KMFDM Takes Over The Internet

After being away since Blitz, Sascha and Co. returns with the unique rebellious sounds of KMFDM. This time, they're taking over the net.

Click here to listen to the track.

Looking forward to Zilch's 2011 release.

The Noose - APC (Live 2010) & Interview with MJK

Finally found the HD version, so I've decided to share it here.



An interview with Maynard on Carson Daly discussing his first steps into the wine business and his current vocal prowess as compared to his past vocal achievements.

Lunarin Goes Acoustic @ Esplanade Library (13/11/10)

When I first heard of Lunarin's latest gig at Esplanade Library, I knew I had to be there. Having been to their acoustic shows twice (something from STOMP.sg and the other being an acoustic set at the Esplanade Library too), they've always made awesome acoustic versions of their album tracks and they've introduced more unreleased material through acoustic shows than their shows. With the mention of them playing Midas (from Duae, their latest album), I was psyched to make it to the show even when I wasn't feeling all too great that particular afternoon.

Reaching a little around 2.45pm, I managed to catch the finishing bits of Kevin Matthews' set and as much as I'm not a fan of the usual vocals+acoustic guitar+songwriting+vocalist thing, I have to admit that Kevin has one hell of an amazing singing voice. That dude could lull me to sleep with his smooth falsetto parts and perfectly pitched singing. I have to apologise for my lack of knowledge on his music as my main priority of being there has, from the start, being Lunarin's acoustic performance (Sorry Kevin, Debra and Vanessa).

Entering the rather small performance area a little after 3pm, Lunarin had two other members in the lineup, Victor Ong on Cello and Natalie Soh on Violin. These two additional instrumentalists proved vital in creating that almost haunting ambience to Lunarin's acoustic set.

from left: Victor Ong (cello), Linda Ong (bass/guitar), Ho Kah Wye (guitar), Loo Eng Teck (drums, keys, backing vocals), Natalie Soh (violin). Photo credit to Vanessa Faith Tan.

Setlist:

1. Ghost
2. 22
3. Right of Sleep
4. Wednesday
5. Midas
6. Coralline

Videos of each performance can be viewed under the Media Archive section.


Personal favourites of the afternoon were 22, Wednesday and Coralline.

Right of Sleep being one of two low points of the whole acoustic set (the other being the duration of the set) and eventhough I really enjoyed the track's chorus being catchy and all, that's when I realised why this track never stuck on to me. Lunarin has never played something as fundamentally pop as this. Then I started to squirm and writhe with distaste to the thought of this song being cultivated in the dark mountain caves where Lunarin records their dark masterpieces of melancholy and despair.

I kid with that comment, but in a nutshell, Right of Sleep can be reviewed as "Too pop, doesn't work for me, might work for others."

Other than that, I found the other 5 songs to be real solid acoustic pieces and I sure hope that there'll be an acoustic EP in the near future. Watch the videos and you'd agree with me.

Deftones Butcher Groupies In Latest Music Video

Deftones took us into a beautiful underworld with their 3rd single, Sextape, back in September. They've returned with a new single off their current album, Diamond Eyes (album review here), and this time they've opted for a much more darker and sex-laced approach to their music video. Although no killing is involved, you get to see a topless Chino, so enjoy!




You've Seen The Butcher is the fourth single off Diamond Eyes.

A Perfect Circle on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

The band were just on Jimmy Kimmel Live not too long ago and here is the video:



You only get the quick updates, here on puresinner.

A Perfect Circle Updates!

This is "Passive" with a little whirlwind:


Jimmy Kimmel appearance:


More updates after Maynard does...

Wes Borland has done it again!

Recent news has said that the Limp Bizkit guitarist, Wes Borland has temporarily left the band to join Electro-Industrial band, Combichrist. Limp Bizkit has yet to release their upcoming anticipated album, Gold Cobra. This would supposedly be Borland's forth time departing with the band.

Courtesy of rock-zone

More A Perfect Circle Rehearsal/Fooling Around Vids

Practicing Weak and Powerless:



Practicing a song that I can't figure out what, maybe Imagine (based on Skylar's observation):



And a couple of more Maynard with a lemon and packet of pretzels and Billy's voodoo doll:

A Perfect Circle Is Officially Back!

Well, being a huge fanboy of this band, I was very excited by this 37sec clip posted on youtube by Maynard.



