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Ash’s South African Adventure

Sergio Pereira — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 06:19:49 +0000

Who says South Africa is boring? Northern Irish rockers Ash certainly aren’t having a dull tour. In fact, it’s been quite the opposite…

Apart from melting the faces of fans across the country with their mind-blowing live performances, they’ve also been welcomed to the notoriously bad Joburg traffic via a minor car accident, been mauled by a lion cub (eek!) and discovered the modern miracle of a Nando’s drive-through – and that’s only the stuff they’re posting on Facebook!

But proving what absolute gentlemen they are, Ash have looked at the funny side of their mishaps and have only had wonderful words to say about South Africa – we’re pretty sure they’ve had a truly unforgettable tour and fans would welcome them back again with open arms.

Thanks for rocking the socks off our country, Tim, Mark, Rick and Russell!

PS we know that Charlotte Hatherley has been gone for a while already, but she was great eye-candy (and wrote some pretty cool songs too), so please bring her along on your next SA tour.

Today’s Video: Linkin Park – The Catalyst

BretD — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 17:02:36 +0000

Today’s video is ‘The Catalyst’, off Linkin Park’s forthcoming album, A Thousand Suns.

Linkin Park’s forthcoming album has generated much buzz around the internet. We can’t wait to get our hands on it for review purposes. Could this be Linkin Park’s return to the glory of Hybrid Theory?

Lyrics for Linkin Park – The Catalyst

God bless us everyone
We’re a broken people living under loaded gun
And it can’t be outfought
It can’t be outdone
It can’t outmatched
It can’t be outrun
No

And when I close my eyes tonight
To symphonies of blinding light
God bless us everyone
We’re a broken people living under loaded gun
No
Oh

Like memories in cold decay
Transmissions echoing away
Far from the world of you and I
Where oceans bleed into the sky

God save us everyone
When we burn inside the fires of a thousand suns
For the sins of our hands
The sins of our tongues
The sins of our fathers
The sins of our young
No

And when I close my eyes tonight
To symphonies of blinding light
God save us everyone
When we burn inside the fires of a thousand suns
Oooooh

Like memories in cold decay
Transmissions echoing away
Far from the world of you and I
Where oceans bleed into the sky

Lift me up, let me go

God bless us everyone
We’re a broken people living under loaded gun
And it can’t be outfought
It can’t be outdone
It can’t outmatched
It can’t be outrun

The 88 Set To Release New, Self-Titled Album Via Itunes Exclusive September 14th

BretD — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 16:19:01 +0000

Los Angeles rock band The 88 are excited to announce the upcoming release of their new album , simply titled THE 88 (on 88 Records, via Rocket Science), which will be available exclusively through iTunes for two weeks starting September 14th. The record will be available at retail and through all digital outlets starting September 28th.

Produced and recorded by The 88 – vocalist/guitarist Keith Slettedahl, pianist Adam Merrin, bassist Todd O’Keefe, and drummer Anthony Zimmitti – the album was crafted in-between worldwide tours as both opening and backing band for Ray Davies of The Kinks. The 88 found themselves in front of thousands of fans each night, while also getting the opportunity to play and record with one of their musical heroes (Ray Davies sings backing vocals on the track “They Ought To See You Now”). The result is an 11-song album filled with memorable hooks and melodies, combined with the raw energy that comes from months spent onstage around the world.

You’re probably familiar with The 88 without even knowing it. With their infectiously high-energy live performances, the band has won over critics and fans alike, among them a variety of fellow musicians from all over the spectrum. Along with North American and UK treks with Ray Davies – including the band’s own stop at Hyde Park’s Wireless Festival in London this year – The 88 have toured with Smashing Pumpkins, the B-52s, The Flaming Lips, Rilo Kiley, and the late Elliott Smith. Their music has been featured on hit television shows like How I Met Your Mother, Grey’s Anatomy, Weeds, Gossip Girl and Community (they perform the main theme song), as well as in national Sears, Target, NASCAR, and NFL campaigns, leading Spin Magazine to call The 88 “the best band you didn’t know you’d heard.”

