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søndag 30. april 2017

Double Experience - Unsaved Progress - Review

Released 8.April

Double Experience are from Canada's capital city and play melodic rock and they are good at it!
The album is actually quite easy listening and harmonic and at the same time it has some edge to it so it doesen't get too much sugar in it.

They produce great and oustanding melodies there is nothing to say about them really, nothing negative that is.

double-experience-l-r-brock-tinsley-guitar-ian-nichols-vocals-bass-photo-by-ryan-stacey-fThe album spins and I enjoy what I hear , it doesen't demand too much from the listener witch is perfect for me who has been listening to alot so all sounds the same, but this was a nice suprise, it's great and solid album..
It's mostly a great atmosphere and superb melodies and songwriting.

I have to say it's not one bad track on the album and it's rock solid and won't disapoint fans.
Go out and check the band out ,or do it here you might be surprised both ways! 9 tracks of quality rock 'n roll and a solid soundscape.

-Gravarson_Almighty

Album Line Up:


Ian Nichols (Vocals, Lyrics)

Brock Tinsley (Guitars, Bass, Lyrics)

Dafydd Cartwright (Drums)

Live Line Up:


Ian Nichols (Vocals, Bass)

Brock Tinsley (Guitars)

Dafydd Cartwright (Drums)

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Discography:
2016 – Unsaved Progress
2014 – 721835 – LP
2011 – One Big Quicksand – EP

Double Experience - Unsaved Progress Album Cover (medium-res)


Sigil - Kingdom Of The Grave - Review

I tought just another band, but I was wrong.
This is quality death metal with mekodic elements and works perfect for my ears right now,

Killer guitarwork and good musicianship all over,and it's impossible to not move your head while listening to this.
It's catchy,melodic,riffs and is like a tool to make death metal. Do like us and succed!

Kingdom Of The Grave is a killer album and will satisfy the traditional death metal fans.
I liked it at first listen and I'd advice you to check out this motherfucker 'cause it's eff'in great.
Not more to say really, go buy the album if you like, always support musicians...                                        

Gravarson_Almighty
                                                                                   

lørdag 29. april 2017

Mortiis - The Great Corrupter - Review By - Gravarson_Almighy

Mortiis should be a well known name for most of you, he left Emperor in the early 90's to continue with his own project witch was more ambient . Since then he has developed his own style through out the years and built a dark and sinister world with electronic instruments and does it work as a piece of music? Yes, it's playful,entertaining and a delightful mix of rock and electronica.
The Great Corrupter contains 28 songs and alot of remixes and reworks by artist like Die Krupps, Godflesh,Apotygma Berserk to mention some and some of the tracks here could easily fit in a club, imagine walking in a gothic like club and this is the soundtrack,and it's perfect. Others are more deep,mellow,mystical and experimental.

.

It's not just a nice album, it's dark monotone, chaotic and perverted world and now I'm at Road To Ruin and excactly my taste, enters nicely to leave you waiting in a weird state.
One just has to respect Mortiis for the realm of electronic madness on a soft cloud of toxic waste he creates and the remixes are insanely good and out of this world, I love how it is so simple with a catchy bassline and some more to keep you going but yet so complex when it builds up

Sins Of Mine remixed by Apotygma Berzerk is a nice one with a more bright feeling and changes the mood and atmosphere totally, it's like the 70's again and we're in for a nice ride.
This is a monstertune and could easily become a classic because of it's catchy and soft theme.

The seed Of Greed is a funky tune with a groovy bassline witch enters the brain first, then it explodes into a phrenetic techno tune with similar weird lyrics that fits well into this realm we are in and I like it, I love the experimental touch that makes it what it is.
In case you didn't know, electronic music is supposed to sound 'out of this earth' like some aliens made it.

Mortiis makes a very good mix of synth-pop/rock but with plenty of experimentalism and a sound that only Mortiis creates and I'm seriously starting to think about witch vinyl version I want of this.
Hard To Believe (Rhys Fulber) remix enters and leave me hangin' in a space place and The Shining Light Of God is also a good one.