It's awesome to see Josh and Billy Howerdel back along with the hands of (supposedly) James Iha on the rhythm guitar. Hoping that there'll be new tracks once they've gotten past the "warm-up" club gigs.

+100 to APC for using Ableton!

ABIII - Alter Bridge

Release Date: October 11, 2010
Label: Roadrunner Records

Alter Bridge releases their first concept album and the third in their discography. It's pretty hard to imagine how they will be able to outdo their 2007 masterpiece, Blackbird, but surprisingly, AB III manages to get on par and maybe even better than their sophomore studio effort.


Tracklist:

1. Slip To The Void
2. Isolation
3. Ghost of Days Gone By
4. All Hope Is Gone
5. Still Remains
6. Make It Right
7. Wonderful Life
8. I Know It Hurts
9. Show Me A Sign
10. Fallout
11. Breathe Again
12. Coeur d'Alene
13. Life Must Go On
14. Words Darker Than Their Wings

Began as a band that culminated from the instrumental remains of Creed; Mark Tremonti, Brian Marshall and Scott Phillips recruited Myles Kennedy and Alter Bridge grew to a massive (albeit underrated) alternative rock/metal band that surpasses any bands that their current members have been a part of.

In 2007, Blackbird was released and personally, it is one of my best albums in 2007. Sadly, Alter Bridge doesn't get much coverage from music media and the release of AB III was pretty much unknown to the general rock masses. However, anyone worth their alternative rock/metal salt, would know about the AB III's release and that Alter Bridge is back with bone crushing riffs and boner inducing ballads.

Considering that AB III is a concept album, it begins its story with a pretty awkward approach in "Slip Into The Void". Programmed bassline and Myles's vocals crooning over it for about a third of the track before the usual signature crunchy guitar riffs, velvety bassline and crashing drums fall in at the 1:30 mark that would plaster a smile on every head banging Alter Bridge fan.

Just when I was pretty confident about Filter's The Trouble With Angels  bagging the best rock album for 2010 (check review here), AB III makes it a difficult decision to make with head banging tracks "Isolation", "Still Remains", "Coeur D'Alene" and "I Know It Hurts" and tones down the aggression in tracks "Wonderful Life", "All Hope Is Gone" and "Life Must Go On".

Mark Tremonti also seems to have discovered a newfound balance for his amazing guitar playing skills to match the music that accompanies it. Comparing to Blackbird, his solos don't really seem to be as long and elaborate, but when it comes forth, you'd better be ready to have your face melted.

Brian Marshall, Mark Tremonti, Myles Kennedy, Scott Phillips

Alter Bridge is a mature rock band that is not all about aggresssion nor all about sappiness too. In AB III, they've managed to balance out their dynamics very acutely by having more structure to musical parts and more post-production work on the music, but in all of its glory, the intensity that was present in Blackbird is missing in this album which can be pretty disappointing to those who are expecting a Blackbird II, me included.

AB III is not a bad album at all, in fact, it is pretty amazing and has me putting it on repeat since release date (similar to The Trouble With Angels) but comparing it to Blackbird makes it less of a masterpiece and 1 short of being perfectly sinful.

6 out of 7 sins

Listen to ABIII online

Want to hear how the latest Alter Bridge album sounds like before going out and purchasing it?

Click here

puresinner is excited to provide a review on ABIII.

A Perfect Circle Interview @ Antiquiet

It's been awhile since this great band has surfaced with anything big, but after the recent announcement of tour dates and touring lineup, Antiquiet conducted an interview with Billy Howerdel. It's quite a good read, so check it out.

Here is the interview: A Perfect Circle Interview @ Antiquiet

Cosmic Armchair - A Second Look EP Review

Released: August 24, 2010
Label: Stratos Records

I first learnt about this band through the Singapore Dark Alternative Movement (S.D.A.M.) events. Keyboardist, Benjamin Ang often performs as a DJ at those events. Together with vocalist, Jane Lau, the Electronic/SynthPop duo, Cosmic Armchair releases their second EP, "A Second Look".


Tracklists:

1. Don't Leave Me Here
2. Conversation
3. Just One Look
4. Take You Home
5. Grey (Second Look Remix)

Upon seeing their performance at Baybeats this year, I'm starting to like what the band is trying to show us. First track "Don't Leave Me Here", gives a brand new revival to New Wave. It's the kind of song with an 80s influence with less cheesiness in synthesizers.

