Archives for January, 2010
Posted on Jan 28, 2010 under International |
Metal’s famous bassist Rex Brown has almost back in shape after his fight with pancreatitis, which is known to have severe complications and high mortality even with treatment.
The former Pantera Bassist said: “After two major surgeries to close out 2009, I have recovered from pancreatitis and I’m looking forward to getting back to work with DOWN.”
Brown is currently part of the band called Down and will join back the band in New Orleans to start working on a new album. This new CD will be the band’s fourth album.
Rex Brown, says that he is looking for a healthy 2010 and said: “I’d like to thank everyone for their support and well wishes during my illness and recovery.”
Posted on Jan 28, 2010 under International |
Music bands Godsmack, Alterbridge, Creed and the guitarist of rage Against the Machine – Tom Morello – are part of a group of musicians who have partnered with a multi-media company called DC3 Music Group for the main purpose of raising money for Haiti relief Work. They helped to fill an MD-80 airplane with useful resources and medical personnel to send to the earthquake ravaged country of Haiti.
According to reports, the plane with supplies is expected to leave from California on January 27 and will carry 10,000 pounds of medical supplies, in addition to doctors and medical staff, to Haiti.
Other musicians like New Kids on the Block, Julianne Hough, Eve, David Archuleta helped in raising over a million dollars for the earthquake relief fund.
Sully Erna of Godsmack told reporter: “Since I can’t be there to help in person, I want to make my contribution as a fellow human being to give what I can while I’m in the fortunate situation that I am to help those that are so unfortunate in this time of tragedy.”
Scott Stapp of Creed is in Haiti at the moment and will begin relief work once the plan arrives.
Posted on Jan 22, 2010 under Music |
"i am varg, no ?"
Just when I thought Burzum could do some peaceful farming in his hometown Telemark, Norway and get back to making music after serving about 18 years imprisonment, I read somewhere that a movie is being made based on him. ahem !
Burzum has influenced most of what I feel about black metal and it was roughly six years back when I played his album det som engang var. He was one of the first I heard in black metal (its a fight between him and Ancient), and I can never get over his music. What ever it is that he is associated with, for me he remains that teenager who gave me some insane metal. He had to be possessed by an evil spirit to make music like that. And I wish The Crying Orc was a never ending track. Ain’t it ?
bored of chaos !
Now that he is finally out, he is going to have a hard time struggling to stay out of limelight. Nowthat he is no longer a teenager. But from the looks of it that day is not too far when Burzum would want to get back to jail (this time with family) and spend some more peaceful time after being exposed to what is happening on the other side of prison !
Talking about the movie that is being made, Jackson Rathbone (from Twilight) is apparently playing Varg which will be based on a book named Lords Of Chaos. The makers should know there are other ways of making money than touching a subject they obviously do not know. To begin with deciding to drop this idea would be great. The book in question has been shunned by Burzum as being full of crap. So if the makers are reading this, beware - Burzum is once again a free man !
pleasure to kill !
Posted on Jan 16, 2010 under International |
- by Itihas Shetty…
The demons return with metal embossed all over them.
It was in 2005 when a major change of sorts was seen in the Indian metal scene and only a demon(stealer) could have a hand in it. India’s only metal record label Demonstealer Records (DSR) dared to release Demonic Resurrection’s (DR) debut album complete with good recording and an inlay which had been worked on. Things are not the same anymore and it is going to be better.
Back then none new that this DR album (A Darkness Descends) along with their second Ep (Beyond The Darkness) will culminate into a final release in this trilogy of darkness named The Return To Darkness. (now that is four darkness already !). And if you have not heard of DR you should probably go back to sleep.
This new album has 10 tracks and more on that later. Out of the many firsts this band has achieved, they got their artwork done by this Xaay fellow who has previously worked with Nile, Karl Sanders, Necrophagist and Behemoth. 
Now that is a lot he has done in a lifetime. The album cover is magnificient and the inlay is detailed complete with lyrics and supporting art (signature DSR). If you have not heard the preview tracks then the artwork should be the reason for owning this album. Class !