Demons are back are a rough club track with heavy guitars and loaded beats , I start wondering what the lyrics are about, sounds personal (of course) but I'll leave that up to the listener to decide.
The Ugly Truth (Je$us Loves America) is a banger with a catchy bassline and wake me up to The Great Leap (Le Prince Harry) witch is kinda like a cyberpunk tune angry and mad.
For the second time Bleed Like You is here and this is the tracks I really enjoy.
All I have to say is , give this album a chance, sit down or go in a club and really listen to it 'cause if you find the nerve of this masterpiece you'll for sure enjoy the album like I do, and I can't wait 'till I get my hands on the vinyl bundle 'cause it's truly worth it!


-Gravarson_Almighty

www.mortiiswebstore.com

https://www.facebook.com/officialmortiis/

Slut Machine - Slut Machine - Apollon Records - Review & Info

Slut Machine rose from the ashes of the infamous band Barbie Bones in '93 who was a well known name in Bergen's local music scene and toghether with The Swamp Babies and ex members from Jaga Jazzist and Audrey Horney this alreasdy sounds exciting ,and as I put the music on I'm in for a treat and it's rough and unpolished  hard rock that enters my speakers. This is hard rock with no compromises and is garanteed to make your head bang with their acid like rock 'n' roll that takes a massive grip around your bones and crush 'em gently. Slut Machine is a very good album with an extremely raw and massive soundscape and groovy guitars this is surely a killer release, and since it's a re-release I find it kinda hard to write more about it, but it's definately an album you don't wanna miss out on. A true gem from Bergen's local music scene finally see the the light of the day again!

Utrolig fett album og at det gies ut på nytt er virkelig på tide for dette er en Bergensk perle som forjener å se dagens lys igjen!

-Gravarson Almighty

Slut Machine ble startet i 1993 på restene av oppløste Barbie Bones og The Swamp Babies. De signerte med Roadrunner Records i 1997, men selskapet trenerte utgivelsen av albumet etter å ha tapt penger på nordiske band. Slut Machine trakk seg fra avtalen, og ga ut albumet i norden på MNW, og i Europa på Rawk Records til svært gode kritikker. De spilte på de største og viktigste festivalene i Norge før de la ned bandet med en avskjedskonsert 16.mai 1998. Nå er bandet tilbake med re-utgivelse av den klassiske debuten og sleppefesten blir selvfølgelig på Garage.
Bandet består stadig av Abs (ex-Swamp Babies, St.Satan) på vokal, Jørgen Træen aka Sir Duperman  på gitar (produsent for bla Jaga Jazzist, Kaizers ++), Espen Lien (ex-Barbie Bones, Audrey Horne m.m.) på bass & Rune Kogstad på trommer

Sacrificial Slaughter - Generation Of Terror - Review

It begins fast hard and loud like death metal should be. Sacrificial Slaughter surely delivers a fine example of death metal and how it should be, brutal and grinding but still some rock n' roll influences now and then.
Generation Of Terror spins and has a cool riff going on which make it a good track..
Overall this is a fine and grinding death metal album, and 'Generation Of Terror' will probably please many fans out there.
Personally this is not my favourite genre in the long run but this is listenable and makes me wanna bang my head with exellent riffs, dark atmosphere and brutality it sometimes feel like sitting in a grave machine and just roll forward with lots of speed.
'Generation Of Terror' has it all and surely delivers, six tracks of madness for the hardcore heads.
Play loud and bang your head to this fucker and go along with the intense energy in the music!




Echoes From A Broken Soul - Review by Ivo

Inside is a one man studio project/band by Ronny Mata from Costa Rica and you can take that literally. For his debut "Echoes from a Broken Soul" which came out in december 2016 through bandcamp, he played all instruments, mixed it, produced it and created the artwork. Admirable and bold, doing everything yourself without any help from outsiders is a long, arduous journey. A humbling experience that confronts you with your shortcomings and can fill you with self doubt but let's get back to the album. The keyword for "Echoes from a Broken Soul" is atmosphere and considering the title, you can immediately expect what sort of atmosphere. It almost literally reeks of shattered dreams, melancholy and cheap red wine. A nice novelty is that Mata tries to achieve his goal with very limited means.

There are no vocals on this digital EP and no drums either. It's all piano, keyboards and guitars. Again, admirable and bold but does Mata make it all work? Euhm... It starts promising with the minimalistic intro, follow-up "Memories" isn't too bad either. It's just a very, very sad rhythm guitar with some leads and fills to fill it up. Perhaps a bit cheesy but that's okay, sometimes I like a slab of questionable meat with a tranche of greasy, yellow substance but enough about my drunk nights out.