"Conversations" is a direction most local musicians will never represent themselves. There's a recording of a girl speaking in a Singaporean accent repeating in the background. I think it's a brilliant idea. It's better to promote yourself as an Asian than to imitate other culture that you're not, especially for Singapore artists.

I really like how the album is so soothing to the ears with cleverly composed keyboards and vocal parts which can be heard in "Just One Look" and "Take You Home". "Grey (Second Look Remix)" which was previously featured on their debut EP, "A Different View". Compared to the original version which sounded more like FuturePop to me, this one has more of an Electronic feel to it.

The band has justified that they're a serious Electropop band with the quality recording of "A Second Look" and also as an impressive live act. Overall, I think I have spent my money well on getting this EP. My first impressions on them weren't so good but they certainly have progressed from their earlier performances and the debut EP. They certainly deserve more support for their future efforts.

6 out of 7 sins

Pins and Needles - The Birthday Massacre Review

Released: September 14, 2010
Label: Metropolis Records


Tracklist:

1. In the Dark
2. Always
3. Pale
4. Control
5. Shallow Grave
6. Sideways
7. Midnight
8. Pins and Needles
9. Two Hearts
10. Sleepwalking
11. Secret

The first single, In The Dark, a melodic yet heavy piece welcomes us into the world of Pins and Needles. Angelic vocals from Chibi, heavy guitars and drumming and synthwork that builds a wall of sound around everything, makes this an amazing choice for a starter and a single.

However, the heaviness does not last long, as tracks Always, Pale and Control follows up after In The Dark albeit addictive drum parts and powerful synth composition.

Shallow Grave manages to salvage the album with the almost classic TBM sound. Beginning with a dreamy synth part, programmed bassline and electronic drum beats that gets cuts off to bring in the crunch of Rainbow's riffs and the actual drums. This track is everything to love about TBM, the lyrics are so catchy that you could just sing along to the simplistic chorus "We put her down in a shallow grave/She wears a dress like a body bag every day/And this way she won't have to run away/And she can keep her regrets at bay every day". As grim as the lyrics appear to be, Chibi's light and sweet sounding vocals makes it seem like everything is alright with putting someone in a shallow grave.

After an almost unmemorable first half, the title track really makes it concrete that TBM still has awesome synthrock in them. Coupling heavily delayed guitars with a deep running bassline that seems endless, and an almost psychedelic synth running in sequence during the chorus and ending with a heavy guitar, bass and drum outro. Pins and Needles definitely left me wanting more and that's exactly what Two Hearts and Sleepwalking brings forth.


Just when it is starting to get really exciting, the album ends with Secret, a track that follows the in the same vein as Movie (from Walking with Strangers, 2007). Dreamy guitars, synths, bassline, basically dreamy everything. A good end to the album and a great track to follow after the three headbanging tracks before it.

It is not to be misunderstood that Pins and Needles is a letdown, as it is actually pretty well done in terms of composition, production and technicality of synthwork. However what holds it back is the band's desire to move towards a more easily accessible sound, an easily accepted mainstream sound in tracks such as Pale, Always and Midnight.

Rewind back to Violet (2004), Chibi's vocals had an almost haunting aura to it, the instrumental compositions had a more "haunted alice in wonderland carnival" ambience to it too. As a fan, I have to say I miss the earlier TBM.

5 out of 7 sins

Filter - The Trouble With Angels Review

Release date: 18 August 2010
Label: Rocket Science Ventures/Nuclear Blast

2 years since Anthems for The Damned, Filter returns with The Trouble With Angels and alot of speculation was made if it could really be "this year's defining rock record" as mentioned by Richard Patrick, the only constant member since the creation of Filter back in 1993. Apparently, it might just be.

Tracklist:

1. The Inevitable Relapse
2. Drug Boy
3. Absentee Father
4. No Love
5. No re-entry
6. Down With Me
7. Catch A Falling Knife
8. The Trouble With Angels
9. Clouds
10. Fades Like A Photograph (Dead Angel)

Most rock music lovers would remember Filter as the band that brought the mellow "Take A Picture" and would expect The Trouble With Angels to follow the same vein as that hit single. Be ready to be disappointed, as this album is far from mellow and even at it's softest point with tracks like No Re-entry and Fades Like A Photograph (Dead Angel), Filter manages to keep the music unique and away from what would be acceptable by mainstream radio.