Praising the box of this set took up some of my time prior to opening it. I couldn’t wait to play the cd. Before I got lost in the music I wanted to see the huge poster. Instantly my eyeballs caught sight of Viru’s flared nostrils. Only to have my balls drop off by the drumming on the album. He is easily one of the best we have as his drumming is effortless.
The Return To Darkness is DR’s album with a new line-up. Expect a change in their sound and how ! It feels as if the new guitarist Daniel was the only one DR was falling short of. He has changed the way people will perceive DR. He is equipped with that professional attitude towards his role that doesn’t come easily. Look around you and feel the difference.
So we have 10 tracks. Of pure unadulterated melodic metal. The intro to the album Between Infinity And Oblivion personifies what the band believes in – darkness. Great synth work on this one. Talking about synth, Mephisto has raised the bar for synth playing. What amazing work. He stands out on each track. Lookout for the tracks The Warrior’s Return, A Tragedy Befallen, Bound By Blood Fire and Stone, Dismembering The Fallen. Infact this version of Dismembering The Fallen is better than the last recorded one. A special mention to Sahil’s vocals. It sounds more polished now.
I look for melody in most of what I hear, and when I expect it to be there I look for it even more. DR has been promising and on this record the aspect of melody is pushed even further, staying true to the band’s major influences. Infact in every song there is a conscious effort to include melody but the ones that kept me hooked have got to be Where Dreams And Darkness Unite, Omega I and The Final Stand.
The lone track that made news before the album release The Unrelenting Surge Of Vengeance has some great riffs and brutal drumming. They had replicated this song the way it is on the record at Deccan Rock Festival. Followed it up with a video on youtube that catapulted the views on their channel DemonicTube thereby setting some new records for Indian metal.
Now a separate part on my most awaited track – the 11 minute opus – Lord Of Pestilence. Begins with a sound that no doubt will remind you of Frozen Portrait. But then the clean parts on Frozen were not sung by Sahil. Sahil attending his Workshop regularly has improved his clean skills. And I see influences from his other project Demonstealer too. The song that is over 11 minutes scores in every department. Complete with power drumming, classic synth and guitar solos. So to say it is a complete song.
The production on the album need not be talked about because by now we know what to expect from DSR. Fronted and run singlehandedly by Sahil ‘the demonstealer Makhija, this one man army is a massive reason for the shaping of the scene. Time and again this has been said and he truly lives up to it. And the least we can do is buy the albums, (fvck) I mean an album with this quality really needs to be appreciated and how can that be done ? – obviously by buying them !
I need not mention this separately but this is the best Indian metal album till date. In the words of Saloni Sinha, they sound like a mellow version of Behemoth, can’t believe its the same DR.
Read that ? Everyone is sharing the same feeling over this album, the new DR line-up and sound. Pick up your copy. It is worth your money. And DR at its fvcking best.
With a gig lined up in Europe this year, it is clear that everyone in the band has a passport. That was sad. After all, demonic metal is something only India can offer.
Next stop – Wacken ?
[Saloni Sinha is the brain behind the artwork for Amogh Symphony, Gutslit, Atmosfear, and this German band named Winterblood. And if you do not have a band then you can get a tattoo done. Click here non-demonic content to check this kickass tattoo she made on me. ahem ! Drop a mail to metaholic666thegame@gmail.com]
Posted on Jan 14, 2010 under International |
Posted on Jan 13, 2010 under Music |
Being the biggest fan of black metal fan alive I feel cursed when I have absolutely no Indian black metal releases to look forward to. Expecting a release is a little to much I am asking for as there aren’t any black metal acts around. Barring a few who try there is not much of an impact, not much of a following. I wouldn’t mind a less black metal following but a couple of tight acts could very well complete the circle.
Enter 1833 AD. A Delhi-band which doesn’t just claim to play black metal but justifies the genre. They are like hair on a just-shaved surface. Please laugh ! First heard their track Silver about an year back. Wanted more but there was no news.
1833 AD having been around since 2004 haven’t made it big and I personally feel the only reason being their relatively low presence on the gigging scene as their music kicks ass. 
Consisting of 4 members with Nishant ‘i love my neighbours’ Abraham on vocals/guitars, Rahul on guitars, Sushmit on bass and Shashank on the throne, 1833 AD is just what a sucker for melodic black metal like me wanted.