"Cemetery Gates" is a piano piece that really just sounds nice. The title track and "Just for a Moment" are a bit too reminiscent of "Memories" to appeal to me. The second last track "Promise" is a bit different in that sense that Mata comes up with a straight up but elaborated post rock piece à la Japanese veterans Mono. A nice effort but Mono is Mono and they have written the proverbial book on flushing the audience away in a reverb and delay filled tsunami and truth be told, Ronny Mata mixed this all wrong. "Between to [sic] Souls" is just the outro that nicely matches the intro. There is definitely talent here. The actual recordings are nicely done, the guitar tone is nice and all. As a debut it is promising but it has still significant shortcomings. "Echoes from a Broken Soul" revolves too much around atmosphere and doesn't offer real "substance".

Between the intro and outro I never have the feeling that there is something being communicated or a story being told. There is too little variation to keep me interested for 18 minutes. I'd definitely like to hear from Mata but first he might want to change his MO first. Was it Josh Homme that once said that you're never as good on your own as you are with other musicians?

- Ivo VirusWithShoes -

NIGHTSTALKER Interview By - Ivo VirusWithShoes -

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To make things less confusing: this article is not about the Greek stoner band Nightstalker nor is it about the any of the criminals, comics, videogames, movies or the military unit or the hundred other things called “Nightstalker”, “Night Stalker” or “The Nightstalker”… 

No, this is about the Belgian Nightstalker, a dark, sinister synthwave project that creates the perfect soundtrack for long nightly rides to bad places. Recently the properly named E.P “Destination Dystopia” was released and where a lot of synthwave tends to be overly nostalgic, Nighstalker [BE] sets itself apart by taking a more modern approach with eerie synths and additional guitar tracks. We asked a few question to the man behind Stüdd Johnson, the Nightstalker, the Mister Hyde to Bram Van Cauter, about being a misfit, lewd teenagers and even lewder videostore owners.   Official Video “Death Chaser” from “Destination Dystopia” 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcF_VmG4t7k   

SF: Hi, Stüdd Johnson, I hope you're doing well. For everybody who doesn't know Nightstalker yet, could you briefly introduce it and tell us how it all began?   Stüdd Johnson​: Hey there! I’m currently awake for about 40 hours and feel like I stumbled straight off a Romero film set.I’m on the couch having my huge ri†ual coffee with my cappuccino coloured crosseyed cat Clowie. That aside: I am doing fine.
  
As for NightStalker: I’ve always been a sucker for 80s retro/action/sci- fi movies and culture. I lived in a pretty uninteresting neighbourhood surrounded by uninteresting people. I felt out of place. The endless pastures, the football clubs and the blandness of living in a small village made me feel like an alien life form. Like most outcast kids I found a release from all this in cinema and books. That was my diet and possibly salvation. I remember having my bedroom walls plastered with horror/action posters and for a few years I even had a life sized cardboard Robocop figurine facing my bed. 

I got all of these from our local video store where I spent many hours being fascinated by all these weird and/or forbidden movies and culture. I remember the owner: he had a ferocious combover and was always dressed in polyester trainers, white sport socks and flip flops. That video store turned into an insulation or heating business over ten years ago.

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Anyway… I digress… That fascination with all things outside of the norm gradually developed into tape trading and a two decade stint in the metal scene. Making my own xeroxed magazines and sending and receiving mail on the daily. When I was fifteen I released my first full DIY magazine limited to 100 copies. I released a bunch ever since. 

NightStalker is a bit of a nostalgic trip to those days.  SF:​ ​ People who only know you from Nightstalker will not know this but before Nightstalker, you were in a metal band called Herfst. With that band I think you've spent a lifetime in the rehearsal room, tracked a hundred songs and hit a million stages across Europe and despite great reviews never got what you deserved. You, as the leader of the band, were very open about the split and how much energy it costed you to keep that train rolling. How did you pick yourself up after the break-up?  