The Trouble With Angels begins with its first single, The Inevitable Relapse, and from this choice alone, you would either love this album or hate it. For me, it hits the right spot with its infectious chorus, "drink it, drink it, snort it, smoke it, everything I love about it" , the coarse wails of Richard Patrick and the cleverly executed drum parts.

Not letting the tempo and heaviness seep away, Drug Boy, Absentee Father and No Love follows through with the same hard hitting attitude from The Inevitable Relapse. The only rest you'll get would be No Re-entry, where the music takes a step slower and serenades the ear drums with its heavy chorused guitars, light drumming and an almost heart wrenching vocal performance from Richard.

That is where the strength of the whole album becomes apparent, each and every track in The Trouble With Angels captures the emotions through its melody and composition. When the song is sad and dreadful, you would feel it too, and when the song just wants to smash someone's head, it will actually make you feel the same way too.

Down With Me and Catch A Falling Knife carries the album back up from sappiness with the same great heaviness introduced in the opening tracks. Following straight after is the title track, The Trouble With Angels, and Clouds which brings forth the best vocal performance from Richard and a well-balanced composition between heavy guitars and dreamy, ambietic choruses.

Ending all troubles with any angels, Fades Like A Photograph (Dead Angel) is most probably the slowest and mainstream song in the whole album. A remake of a soundtrack made for 2012, Filter definitely chose the correct song to end an album, with  its dreamy guitar lines and piano parts that just lulls you to sleep. A good rest from all the angst and aggression present in almost the whole of The Trouble With Angels.

Richard Patrick

This album has been on repeat since I've gotten it on release day. However, as I've mentioned before, Filter's new release is a love or hate thing. At puresinner, we're definitely loving this album and it may just possess the lasting effect to be "this year's defining rock record".

6 out of 7 sins

Mirror of Retribution Tour: ChthoniC, Live in Singapore Review

August 14, Republic Polytechnic - I was to go to a school, on a Saturday evening. Not my school though. I was on my way to see a Taiwanese Black Metal band, ChthoniC. The show was held at the polytechnic's Cultural Centre Studio.

Lunarin - Duae Review

Release date: August 20, 2010
Label: None, Distributor: Aging Youth Records

Lunarin unleashes their sophomore effort, Duae, 4 years after The Chrysalis. Plenty have changed but does these changes make Duae a better record?

1. For Apollo
2. Midas
3. Zero Point Red
4. Saturn
5. Red
6. Coralline
7. Icarus Rising
8. Serpentine
9. To Forget
10. The Sky (Algiers)
11. Solus Nebula
12. The Inquisition

For starters, it is quite amazing to know that Duae was mostly recorded and mixed from a home studio set up. Though the quality of some of its tracks does bear its flaws, Lunarin manages to keep it together with their masterful riffing and unique songwriting. Hailing from Singapore, there aren't many bands that dares to venture out to the more darker side of alternative metal the way Lunarin has tried in Duae.

Duae, starts off with a haunting piano piece, For Apollo, which draws you in for the face crushing intro riff of Midas. Reminiscent of Dry from their debut, Midas slows down to its verse as Linda sings "Touch me, can you taste me? Can you break me down?". Off-timed breakdowns with otherworldly riff-age from Kah Wye and Linda, Midas leads you Lunarin's first single, Zero Point Red (which has been reviewed here).

Saturn, the second semi-instrumental track, bridges listeners to the much more complex parts of Duae; Red, Coralline, Icarus Rising and Serpentine brings forth the meat of most of Duae. Red, the second longest track in Duae at 8 mins 39 secs, is probably the most ambitious track in the whole album. With the introduction of Mandala pads, dual vocal layers at the 6 min mark (or whatever it's called) and an intense off-timed breakdown towards the outro, you may get pretty amazed at what a home studio could do.

Coralline is the first track that has a second vocal backing from another member of the band and is a return to the old Lunarin sound from The Chrysalis era. However, the next two tracks, Icarus Rising with its addictive chorus and heavily-chorused guitars and Serpentine's dual vocal parts are tracks that further cement the fact that Lunarin has definitely grown over time and aren't releasing Duae based on the same formulae used for The Chrysalis.

