emmett, guitar and lead vocals, Mike Levine, bass, and Gil Moore, drums and lead vocals, found success in only about three years time. They went from humble beginnings to filling giant arenas, not to mention their famed gig at the US Festival 1983. From the late seventies until the early nineties they secured gold and platinum sales of their releases, scoring hit singles like “A World of Fantasy”, “Magic Power” and “Somebody´s Out There” in the process. But there was tension in the ranks, with Rik on one side, and Mike and Gil on the other concerning the bands direction...

Posted in Gig/Festival Reviews

Frontiers/BAM

ECLIPSE feels like the band of melodic man of the moment Erik Mårtensson, but that is probably not the whole story. The band was formed in 1999 actually, and has released four albums to date. The first already back in 2001, “The Truth and A Little More”, which was followed by “Second to None” (2004), and their big break, “Are You Ready to Rock” in 2008. This leads us to the present day, and their new album “Bleed and Scream”. The band consists of Erik on vocals, guitars, and bass, co-writer Magnus Henriksson, lead guitars, Robban Bäck, drums, and Johan Berlin, synthesizers.

Opener “Wake Me Up” is a good way to start, and it seems that most that Erik touches turns to gold these days...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Frontiers/BAM

PLAYER rings no bells for me, but the band has quite a history. This EP contains their best remembered songs, of which their major hit from 1976, “Baby Come Back”, has been re-recorded.

The original lineup of guitarist/lead vocalist Peter Beckett, guitarist JC Crowley, Bass player Ron Moss, and drummer John Friesen were in a flow as they got signed by RSO (home of the BEEGEES) and were taken aboard as special guests of ERIC CLAPTON on his American tour of 1978. Four albums were the result of their active touring years. Moss left and can be seen in the daytime TV-horror “The Bold and the Beautiful”, JC got into country music, and Beckett wrote songs for other artists and movie scores, as well as a stint with LITTLE RIVER BAND, and a solo album, “Beckett”...