As The 88 continues to evolve as a progressive and innovative force in an ever-changing musical landscape, they continue to find new ways to create music. The band recently captured the interest of Apple when they recorded the single “Love Is The Thing” entirely on an iPhone, using the FourTrack application and chronicling the process on YouTube; check it out here:

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Press release sent to info@musicreview.co.za

TRIGGERSoul Set To Release Debut

BretD — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 16:10:12 +0000

TRIGGERSoul has inked a deal with JAMSYNC MUSIC for release of their much anticipated and delayed release RESTORATION. In 2007, TRIGGERSoul recorded their debut at Smash Hit Studios and had the dubious honor of having legendary producer Michael Wagener mix the project. RESTORATION was completed and the band ready to rage a rock n’ roll war. But the untimely death of band mate and lead guitarist Aaron Roe pulled TRIGGERSoul to a screeching halt just after signing their very first record deal. Due to Aaron’s death, the band felt it wasn’t the right time to release the project and shortly thereafter disbanded. After careful consideration, the original remaining members recently sat down and discussed finally releasing RESTORATION. After all, RESTORATION was everything to Aaron and the music is timeless so what better way to honor his memory. This is the last of recorded material by the phenomenal guitarist and songwriter. Influenced by metal bands such as Black Sabbath, Pantera, and Metallica, TRIGGERSoul forges traditional metal with melodic hard rock to create a modern blend of rock that displays great range.

RESTORATION is set for release on December 7th and features the original recordings of the explosive tracks Lost Reality and Self Destruct.

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Press release sent to info@musicreview.co.za

10 Interesting Facts About Slipknot

Sergio Pereira — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 08:32:28 +0000

Want to find out more about Iowa’s metal beast? Here are some interesting facts about Slipknot.

1. Corey Taylor is actually Slipknot’s second vocalist. He replaced Anders Colsefini in 1997.

2. Sadly, bassist Paul Gray was found dead in May 2010.

3. Percussionist Shawn “Clown” Crahan is the longest serving member of the band at 15 years.

4. Slipknot have released 4 studio albums to date: Slipknot (1999), Iowa (2001), Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses) (2004), and All Hope Is Gone (2008).

5. At 40-years-old, Shawn Crahan is the oldest member of the band.

6. Guitarist Jim Root has been dating Lacuna Coil’s Cristina Scabbia since 2004.

7. Corey Taylor and Jim Root are part of hard rock band Stone Sour.

8. Craig Jones made his first unmasked public appearance at Slipknot’s live press conference regarding the death of Paul Gray.

9. Joey Jordison’s full name is Nathan Jonas Jordison.

10. Slipknot’s first demo Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat. has become a highly sought after and rare release.

MTV Base Nights With BlackBerry Powered By Cell C

Sergio Pereira — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 05:20:35 +0000

Your social life is sorted with Cell C as MTV base Nights invites Jozi massives to celebrate in style with a trip out to the latest can’t-miss mega-edition of MTV base Nights.

After 16 nights of MTV base Lounge during the World Cup, MTV base (DStv Channel 322) is joining forces with Cell C for a special OMG! themed MTV base Night, taking over ultra-chic INC. in Braamfontein on 10 September to drive buzz around the launch of the new look of Cell C and its new BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) campaign. What better way to celebrate than by gettin’ down with MTV base Nights – the hottest party nite in South Africa!

Over the last 6 months or so, MTV base Nights have become the benchmark for the hottest music, biggest artists and freshest DJs – all strutting their stuff with the nation’s style-leaders and urban party people. Among the pan-African artists who have performed at recent MTV base Nights include Jozi, Big Nuz, Liquid Deep, JR, 2-FACE, Sasha, Naeto C, Black Coffee and Thembi Seete, to name a few.

Expect the same energy and groove on September 10 when MTV base Nights powered by Cell C offers an über-cool Hip Hop/House vibe that will keep the party going through till sunrise. Complementing INC’s stylish minimalist interior will be live performances from Deep Level while newcomer and Skwatta Kamp protégé Kwesta gets a sizzling showcase slot. Stirring it up on the Hip Hop Floor decks will be MTV base Night’s resident DJ, DJ Biz, alongside DJ Master M, DJ Milkshake and DJ Hudson. A live set from HHP featuring Naeto C alongside the DJs on the Hip Hop Floor promises to be an experience to remember.