As the album nears closure, To Forget, The Sky (Algiers) and Solus Nebula eases the adrenaline jolt from earlier tracks with two of the tracks being instrumentals and The Sky (Algiers) serving as a mellow bridge between the tracks. The Inquisition, the finale track for Duae and the longest track in the whole album, makes sure that the aggression of Duae does not die out by the mellowness of the previous 3 tracks with its intense drumming, and heavily riffed guitar and bass lines.

Loo Eng Teck, Ho Kah Wye & Linda Ong

Ending near the hour mark, Duae is an album that shows alot of the ambitions from Lunarin. Some of them are met, while there are others that fall short of expectation, but overall, Duae is worth listening to if you enjoy music that is outside of the genre-riddled rock/metal spectrum of music. Lunarin manages well with their home recording efforts, but there are certain areas where you could not help but think that the track should have underwent some sort of polishing, notably the sounds of some of the drum parts (crashes,splashes, etc) are pretty fake due to the fact that it was recorded through a digital set and the drowned out guitar parts in some of the tracks when it should have been made to the top of the mix. The latter could have been intentional, but one could not help but wish it would be the other way around.

As far as strengths and flaws are shown, Lunarin has done a great job in Duae and those fans that have been waiting for 4 years for it are definitely in for a treat.

6 out of 7 sins

That Friday The 13th Show @ Home Club (13/08/10)

When I received the facebook invite for this show, I almost burst with excitement upon seeing the list of bands that were included. Zero Sequence, In Each Hand A Cutlass and Lunarin. 3 giants of the alternative rock scene in Singapore, 1 location at the price of $15 and with the inclusion of a pre-release of Duae for whoever that attends the gig, I just had to go even if I was pretty tired that night.

Note: I wasn't able to capture photos that would be decent enough for posting up during this gig and only partial videos were recorded due to depletion of my cam's battery. Apologies.




Arriving late to the show, I just managed to catch the last song being played by part of Zero Sequence. Apparently, there was no Zero Sequence set that night, but instead was pleasantly surprised by what seems to be Simon Yong's (guitarist, Zero Sequence) solo project. With 3 other members from Zero Sequence backing him for this new project on stage, Simon skillfully showcased his guitar prowess. It's a shame that I had only managed to catch the final song of their set, because I was really enjoying that last piece and I bet that it was quite a good set to begin with, though this depends entirely to the individual.


Crowd started to build up when In Each Hand A Cutlass began setting up their equipment on stage. I have only caught In Each Hand A Cutlass twice (one being the Waterfront gig) and both times I was pretty impressed with their brand of Post-Rock. Making her live debut with IEHAC, Amanda Ling was included in the line up as the new keyboardist/programmer. Another thing I've noticed is the missing guitarist, Farid.  As I'm not really that well-informed on the tracks that were played by IEHAC, I could just notice the difference from what have been played by them in the past as compared to present through the energy and amount of ambience.

Honestly, I preferred the last two shows I've seen them performed as compared to this set. Not trying to be a Post-Rock purist or whatever but, IEHAC used to incorporate much more ambience and lesser "raw rock" energy than they had now. Wonder if it has anything with the inclusion of Amanda, but overall, the set boasted loads of riffage and good guitar co-ordination between Roland Lim and leader of the pack, Dan Sassoon that impressed me and made me envious of their prowess.

Next up, the main performer of the night.

 Lunarin, supporting their sophomore release Duae, made sure that their setlist consists mostly of tracks from the new album. It is definitely not the first time that I've been to a 2010 Lunarin gig, so the tracks have pretty much been polished out for live performance this time as compared to the previous time (most notably, the Substation gig). Crowd was good, though I would have preferred if the screaming was toned down abit. Yes, support is support, buuuuuut...incessant screaming to draw attention to self and away from the band is a little questionable. Don't you agree?


So back to the performance, Lunarin was tight. Impressive performance by all members and especially Eng Teck (drummer). Multitasking as a backing vocalist and playing drums and inclusion of Mandala Pads and double pedals this time around, he has definitely outdone himself for Duae. All the videos for this performance have been uploaded on The Oracle's Youtube Channel. Check it out here.