 SJ​: I founded Herfst right after graduating high school back in 1999 with two friends. We even had a sort of ceremony close to the forest behind my house. Back then the whole extreme metal thing was still ‘fresh’, ‘dangerous’ and counterculture in the suburban hell we dwelled in. Initially I did not see us performing live since I had a pretty serious case of stage fright (still do).  
But here we are/were… 170 gigs later… 

I have poured my heart and soul into the band and the better and more mature the music became the more any label/media interest waned. It felt like fighting an uphill battle. Losing a bunch of band members/friends, a string of health problems, a heavy depression, etc did not help either. People who know me know I might not be the easiest person to work with but I believe we did write some killer records. Towards the final releases it became more and more of a one man project (with me doing everything from lyrics to writing vocal lines to doing artwork) but that started to take it’s toll. The recordings of ‘Towards Haunted Shores’ were a nightmare: I had to re record all guitars thrice (!) including ALL rhythm guitars & solo’s. My amp blew up during the reamping process. Our then vocalist didn’t bother to show up on time etc etc… Working super hard, pouring your heart and soul into something that doesn’t work is heartbreaking. I realised it frustrated me more than it was giving me pleasure.
  
That aside: I’m still good friends with most of my ex bandmates. We had some amazing experiences: the CZ tour comes to mind, MetalDays twice in front of a killer audience, winning a bunch of contests back in the early 2000s, working with Dan Swanö twice… And not to forget some of the crazy afterparties like the one in Leipzig mere months ago, haunting Metal Frenzy’s spooky hotel etc.  
And we did write some good records, in my opinion. I’m especially proud of our last record ‘Towards Haunted Shores’, the preceding ‘An Oath in Darkness’ and ‘Necro†ica’ and especially working with Dan Swanö twice was a highlight for me. 

  SF: Can you remember when you first discovered synthwave? 

  SJ​: It’s a cliché but the Drive soundtrack did it for me. I was living a pretty bohemian lifestyle back then and remember cruising around in my shitty little beat up second hand car while blasting Nightcall through those dodgy speakers every evening. It hit me right in the feels and it came at the right time: I was growing increasingly bored with the whole metal scene and this was a weird mix between something new and fresh and something nostalgic and escapist.   SF: Something that everybody has noticed and has become your "signature", is that phat, crunchy guitartone. How difficult was it to make that fit into Nightstalker?   SJ​: Initially I planned to have no guitars at all on the E.P. I hadn’t touched my axes in a few months and felt no real desire to do so. Somehow I did end up picking up my Skervesen and adding a few rhythms and leads here and there. That aside: I’m not that happy with how I mixed them on the EP. Given that it was a debut release they turned out alright, but they could have been incorporated better. I’m writing new songs for the full length now and they will be way more present & well mixed. Some songs have 4 layers of rhythm guitars at once. Not easy to merge these with synth wave since they often operate in the same frequency range as the synths. But the good news is: I’m learning quickly and the latest songs I have written sounds absolute MONSTROUS. I use the Kemper Profiling preamplifier to record all of these.  

I’ve gradually learned to love the instrument again even though we quarrel all the time.  

 SF: How are the reactions to your debut E.P. “Destination Dystopia” so far?  

 SJ​: I’m extremely grateful that people really dig the music & concept. The tapes and legal downloads are selling really well, way better than anticipated. What surprises me is that barely anyone in Belgium buys them on shows. 

I get most of my support from abroad. I’ve sent tapes to Belgium, France, Holland, Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain, Sweden but even quite a lot to the US! Just today a dude from New Jersey ordered five! Every little bit of support is greatly appreciated & every mail is answered. It reminds me a bit of the tape trading scene in the mid nineties!  

  SF: Something that I want to ask you, being a veteran and an active member of the metal scene. How much have the musical landscape and the audience changed?   SJ​: As for me: most of the magic is gone. Partially due to becoming older, but also due to the inherent nature of the scene. Back in the mid nineties when I started to dwell in the sewers of the underground this genre was rebellious and ‘edgy’; not something you could find at your local H&M. After a while we got a super slow callin modem or whatever those things (that helped) are called and an ancient Apple computer at home. I remember how my family couldn’t use the phone every time I was downloading something. Not easy, when you’re a lewd 15 year old if you know what I mean ;) I remember how happy I was every time a package from god knows where hit the doorstep. I remember tape trading & writing actual letters to people from all over the world. We would put glue on our stamps to be able to recuperate them. I still listen to a ton of metal but partially due to ‘shitty experiences’ and a dissolving interest I have no real ambition to be a part of it any more. I do visit the occasional metal gig and keep following interesting bands but I do my own thing now. As for Herfst: I didn’t see the joy in it anymore when you load up 5k worth of gear into a 1.5k car to drive 150 kilometers to play in front of 8 uninterested drunks for beer money. That’s cool when you’re 16. Add to that a few times of almost being signed to a big label. A few festival cancellations… Begging every year to be featured on a festival and nothing happening.… Mailing 200+ zines and having 7% bother to even OPEN them… Nah. I’m over that. I simply loved the band too much to let it continue like that…  

  SF: You've recently pulled in your old bandmate Steven Vanderperren as a drummer. I know that he is a technical, tight, hardhitting badass muthafucka but did he have any trouble adapting to this style? And how much of a technical nightmare was it to build the current set-up?
   
