I think most people are dubious when an artist releases an EP instead of a full album. It’s when the question of quality versus quantity really comes into play. And when a seven song EP contains three covers, there is understandably a dispute over the level of creativity. Comprised primarily of Boots Riley of The Coup, and guitar genius Tom Morello, Street Sweeper Social Club is something of a supergroup, and their latest release, The Ghetto Blaster EP definitely has the foundation to be something great. But is it?
I know I’m about to fall in love when an album starts with a long dramatic guitar introduction. And Point of Origin, the latest release from Downspirit is no exception. After a lengthy inauguration of wailing guitars, the album really kicks in halfway through “Point of Origin pt2”, where the head-banging riffs and howling guitar solo establish Downspirit in their hard-rock-bluesy-ness. With the clever use of a wah-y talk box kind of vocal effect redolent of…
For those of you who aren’t totally up to speed on your Ancient Egyptian mythology, the Eye of Horus is a symbol of protection and royal power. It was used to adorn funerary amulets, jewellery, and in more recent times, the CD art for Quebec band Aeternam’s album Disciples of the Unseen. A further look at the artwork depicts vocalist Achraf Loudiy wearing an ankh pendant and…
Australian rockers Airbourne play what I like to call “beer music.” That is, music that sounds pretty cool when you’re sober, but super-freakin-rock-and-roll-awesome when you have your beer goggles on. The lone guitar introduction eases you into the first song “Born to Kill” the same way a bully might coax you down an alleyway by sneerily promising that he will be your friend, before…
Two singers. Both are TV stars. Both have long luscious locks. So I guess with their similarities we can assume that Bret Michaels and Miley Cyrus had more to chat about during studio breaks than initial speculation might otherwise suggest. Their obvious chemistry on Bret’s latest single “Nothing To Lose” also indicates that these…
February 2010 sees the release of Terra Incognita, the sophomore release from Arryan Path (not to be confused with “Aryan”, the word “Arryan” apparently denotes a type of flower, a stark contrast from the less than savory connotations of its single R-ed counterpart). The album opener, “Cassiopeia” begins with a deep choral introduction that wouldn’t feel out of place…
“Who is the Fool?”, the opening song on Silent Fall’s album Otherwise contains more genres within one song than my ears have experienced in a while. The lead vocal comes in sounding a little like Avenged Sevenfold’s M Shadows, but somehow segues into something more like Tony Hadley of Spandau Ballet. There are synths aplenty – including both the deep organ-like…
On first impressions, Lethal Saint, the self-titled album from this Cyprus-based band could easily be a remnant from the British heavy metal scene of the 70s or 80s. The ‘Eye of the Tiger’ style introduction of “Chains of the Devil” paves the way for the rest of the tracks: it riffs and chugs along, though is undoubtedly a little overindulgent in a way that the prowess of the…
It’s sometimes difficult to tell when a band has the “it” factor. And often, even if they do seem to have “it”, it’s impossible to actually pinpoint what makes them great. This is undoubtedly the case with Close Your Eyes, a Texan hardcore band who recently signed to Victory Records.
OK, let’s get the facts out of the way. Zu are an Italian instrumental group from Rome. They formed in 1997. They have a hell of a lot of albums (15, according to Wikipedia) and this one The Way of the Animal Powers was originally released in 2005 on now defunct label Xeng, and is now being released on 180g vinyl by way of Baltimore based record label Public Guilt.
what’s The Skinny? here’s the deal. There are SO many sick bands out there that just don’t get enough love. Well, with The Skinny, that’s all going to change. We have taken it upon ourselves to get together and bust out a list once a month where we tell you about a handful of sick-ass bands that we feel NEED to be heard.
The beginning of August saw the UK experience the grand finale to the first ever Sonisphere Festival – a series of one day rock events in Holland, Germany, Spain, Sweden and Finland, which featured some of the best bands on the planet. The final Sonisphere installment took place over two days (plus 1 extra day for weekend campers) on the grounds of stately home Knebworth House.
I always thought Creed were probably the worst band of all time. Until I heard this record. The oddly named brokeNCYDE are a four piece “crunk” band from New Mexico. Now, I’m not entirely sure what crunk is, though maybe I’m showing my age a little there. I’ve heard the word used in the term “crunkcore”, and as the scene MySpace kids with silly multicoloured asymmetrical haircuts have taken to putting the word “core” on the end of things for some reasons unbeknownst to myself, I wasn’t holding my breath for any kind of musical extravaganza here.