This was definitely an awesome gig to be at and I would have regretted missing it. A full review of Lunarin's Duae will be made available here at puresinner closer to the official release date of the album (20th August 2010). Looking forward to catching them again at Baybeats 2010.

Do pardon the excessive Lunarin news on puresinner recently, we will return back to various music news again soon. Thanks for reading.

Night Festival: Lunarin at Substation

July 17, Substation - The Night Festival, happens two nights-yearly to celebrate Singapore’s arts and heritage district located at the Singapore Art Museum, Singapore Management University, Peranakan Museum and Substation. I took the second night and head to Substation. My mission was to worship the Unholy Trinity, Lunarin.

Ozzy - Scream Review

Released: June 11, 2010
Label: Epic

3 years after Black Rain, Ozzy returns with a new axeman and a new 11-track LP. So does Scream, Ozzy's tenth studio album, succeed in creating anthems reminiscent of the era of Bizzard of Ozz?


Tracklist:

1. Let It Die
2. Let Me Hear You Scream
3. Soul Sucker
4. Life Won't Wait
5. Diggin' Me Down
6. Crucify
7. Fearless
8. Time
9. I Want It More
10. Latimer's Mercy
11. I Love You All

After Black Rain, I kind of had the feeling that Ozzy has lost his touch with his brand of catchy rock/metal anthems. Although he had Zakk Wylde back then, Black Rain just felt like it lacked punch somewhere. There might be people that would disagree, but personally, I didn''t think that Black Rain the best that Ozzy can write. So now with Scream, I was abit skeptical on whether Ozzy will be improving his music for the benefit of his fans or just churning out another album just to tell the world that the Prince of Darkness is still alive and hopping.

With all the assumptions of Scream being another mediocre album, I was impressed when I gave it a listen.The level of heaviness introduced in this album is just earth shattering.  Let It Die, Diggin' Me Down, Crucify and I Want More proves that Ozzy has not forgotten how to treat his loyal fans to killer riffs, face melting solos and catchy singing.

On the musical side of Scream, Gus G is an amazing guitarist, no comparison to the great Zakk Wylde as both are great in their own way, but this guy has amazing chops that just makes the music to Scream have a life of its own. Guitars aside, Tommy Clufetos (formerly of Rob Zombie) is another reason to love this album for its music. He manages to make fitting drumbeats for almost all of the songs on Scream and lends alot to the overall heaviness of Scream.

Ozzy Osbourne

Pretty much, everything on Scream is good and listenable even with Ozzy's recent obsession with vocal enhancements that make him appear like a weak vocalist. However, I think he really should not try those vocal parts that are just not "Ozzy".

With 49 minutes of rocking out, you will amazed that you will left craving for more even after I Love You All trails off. So put this album on repeat, get those spare bats to chew on and a spare neck cause you'll definitely need it after headbanging to almost every song. Ozzy did not just release Scream to tell the world that The Prince of Darkness is still alive, but he went the extra mile to tell the world that he's back with music heavier than Hell.

6 out of 7 sins

Hole - Nobody's Daughter Review

Released: April 23, 2010
Label: CherryForever/Mercury/Island Def Jam

Nobody's Daughter, the fourth studio release by Hole in almost 12 years. Having been a fan of Live Through This and Celebrity Skin, I just had to check this album out and review it.


Tracklist:

1. Nobody's Daughter
2. Skinny Little Bitch
3. Honey
4. Pacific Coast Highway
5. Samantha
6. Someone Else's Bed
7. For Once In Your Life
8. Letter To God
9. Loser Dust
10. How Dirty Girls Get Clean
11. Never Go Hungry

Nobody's Daughter begins with the title track which is pretty mellow considering this is a Hole album. Clocking in at 5 mins and 19 seconds, Skinny Little Bitch brings some of the old, grungy attitude back to this album. Based on those two tracks, Courtney's voice seems a little more like an old lady's whine nowadays rather than the rugged, coarse voice that she was known for. So that's quite a downer, especially when Honey kicks in. Courtney's voice borders annoyance and shows the lack of range in her voice more than any other tracks in the album.

After Honey and Pacific Coast Highway, I was expecting a bunch of fillers in the later tracks. However, Samantha, Someone Else's Bed, Loser Dust and How Dirty Girls Get Clean are great listens. Someone Else's Bed, though a tad mellow manages to capture me with its catchy chorus and that sweet solo that goes on near the end of the track, definitely worth a listen.