SJ​: Steve is arguably one of the best drummers in the Belgian scene, period. He was always the rational, cool one while my mind was hopping all over the place. We’re good friends and we respect each other’s work and personal traits. We don’t hang out every weekend nor do we feel compelled to but we know we can rely on each other and our musical ideas complement each other extremely well. While he often drums technical, intricate genres this is of course a whole other story. But I have the feeling that he’s having an awesome time on stage being the driving rhythmic force. It’s definitely an addition to have him aboard live!  

As for the sound: the first show was a bit of a mess but he invested in a killer Alesis Crimson mesh electronic kit recently, loaded with my NightStalker drum samples. Works like a charm!   
The new stuff I’m writing have more complex rhythms and details going. I try to stay away from common ground as much as possible.  

 Snippet of “Destructron 2164”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVkxkTnMwMw   

SF: Are they any plans of forming a full Nighstalker synthwave band?   SJ​: I did toy with the idea for a while but a duo is ideal for me. An extra bass player might be interesting, if we’d ever consider adding someone to the fold. I might pick up my guitar during shows too. But I don’t really see us turning into a full fledged band or anything like that. We’re lone wolves, us synth wavers ;)  

 SF: What’s your top 5 80's television intro’s?   

SJ​: Gosh this is hard! Today I’d say: - Masters of the Universe - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Airwolf - Miami Vice - McGyver   

SF: A bit of a chiché but since we’re knee deep in nostalgia, what are five movies from the 80's that everybody should have seen?

 SJ​: I’m going to be rude and ignore the 5 title limit & just name some amazing that come to mind:   In the category ‘nostalgia & feels’: -E.T. -The Goonies -Ferris Bueller’s Day Off -Back to the Future -Gremlins   Adventure/sci fi: -The Karate Kid -Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom -Blade Runner -Star Wars -Terminator -Big Trouble in Little China   Horror: -A Nightmare on Elm Street -Evil Dead -The Shining -The Fog -Reanimator Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer The Texas Chainsaw Massacre   I could go on & on…

SF: Cassettes or LP’s?

 SJ​: Releasing both cassettes & an LP has been a lifelong dream. Managed to realise the first part so far… I’m really psyched to announce I’m working on a full length and promise that it will be available on both formats. I can’t wait to record, design & produce these and release them to the world.

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I can promise you guys one thing: the new stuff will be a lot more cinematic, a lot more dystopian and I will not stop until it sounds absolutely, horrendously MASSIVE!  

SF: To conclude this interview, what lies ahead for Nightstalker?  SJ​: We have tons op plans in store. Our shirts are being printed RIGHT NOW and will be available next week.The full length should be released somewhere during Fall.   
  
SF: Thank you for your time! It has been a pleasure.  
Nightstalker’s new track, the overwhelming, massive “Destructron 2164”, is featured on this compilation: 

https://distant-signal.bandcamp.com/album/lords-of-the-night  

If you want to buy a ultra fancy T-shirt, his debut EP on cassette or download it, head over to: nightstalker86.bandcamp.com  
Also follow him here for more news about the full length and the occasional teaser! 