Over on The House Floor /VIP Room will be sassy producer /MTV base resident DJ, DJ Zinhle plus DJ Freska, DJ Gobbs and DJ Franky and holding it all together will be guest host and Hip Hop MC, A.K.A.

Dress code is officially Swaggerlicious – hi tops, bow ties and good vibes. Doors open at 21h30 and entry costs R100 for regular entry, R150 for VIP. Cell C subscribers get in free, just by entering online and submitting their cell numbers, while Cell C BlackBerry® customers automatically qualify for VIP treatment! Cool prizes will be up for grabs all night long including 2-year Cell C BlackBerry® subscriptions, CDs, Black Fly’s Eyewear for guys and girls and more! For further details log onto www.mtvbase.com and click on the OMG! banner.

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Press release sent to MusicReview

Kings Of Leon: New Album Details

Sergio Pereira — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 04:25:38 +0000

Kings Of Leon’s new album will be available 18 October in the UK and 19 October in the US.

Recorded with Jacquire King at New York’s Avatar Studios, Come Around Sundown is the follow-up to 2009’s Only By The Night.

The track listing for Come Around Sundown:

1. The End
2. Radioactive
3. Pyro
4. Mary
5. The Face
6. The Immortals
7. Back Down South
8. Beach Side
9. No Money
10. Pony Up
11. Birthday
12. Mi Amigo
13. Pickup Truck

Madball Cover Artwork and Track Listing Revealed

Sergio Pereira — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 04:19:29 +0000

New York hardcore legends MADBALL just revealed the cover artwork and track listing for their forthcoming new album, Empire!

For the first time in the band’s history, MADBALL worked with a renowned death metal producer, Erik Rutan, who is known for his work for CANNIBAL CORPSE, MISERY INDEX and many more. Empire will be released via Nuclear Blast (Europe only!) on October 15th.

Commented MADBALL frontman Freddy Cricien: “Erik has been great to work with. He’s definitely a perfectionist, which I have no problem with. It’s going to benefit us in the end! He’s got his own techniques like everyone does, so he’s going to bring a different dynamic into the sound/mix.”

Furthermore, the first single, ‘R.A.H.C.’ is available via the band’s MySpace page.

The track listing is as follows:

01. Invigorate
02. Danger Zone
03. Timeless
04. All Or Nothing
05. Glory Years
06. Empire
07. Shatterproof (feat. Roger Miret)
08. The End
09. Con Fuerza
10. R.A.H.C.
11. Hurt You
12. “Tough Guy”
13. Dark Horse
14. Spider’s Web
15. Delete
16. Rebel4life18
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News from Nuclear Blast

Exclusive Interview With Richard Patrick of Filter

BretD — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 17:17:52 +0000

Richard Patrick of Filter spoke to MusicReview about Filter’s latest album, piracy, addiction, upcoming tours and South Africa.

Richard, thank you for chatting to us. We are totally loving The Trouble With Angels. The current consensus amongst critics is that it is a well-rounded album that demonstrates consistent musical excellence. How was the recording experience for you? Did you guys have fun recording the album?

Wow, South Africa, I love it! You know, I finally got a chance to work with Bob Marlette, and after 20 years of doing music, I finally met someone that has raised the bar for me in making it incredibly easy to make quality music. I have always worked hard and written good music, but I wanted to raise the standard. Bob Marlette has done this for me, he is the right producer for me… Fundamentally, this is the album of “I’m sorry I was away, I’m sorry I’ve had personal issues” but we’re back, and hopefully this will be the make-up sex after we’ve been gone for so long and I’ll be forgiven.

The Trouble With Angels was initially pencilled for a 2009 release, but only got released late last month. What was the major hold up?