Courtney Love

Overall, Nobody's Daughter lack the raw energy that Hole used to have and in place of that comes a mellow Courtney Love with a bunch of strings and songs written by external members. I wouldn't say the album is horrible cause I actually did enjoy certain tracks in the middle of the album tracklist, but it still doesn't help that most of the tracks in this album is mid-tempo and doesn't deserve the band name. Nobody's Daughter is not a brilliant Hole album, but it is a decent Courtney Love album.

Sweethead - Sweethead Review

Released: November 02, 2009
Label: Strange Addiction / The End Records

From playing for Failure to A Perfect Circle to Queens of The Stone Age to creating side project, Enemy, Troy Van Leeuwen creates Sweethead, his second side project with up and coming vocalist, Serrina Sims and the rhythm section (Norm Block and Eddie Nappi) of the Mark Lanegan band. Sweethead can be regarded as the female equivalent to QoTSA with it's groovy basslines and drum sections, seductive vocals and trance-inducing guitar riffs. Saying that it is similar to QoTSA doesn't mean that Sweethead lack originality in its tracks, in fact, it is the other way around.


Tracklist:

1. The Sting
2. Turned Our Backs
3. P.I.G
4. Amazing Vanishing Conquest
5. Running Out
6. Sinkhole International
7. Remote Control Boys
8. Meet In The Road
9. Other Side
10. The Great Disruptors
11. A.W.O.L
12. The Last Evening

Sweethead begins with The Sting, a catchy, dancey track that is laced with all the good stuff from Troy Van Leeuwen via a raunchy, fuzzy guitar solo and intertwining fills that seem to weave in an out of the thumping bassline. Next up, Turned Our Backs might trigger similarity accusation from fans of Nine Inch Nails that might mistake the drumbeat to be a complete duplication of Wish (Broken EP, 1992), but the track manages to be unique with Serrina's singing as well as the very distinct Troy guitar tone which is almost present in the whole album.

While Sweethead has loads of high-energy, personally I would say that the band really shines in its  down tempo and darker tracks. Amazing Vanishing Conquest, Running Out, Other Side and The Last Evening are a few of my personal favourites from the album. Serrina Sim's low and slightly coarse voice coupled with the great combination of guitars, bass and drums just makes each of those tracks have an almost dreamy ambience and you can't help but sway and hum to those tracks.

Serrina Sims & Troy Van Leeuwen

Sinkhole International and debut single, The Great Disruptors, manage to balance out the album's sound by bringing it back up to speed and maintaining the whole LA rock n' roll/stoner rock sound. But with all the praise I have for this album, some of the tracks (Remote Control Boys, A.W.O.L, Meet In The Road), though enjoyable to listen to on boring evenings, fails to leave a lasting effect.

12th track, The Last Evening ends the album with low wailing guitar solos and fills, the seductive yet calm voice of Serrina Sims backed by the fuzzy bass tone and dark "reverbish" ambience. It almost made me feel like I was being cradled in a wall of sound and laid to bed with its short and sweet dosages of dreamy guitars. A great end to the album.

Overall, I would say Sweethead is a great album but loses points in some of its forgettable tracks. A balanced album throughout, I would recommend this album to whoever that enjoys QoTSA, Stoner Rock and everything Troy Van Leeuwen related.

5 out of 7 sins

Grosse Freiheit - Unheilig Review

Released: February 19, 2010
Label: Vertigo Records (Universal)

82% unholy

Diamond Eyes - Deftones Review

Released: May 4, 2010
Label: Reprise/Warner

6 out of 7 sins

Geneva - Russian Circles Review

Released: October 20, 2009
Label: Suicide Squeeze/Sargent House (Vinyl release)

 

Tracklist:

1. Fathom
2. Geneva
3. Melee
4. Hexed All
5. Malko
6. When The Mountains Come To Muhammad
7. Philos

Geneva opens with a mash of string instruments sustained into creating a wall of sound behind the thumping of the drums in Fathom which later gives way to an awesome bassline around the 2.20min mark and closes with the liberating sounds of Philos, the soft-to-loud final track in Geneva. Russian Circles proves that they're not just a one-trick pony with the amazingly beautiful Hexed All that mixes string instruments with the light plucking of guitar and bass and even lighter drumming that seems to be just right to carry forth the emotions.