Review ROADBURN 2017

Does Roadburn still need an introduction? Is there really somebody on this planet who has not heard of this unique festival that has not only pushed boundaries but has succeeded in maintaining its own character? My first edition was in 2006 with psychedelic legends Hawkwind, goa grandmeisters Ozric Tentacles and totally rad dude Brant Bjork. Discovering Roadburn then was like a revelation. A celebration of music, passion, originality and heavy music. This was the real deal, not some overcommercial happening where you’re constantly being reminded of which bank, which soda company and which beer manufacturer have sponsored the whole thing. No, Roadburn was about the art and nothing else. It was then that I decided to come back to Tilburg as often as possible.  Granted I’ve missed a few editions and this year was, I think, my seventh edition or so. I could look it up but I came with a throat inflammation and the paracetamol is making me lazy. Still worth it, even if it feels like I’m coughing up my lungs. What I’ve always found striking striking about the festival is how it has expanded in such a short time. While the festival in 2006 was still just one day in the 013, in 2017 the entire festival lasts four days over two stages in the 013, Patronaat, Cul de Sac, Extase along with an art exhibition in the nearby NS16 and screenings in the V39 across the 013. And that is even without talking about the music. Although it started out as a stoner festival, the festival over the years has welcomed Goblin, Current 93, Mono, Napalm Death, Enslaved, Cocaine Piss, Diamanda Galas and Opeth. Not bad, right?
Like tradition my friends and I skip the pre-party on wednesday and leave thursday noon after breakfast. We set up our tents and open up a fresh pack of rolling tobacco and a few cans of beer before we decide to check the bands. The first band we saw, was ​Wolves in the Throne Room​. It has been a while since I’ve heard from this band and they’ve made some “interesting” keyboard based music that was “interestly” received. Nevertheless on the big stage in the 013, it was the black metal WitTR and they were good. Afterwards, we figured it was time to hit the smoking room to find out what we are going to see next… A lot of people seemed to like ​Coven​ and sure why not?  Call us philistines but we were not impressed by it. Maybe back in the sixties it sounded dangerous, ominous and exciting but today… Meh. At best it sounded a bit like Ghost, at worst as a thousand other blues bands with a fuzz-pedal. Dälek​ was announced as the first ever hip hop act at Roadburn (although a Danish mate said that it’s really harsh industrial with rap) and we were curious to see it. Along with about half of Roadburn who were already doing the queue for the Patronaat. We didn’t even bother and went to the Extase to see ​The Devil and the Almighty Blues​. This was my first time in the Extase and although it was tiny and packed, it definitely wasn’t without its charm. The sound was okay but to get the really good sound you have to be able to stand in the middle.  About The Devil and the Mighty Blues, I didn’t know one note from them and judging by the name I was already mentally preparing myself for a shitload of overdone Chicago blues licks a
la Muddy Waters. Luckily for me, it sounded more like early Queens of the Stone Age. Tight, almost mechanical, heavy grooves. One half of a ​Deafheaven​ song and a smoking break later, we were ready for ​Bongzilla​. The music is about as subtle as the name: huge amps turned to 11, hairy fuzzes and big ass drums. Is there anything else to say? Other than time for a big smoking break? Seen that we didn’t feel partied out yet, we hit up one of the after parties where Belgian DJ duo Goe vur in den Otto​ (Antwerpian dialect for “Good for in the car”) were basically spinning overplayed classic rock songs and trying to hard to start up a party. Since this is exactly what our regular bar (​SAAS!​) does, we decided to leave it at that for today and have a smoke and a beer in the tent.
Day two started off where day one ended. Smoke, beer and then back to the 013. Straight to Magma​. I actually saw a part of them two years ago but didn’t really had the stomach to sit out their entire set. Too weird, too technical, too difficult. This year I actually stayed but their hypertechnical pieces laid heavy on the stomach. The thing with Magma is that it isn’t progressive rock but jazz/rock fusion. I however am a simple man. If I want to listen to rock, I listen to rock and if I want to listen to jazz, I’ll listen to jazz. From technical point of view, yes, this might have awesome and mindblowing but holy fuck, man, an hour long set of them is tiring. The rest of the day we pretty much camped in front of the main stage with the exception of a smoking break. Which meant that we saw ​Oathbreaker​ ripping the main stage apart. They came highly recommended through some musicians that I know and I can understand why. It was heavy, had a lot of variation and the singer had an incredible stage presence. Afterwards smoking break. Then ​Chelsea Wolfe​. I always had her pigeonholed as a folk drone singer like Rose Kemp but Wolfe was more eclectic with hints and stints of industrial which added a new colour to the musical palette. Since ​AmenRa​ has a big sound, we felt that we needed to have a big smoking break before they’d hit the stage A show of AmenRa is a bit like the movies by the D’Ardennes Brothers. It’s basically the same thing over and over again but what a fuckin’ trick it is! There are a lot of bands who are trying to sound like the apocalypse but AmenRa is one of the few bands who can pull it off. Baroness​ was the one band I wanted to see and that had nothing to do with the music, otherwise I would have gone to the more interesting soul inspired black metal of ​Zeal & Ardor​. The first time I was going to see Baroness, they had that terrible car accident. Show cancelled. The second time was right after the terrorist attacks of 22/3 and the city wasn’t deemed safe yet. Again, show cancelled. Third time was the charm and especially at Roadburn. No accidents, no sandbox deathcult idiots to stop them this time! Back to business however, Baroness was good but after the meteorite crash that was AmenRa it sounded a bit tame. At this point we attempted to break away from our plan and get into the Patronaat to see synth wave band ​Perturbator​ but again the queue was impossible. From that point on we started joking that the Patronaat had moved to ​Bielefeld​ (check the link if the joke is lost on you).