Influenced heavily by Norwegian black metal I did not require any other reason to atleast check them out. After all, I have been dependent on Norwegian metal for almost everything, more on that some other time.
This 4-teaser they came out with includes tracks from their upcoming full-length My Dark Symphony. What do I infer from these tracks – black metal in their distinctive style, and it doesn’t take the charm away one bit, whether it is the dark but intensely melodic guitar riffs or the orgasmic drumming, and the neat bass-work. Did I not mention the vocals ? – something you have not come across before. Unique. What Nishant is possessed by to produce such rasped vocals is still unknown. They do not borrow their music from their influences and yet are inspired. Hear them and you’ll know why.
Out of the 4 tracks, the most recent one Inheritance Evil is without doubt their best till date and My Dark Symphony is going to get 1833 AD its due. Recording wise I see complete justice being done. For an Indian metal band their sound is one of the best I have come across.
This release is going to be important for the country’s black metal scene as it has to start somewhere. From the capital city, so be it.
If you are into black metal you have to check out 1833 AD without any expectations (obviously) and you are up for a big pleasant surprise.
Moral – It takes just 4 Indians to create black metal.
Posted on Jan 09, 2010 under International |
Lot has been written about the subject of religion but i ain’t gonna be the next fan of it ! If I go back in time and waste a thought I strongly feel that beings then could have gone for a better aspect to divide themselves. A little smartness could have averted the course of history and this great barrier could have been something really unknown. The so called concept (or whatever) of god that exemplifies a religion was created just to overcome that feeling of unknown fear. But does it work ? – fvck no !
Indulging myself in bashing the almighty gives me some real pleasure. The reason for it is there is no almighty. Now that you have taken your time to let that sink in we can move ahead.
I, like countless others was at 1 time a believer of this entity called god. It was just another belief, a classic case of preach what your surroundings teach. For whatever reason I had to visit these religious places in my early teenage I did complain. Steadily though. Whether it was for the fact that they wailed beyond their capability and made funny noises to encounter something unusual is yet to be determined. I visited them for every other reason than what was expected of me. This place is in the true sense an abattoir for people like me who do not get affected. Witnessing all this became more of a pain than everything else that followed. I should have reached my saturation on day one. No matter how much I laugh over the fact that the reason I went there was to get entertained I do feel privileged to have gotten over it to actually enjoy the finer things in life. It was not some temporary phase, nor was it any kind of hormonal change. It was right there. In my face.
Questioning myself over this issue consequently led me to read Anton Szandor Lavey’s satanic bible. And this subject opened a world of possibilities for me. More on that some other time. Everything that the satanist had to say made sense.
Now that I am in this elite category of non-believers, something that really concerns me is a religious celebration. Making noise is not the issue because even I blast metal but making so much noise that you come across as someone who doesn’t give a fvck about others around is a serious concern.
Fasting or for that matter screeching like Dani Filth to expect a miracle is beyond my understanding. Inflicting oneself with pain for no particular reason is underestimating self from not being able to achieve greater things.
Don’t you know the rule ? – You are on your own.
If whatever I have written here offends anyone or makes you think of me as an aberrant I take that as a compliment. And if you like what you read then it should not be tough finding your way back here.
Blasphemy is here to say…
Posted on Jan 08, 2010 under International |
Metal band Slayer’s bassist Tom Araya needs to undergo back surgery really soon.
Slayer and Megadeth were all set to have the biggest music tour of the new decade called the American Carnage Tour, but this emergency has led to the cancellation of quite a few international tour dates.
According to the press release, the booking agents are working around rescheduling the Carnage tour sometime later this year. This comes as a great disappointment to all Slayer and Megadeth fans but Slayer cannot go live unless Tom is all fine.
Araya is famous for known for aggressively headbanging and is known to have started experiencing back problems while on the band’s Australian/New Zealand/Japanese tour last October.
He was later diagnosed with Cervical Radiculopathy. Although he didn’t want to go in for surgery, it looks like it’s time for Araya to go in for the much needed surgery thanks to the pain and numbness.
Here’s wishing Slayer’s Tom Araya good health again!