Just about when you think that Geneva has gone mellow, Malko is brought in straight after Hexed All with its intertwining guitar riff that lifts off the sadness created from Hexed All. Further into the album,  a little bit of steam is lost in When The Mountain Comes To Muhammad, but that is only apparent in the earlier part of the track as when its nearing the end, the track picks up its pace and slams into gear another sonic bash to your eardrums.

Personally, I would say the bass work in this album is phenomenal. The basslines are killer, so keep an ear out to capture those brief but amazing moments of musicianship from Brian Cook.

Brian Cook, Mike Sullivan, Dave Turncrantz

No other instrumental band or post-rock band I've listened to have managed to reach the level of musicianship as Russian Circles, and I'm not referring to the technicalities in instrumentation, but mainly on their ability to create music that sticks to you without being over-pretentious. You will realise that Russian Circles do not aim to impress with complexity and technicality, but with melody and composition.
Overall, Geneva is a great big step ahead as compared to their sophomore effort, Station and is nearly as mind-blowing as their debut back in 2006. Geneva manages to balance the lush serenades introduced in Station along with Enter's aggression and dark ambience. It doesn't fail to deliver, and if you've listened to the first two Russian Circles releases then Geneva is a must-have/must-listen.

6 out of 7 sins

How To Destroy Angels - How To Destroy Angels EP Review

Released: June 1, 2010
Label: The Null Corporation


Prior to the release of the EP, fans were treated with teaser trailers of each of the bandmember tweaking/twiddling/playing instruments with a backing beat. Following these teaser trailers, a music video for The Space In Between was released via Pitchfork.com.

Videos for all trailers and the music video can be viewed here on HTDA's official Vimeo page.


Tracklist:

1. The Space In Between
2. Parasite
3. Fur Lined
4. BBB
5. The Believers
6. A Drowning (Check this out)

Opening with a mellow drone and the whispering voice of Mariqueen in The Space In Between, How To Destroy Angels(HTDA) EP is a mixed bowl of ambience from depressive NIN and also the experimental sounds of Ghosts I-IV. This is not saying that the EP is just another NIN release tagged with a new name, there are several new sounds in this EP that will still satisfy NIN fans without being a repetition of the past.

With Trent Reznor leaving the vocal parts of HTDA to Mariqueen, it is a breath of fresh air albeit a pretty forgettable one. Mariqueen, although matches the music with her breathy vocals (A Drowning, The Space In Between) , it just seems that her vocal parts are a little too processed and lacks clarity (BBB, Fur Lined) to be properly heard and would normally be overlooked as the music would overpower. Sometimes, you just feel like you want Trent to sing again.

Atticus Ross, Mariqueen Maandig & Trent Reznor

As expected with any release from Trent, HTDA's EP instrumentals are varied and layered with great detail. None of the tracks feel like it was made just for the sake of being made and all the bits and pieces of sounds inserted into each track contribute to the overall emotion and drive. Eventhough the instrumentals manage to captivate listeners with its diversity, it does lack tempo change from track to track (except for Fur Lined). Making it seem like the whole EP is one long single track, which is not entirely bad but might bore listeners after repeated listens.

Overall, HTDA's debut EP is a sign of good things to come. Even with its lack of tempo differences between tracks and Mariqueen's ability to be heard behind all the noise, you will have a good feeling that the LP (early 2011) is going to be something great to listen to. Unless you expect a NIN industrialyzer, you won't be disappointed by this EP. SO go ahead and download the EP here, it IS free anyway.

5 out of 7 sins

Krieg - KMFDM Review

Released: January 5, 2010
Label: KMFDM

1. Bait & Switch (All 4 One Mix)
2. Strut (Disco Balls Mix)
3. Potz Blitz! (Harmonic Tremors Mix)
4. Bait & Switch (Sacred Cow Mix)
5. Never Say Never (Naughty Habit Mix)
6. People of The Lie (Requiem Mix)
7. Bitches (Pop Will Eat This Mix)
8. Never Say Never (Confessional Mix)
9. People of The Lie (Crooked Illusion Mix)
10. Davai (Cyrillic Mix)
11. Never Say Never (Candy Apple Mix)
12. Davai (Bloody Fog Mix)