So, no Perturbator synthwave but yes ​Integrity​ old school thrash and hardcore punk! Perhaps it didn’t quite fit with the rest of the bands on the main stage but honestly it felt good to end the day with something uptempo. This time we didn’t bother with the afterparty and went straight back to our tents.  Day three started out with a dilemma; Icelandic black metallers ​Misþyrming​ had been added to the bill in the Cul de Sac but would be playing at more or less the same time as ​The Bug vs Dylan Carson of Earth​ on the main stage. Since we were too late to get into the Cul de Sac we decided to sit in front of the main stage again. Granted, I had seen ​Misþyrming the year before and was most impressed by their ultra harsh black metal but I was more curious about Carson’s collaboration with trip hop producer The Bug. I quite liked the stuff that they had released earlier and thought it would be funny to see The Bug who has publicly admitted that he hates metal in general, play at Roadburn. It was weird to have a trip hop artist and a single guitar player on the stage but it worked! It was perfect coming down music. Relax but still loud, dynamic and original enough to hold your attention.  Oranssi Pazuzu​ was brilliant: funeral doom, psychedelic and stoner all mixed into one explosive cocktail. This was definitely one of the first highlights of the day. We hadn’t been to the Green Room yet so why not check out ​Ahab​? Because Ahab was flat out boring and their sound sucked. A mash of tones bleeding into each other. I skipped it and tried to see the last bits of ​Memoriam​ whom on the other hand were AWESOME! The band we were looking forward to the most however was ​My Dying Bride​  and at Roadburn they were superbe. They played “Turn Loose the Swans” in almost its entirety and the sound was crisp. The band’s performance itself as always was almost flawless. Just one tiny mistake from singer Ian that he gracefully laughed away. We might have missed Perturbator but no way in hell that we would miss ​Carpenter Brut​! And we made the right call. Carpenter Brut was the one band that blew us away. It was the party to end all parties (or at least the party of the day). Everything was spot on. The band was tighter than a 30 year old anime fan, the projections of terrible 80’s horror movies fitted perfectly with the soundtrack like music and it was fast and loud! An orgy of nostalgia and bad taste! Only downside: I was slightly disappointed that the band didn’t have aviators at the merch. And around this point I felt that my throat was starting to act up and I did feel a bit dull...
Day four arrives and I’m coming down with a very bad cough, a sore throat. Everything in front of me is happening through a haze and I drink enough to fill a bathtub. The best thing to do right now is get a bottle of water and sleep it off in the tent before packing and heading home but I am a stubborn man and Roadburn tickets are expensive so fuck health, it’s time for music! Off to the main stage! Temple OV BBV​ is about the biggest band I’ve seen so far. I counted nine people on the stage and they produce a massive wall of sound that seems to bounce from wall to wall and I love it. It’s mesmerising and heavy. Compare it to an electric drill that is going off in slow motion in your brain and you’re almost there. There are other bands playing afterwards but the only thing that I feel like doing is stumble to
the bar, get a 7-up and walk back to my spot in front of the main stage. Due to my throat that feels like the inside has been coated with vindaloo, I drink it too quickly and start burping and coughing uncontrollably. This is not going well. Speaking of not going well. ​Pallbearer​ almost put me to sleep. I’m feeling like a wet cloth and the last thing that I want is this shapeless mush of a sound that does absolutely nothing to me. Where are the dynamics, the riffs, the tunes? The audience must feel the same way because the applause afterwards seems suspiciously quiet and the band silently makes way for Les Discrets. Luckily, ​Les Discrets​ is not as loud as Pallbearer but they have better songs with more variation. For some reason, I think of them as a mix of Mono with Gorillaz but that could have been the fever boiling my brain. At a rare moment of clarity I realised that it’d be idiotic (and not the fun kind) to stay the entire day at Roadburn, no matter how much I wanted to close the Cul de Sac. It was time to do the responsible thing and go back to the tent after Ulver.  Ulver​ was hands down the best thing of the entire weekend or at least I think so. You might not like the new record “The Assassination of Julius Caesar”, a lot of people in fact didn’t like it and left the show because it wasn’t black metal, but nobody can deny that the band played an incredible tight show and had the best light show of the entire weekend. Although Ulver has never sold a lot of records, this was a show worthy of a million album selling band. Although I felt better, my brain was still fried by the fever and still wanted to catch a glimpse of Emma Ruth Bundle​ but her personal singer songwriter stuff didn’t feel right after the massive Ulver show and the overcrowded room was making me sick.  That was when day four ended for along with Roadburn 2017. So there are a few things that I wish I hadn’t missed: Perturbator was one but also Zeal & Ardor, Slomatic and I missed almost all of the new Dutch black metal bands that were playing.
But to quickly wrap up this review because I am about to go to bed. Roadburn is unique. Not only because of its success but because of what it is and what it does. Heavy music has become business like anything else and thanks to social media, the magic is gone. We, the audience have a permanent backstage pass. We are being bombarded with studio reports, vlogs, gear rundowns and what not. Too many bands are fighting for our attention and in the process they forget to make music. There are a zillion acts active right now and and they are all copying each other. In this world where “being recognised” is the whole thing, Roadburn is all about substance. Walter Hoeijmakers, one of the founders of Roadburn and basically Mr. Roadburn, is a music connaisseur who immediately hears whether or not a band is phoning it in, if an artist actually has something worthwhile to say and he translates that into the bill for Roadburn. Going to Roadburn makes you enthusiastic about music again, it rekindles the love for heavy music again. I came to Roadburn as a bitter, burnt out man who thought he had heard it all. Copies of copies of Slayer, crossover metal being recycled again, the same overcompressed sounds that make every song about as exciting as the waiting room of the dentist. After a weekend in Tilburg, I feel energised again. Even more, the fact that the Roadburn crew were bold enough to
not just stick to the dark, far corners of the rock scene but to venture into the electronic side, has even made me optimistic about the future.  Walter and his crew have pulled off one of the most difficult feats: Roadburn doesn’t have to follow any trends, it doesn’t have to be ahead of the curve. Instead it can play by its own rules and be free to follow its own spirit without having to please such and such niche audiences or staying “trve”.  
And that is really why Roadburn is Roadburn, a one of a kind festival. I’m going back next year.