When Bob and I were working on the record and were trying to get everything together, it just didn’t feel like that was the way we could do it. When we started to realise that we had this amazing record on our hands, we decided to slow down the process. The fans have waited for another great Filter album for so long, and although we wanted to hurry the process, we decided the quality of the album would make up for the wait. You’ve gotta make sure that this stuff is perfect, man. It’s like making a baby, once that baby comes out, you’re hoping that she is cooked and that everything is good.

You’ve mentioned in previous comments that the album has more of an industrial and electronic feel, and we can pick it up as well. What is your rationale for this? Are you as sick of modern rock as everyone else is?

I hear like 5 000 bands that want to sound like Nickelback and that’s fine, but to me, when I heard that Soundgarden were getting back together and Alice in Chains, and that Deftones were releasing a new record, I got excited. That’s when I thought, okay, things are going to come back to normal for a bit. For me, the problem with modern rock is that it is all starting to sound the same. Don’t get me wrong, I like Nickelback, but just all these other bands that are trying to do the same makes me just want to say “Guys, come on, let’s do something different!”. So I hope that the fans out there will latch onto The Trouble With Angels, and get a little relief…

The new album features song titles such as ‘The Inevitable Relapse’, ‘Absentee Father’ and ‘No Love’. Were these cathartic tracks for you? Do they have any reference to personal experiences?

Yeah. ‘[Inevitable] Relapse’ is a song that explains addiction, but the good parts of it. As well as the crazy and questionable parts. Every time I relapse, I’m like ” HEEEEEEEY! LET’S GO TO THE BAR!”, but it is the weirdest disease in the world. We relapse by going out and having fun, but it ends up at 6am around a coffee table, people have missed work and you are all doing bad stuff. When you start drinking at 7am and need a drink when you wake up to survive, then it’s horrible. It’s like that girl in the video for ‘Inevitable Relapse’ (see beneath), addiction is a bitch and she will beat the shit out of you.

So yes, it has got to be personal, you have to write about things that are interesting to you.

Everybody knows about the decrease in album sales and the escalation of piracy. Fact is that records don’t make the money they used to and labels aren’t giving artists a million dollar advances any more. Has Filter thought about how they’re going to adapt to this revolution in terms of the marketing and release of future records?

You know, the audience has decided that they’re not going to pay for music any more. I was just talking to a few friends at record companies and they spoke of this kid who left a comment: “I can’t believe that the new Zakk Wylde album costs so much, you know, it only costs 5 dollars to make a record. Why are we paying 30 dollars for it? (Australian dollars). Well, do you know why? Because Zakk has a family. He has got to put food on the table and all the other people at the studio need to put food on the table. Fact is, Zakk went about and made something from nothing and has put it on a medium so that he can make money to sustain himself and his family. That’s why. These kids, have no fucking idea what they are doing. By downloading and pirating all this music, you are taking away from an artist’s livelihood.

In terms of our album, the actual CD itself, which you can buy at www.officialfilter.com, comes with artwork that actually tells the rest of the story of the music. I tried to make the whole thing an experience. That’s how we are trying to do it.

You know, I get it, everybody has other things that they want to spend their money on; but I was at this gig, and people were like: “Damn, 10 bucks for a CD…” and I thought to myself, well you have just spent 6 bucks on a beer that you are going to piss out in 10 minutes. It actually defies logic. Studios are not cheap and considering that we worked on the album for 8 months, we have many costs to pay. While some artists like Lady Gaga, Coldplay and other heavy touring artists may stand to make a lot of money, we don’t tour much, we don’t get out much… so the audience needs to decide, do you want to get behind something? Or do you want to steal from it and be part of its demise?

Richard, you’ve worked with some incredible musicians and legends. To this day, who has been the most inspiring artist to work with?

Bob Marlette. He has a way of communicating with me that is completely… almost like a vulcan mind trick. That’s the way I would describe it. It is like a treat. Wait, that’s not the best way to describe it [puts on convincing English accent] “Hello, it’s a treat!” [end convincing English accent]. He is a gifted producer.

You seem to be involved in many film soundtracks. How do you manage to secure so many of these coveted spots?