Posted on Jan 04, 2010 under International |
Making a movie with a biographical subject on a prominent personality doesn’t seem easy for obvious reasons of getting the facts right without raising eyebrows. I always watch such a subject with my expectation levels low. Whether it was October Sky, Catch Me If You Can or maybe The Basketball Diaries. But its just mind-boggling to watch film-makers beat me to it. Milk is another very fitting example of how cinema can make you sit up and notice. Non-fiction it is and its sensitive too giving even more reason to watch it.
Milk (not the lactated 1) talks about this not-too-known visionary Harvey Milk who was the first openly gay man to be a significant political figure in the state of California, US. And the role is essayed by Sean Penn (Mystic River, 21 Grams) who deservingly won his second academy award for this. A complete opposite character to the ones he has played till now. He looks so effortless while delivering his dialogues as Milk that I have forgotten the real him. I have promised myself to watch 21 Grams for the fourth time to see him play someone else. His mannerisms !
"I am here to recruit you"
If Brokeback Mountain took portraying homosexuality one level up, Milk takes it miles ahead. Someone really wise had said, If you wanna hide your relationship you’d rather not be in one. This is what made Milk spark the movement that follows. Guilt troubled him for his secrets. Respect.
And if you are probably wrecking your brain over how Penn would have fared in those kissing and love-making scenes with his boyfriends over the movie, he leaves no stone unturned in convincing you that he indeed is a committed homosexual. Talk about playing a character.
The movie has its own emotional moments. Take for instance the scene where he gets to know he is leading against his rival political leader Biggs in his fourth attempt to become the gay representative and how esctatic he is. See him rejoice in the wake of defeat. His public debates with the rival leaders are a complete treat managing to combine both wit and meaning. I don’t know who else could have done this role but Penn wins your heart with his timing. You see yourself emoting along with him. The part where his boyfriend Jack commits suicide is a real heart-warmer. Just watch Milk feeling guilty for Jack’s death.
cold..
Each of the characters have been cast as per the need. Emile Hirsch who plays a gay activist here has already proved himself as Christopher McCandless in the Sean Penn directed Into The Wild. The character of Dan White which is a vital one is played effortlessly by Josh Brolin (No Country For Old Men). See if you can figure out its him. Be it Diego Luna as Milk’s last lover Jack, James Franco as Scott Smith or Alison Pill as Milk’s campaign manager Anne Kronenberg, everyone just falls in place.
What scores for the movie other than exceptional acting by all its actors is the fact that it brings together real emotions whether it is inspiration, courage, confidence, fearlessness alive on the screen. Milk did not give a fvck. He knew what he wanted.
get that 'straight'
As much as I know this shit cannot be pulled off in bollywood, I wouldn’t mind watching one of our 40+ actors attempting such a character (of a lifetime). And by which I mean serious cinema and not a story of two stupid friends trying to play homosexual lovers and very predictably falling for the same dumb chick, only to realise there is another guy who gets to bang her. Holy shit !
Director Gus Van Sant who has given us Good Will Hunting before does his homework. And ofcourse the terrific combination of producers Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen. Remember the sexually frustrated Spacey in American Beauty ?
The writer for this movie Dustin Lance Black is someone who really understands homosexuals and this man also works as an LGBT activist, when he is not writing about them ofcourse.
Its not very often that everything seems right whether it is the screenplay, the story, actors, background score and me writing a review. So now that you are late for catching the movie at a hall, go grab the dvd. Worth your time.
Must I add, All’s well that bends well ?
"i have two of these..."
Posted on Jan 04, 2010 under Indian |
Mumbai’s Metal Band “Khiladi” is all set to start off the new year 2010 with a blast.
Be a part of the Khiladi Mosh Party at Kir (formerly known as D’Ultimate) which features this metal band along with some guests.
Brace yourself for the moshing experience of the year, as Khiladi belts out track after track of their originals as well as some very twisted covers.
Also joining Khiladi will be the Alt-Metal band – Dog Ate Disco
Date: Jan 7, 2010
Timing - 9 pm onwards
Entry free before 9 pm: Rs. 200 and Post 9 pm Full Cover Charge
Venue: Kir, Andheri – West, Mumbai
See all you metal heads at the mosh pit in Kir !