Hardcore and Roller Derby Collide in INSANITY's Action Packed Video for "Down"

Hardcore and Roller Derby Collide in INSANITY's Action Packed Video for "Down"
  
Swiss Bruisers INSANITY have brought the worlds of Hardcore and Roller Derby together in one raucous, thoroughly entertaining video for "Down," a track from the band's forthcoming album Toss a Coin. Get in on the action at youtu.be/qO8G9Fl50Bw

INSANITY will release sophomore full-length album Toss a Coin on May 26 via Bastardized Recordings. The album is a game-changer that builds on the foundation of debut album No Limit and EP Ready to Row. Pre-order details follow.


INSANITY stand for unique, genuine Hardcore that is highly addictive through a lot of gang-shouts and sing-alongs, based on moving rhythms reminiscent of the New York Hardcore tradition. The band is internationally experienced, headlined many tours and has shared the stage with pretty much all the legends of the scene (Hatebreed, Agnostic Front, Madball, Sick Of It All, Terror, and many more). Their songs connect social criticism and the joy of life, and the guys are well-known for their original music videos and energetic live shows. 

"Guts, message, and delivery. Harder than a cannonball."
 - Bloodrock Media Album Reviews

"The new album will ensure that the story of Insanity is far from ending. Recommended!"
 - Away from Life

Track list:

1. No Tolerance For Intolerance
2. Find A Way
3. Toss A Coin
4. What I See
5. With My Friends
6. Down
7. All I Need
8. One Day
9. $laves
10. What's Hardcore
11. Die For
 
https://www.facebook.com/insanity.metal
Clawhammer PR 
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