People hear Filter and they just think that it is very cinematic. Our music is epic and when you throw it against a big movie, it just has this really big sound. Plus, I am always in Hollywood. I’m always sticking my name out there, and I know many film producers…

How is the Richard Patrick of today, different from the Richard Patrick who started out in the 80s?

When they say “youth is wasted on youth”, they are right. I have learned so much. I wish I understood the world a little bit better back then because I had everything that you can imagine unfolding right before me; but I was so sick with disease and childhood scars that I couldn’t see all those wonderful things in front of me.

The beautiful thing though, is that I’m 42 and I just don’t look it or feel it. I’m blessed with a certain amount of youth. When you get healthy, your body starts to fix itself and regenerate, and I’m rejoicing in a second birth ever since I got sober. I have children and I live through them. It is just so beautiful and they keep me young. Then I have all my young friends, who just walk and talk and get me in trouble and I like that. So I hang out with those guys as well. In that sense I live double lives. Two consecutive births and rebirths. My sobriety today is the real peak of my life. In fact, I bring our shows way more harder today than I ever did. I am so much more of a performer at 42 than I was at 25.

What’s next for Filter? Do you have any tours lined up?

Yes, we are doing quite a big run starting in October in the United States. It will run through October, November and December and then we are going to hit Europe. Plus, I know that we need to hit Australia, I was just on the phone to those guys and they are desperate for us to come through.

That leads us into our next question. You guys are big down here, people love you in South Africa. What would it take to get you guys to come here?

It would have to take routing. It would take a big-ass audience (ed. we have them here). The planes have to have engines (ed. Hehe, we have those too)… Honestly, I love our fans. We are so blessed to be doing what we do for a living and if there is an audience for us, we will be there. We will put on the greatest show on earth. We don’t need to stand behind the lights to make it happen, our music does the trick. If we came down there, it would be like a punk rock gig. We would play our hardest and with all our hearts. We would absolutely love to come to South Africa!

Speaking of which, it must have been great to have the World Cup down there.

Yes, it was fantastic, it was great for our economy too.

Yeah! That’s the thing… The whole world is rejoicing in what has gone on there in the last 20 years, with Nelson Mandela and… You know, we have our own president who is a man of colour, a mere 180 years ago, he could have been a slave. It is just incredible to see how far we have come in our thinking. Bless you guys, I love South Africa. We are so on your side. We are intrigued by you guys, you tell us when, and we will be there.

Thank you, Richard. We wish you all the best.

- Bret Dugmore
- Sergio Pereira
info@musicreview.co.za
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Darkest Hour to Enter Studio and Announce Producer for New Record

Sergio Pereira — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 06:03:55 +0000

The latest news on Darkest Hour.

(New York, NY) — DARKEST HOUR are about to enter the studio and they have announced that they are teaming up with renowned SOILWORK shredder Peter Wichers. The band has put a lot of time and thought into choosing the right producer for this record and they’re convinced they’ve found one. “We’re really excited about working with Peter on this album. It’s going to be amazing collaborating with such an inventive and unique guitarist/musician to produce and document what we feel is the most emotional and melodic Darkest Hour album to date,” says drummer Ryan Parish.

With records such as ALL THAT REMAINS’ “The Fall of Ideals” and SOILWORK’s latest effort, “The Panic Broadcast” under his belt, DARKEST HOUR are quite confident in what Peter brings to the table. “Peter is someone we’ve admired and very much respected as a musician and producer for quite some time. Being a pioneer of the Swedish metal sound, (which has so greatly influenced our band) we hope to refine all of those classic elements with him and incorporate new methods to improve our songwriting” says font man John Henry.

This time around, these songs we’re done a bit differently. Guitarist and founding member Mike Schleibaum explains, “We have been working on these tunes ever since we left the studio last April. The Eternal Return was written during a very dark, bleak time for the band and I think that record matches that in both tone and character. Our vision was for it to be an in your face, no frill aggressive assault. The new material shares in that aggression and pushes Darkest Hour beyond the unknown.” The new songs are just about finished and ready for the studio. “I am very excited to work alongside the Darkest Hours guys, and I know from hearing some of their new material that it will be a killer one,” says Wilchers himself.