Saturday 31 July 2010

UPCOMING GIGS FOR AUGUST







Okay so this is not a gig but itis the release date for Al B Damned's debut album!!!!










THERION - SITRA AHRA (CD Review)



01.Sitra Ahra
02.Kings Of Edom
03.Unguentum Sabbati
04.Land Of Canaan
05.Hellequin
06.2012
07.Cu Chulain
08.Kali Yoga III
09.The Shells Are Open
10.Din
11.After The Inquisition/Children Of The Stone


Christofer Johnsson (Guitars/Keyboards)
Christian Vidal (Guitar)
Nalle "Grizzly" Påhlsson (Bass)
Johan Koleberg (Drums)
Thomas Vikström (vocals)
Snowy Shaw (vocals)
Lori Lewis (Vocals)

Legendary Swedish heavy metal band founded by Christofer Johnsson in 1987.Despite the religious connotations their name is actually a homage to the Celtic Frost album To Mega Therion.

Beginning as a death metal band, they later turned to combining orchestral elements with their metal music, employing heavy use of choirs and classical musicians, not only as additions to but also as integral parts of the composition.

There are a number of slightly exagerrated claims such as "Therion is the first metal band with fully live orchestra", something that Deep Purple first did back in 1969 and "It is also the band which originated, popularised and influenced the symphonic metal genre", i would suggest the Italian band Devil Doll have more of a right in the "originated" and that it was Nightwish who "Popularised" the genre.

However Therion are almost certainly the best exponents of the genre that at times is more operatic than mere symphonic metal.

Musically taking its themes from different mythologies and is based on concepts ranging from occultism, magic and ancient traditions and writings. The majority of their lyrics were written by Thomas Karlsson, head and founder of the magical order Dragon Rouge, of which Johnsson is a member.
The band has seen many changes in line-up and style throughout its history, perhaps the most shocking was the departure of Karlsson in 2008, however in November 2009 a new line up was put together along with the announcemnet of the recording of this album.

Generic symphonic pomp is a perfect way to start this album and 'Sitra Ahra' ticks every box, with high female vocal and dark male vocal, full chorus, driving drums and powerchord structures and a blazing solo.


'Kings Of Edom' has an operatic start but quickly switches to folk/ballad influences.
Half way through the epic vocal chorus brings to mind Turisas, whilst dare i say that towards the end it has all the qualities of a Moody Blues song before heading into speed metal territory.


A serious nod towards doom metal heralds 'Unguentum Sabbati' a straightforward blast with awesome vocals and lurking in there some keyboard riffs from Phantom Of The Opera.


'Land Of Canaan' oh fuck!!!
Seriously how do i even begin to review this song???
Its a 10 minute mini opera that throws everything at you, okay so it has that spookycore start a la KoRn, then we enter classic euro prog metal, then harmonica and acoustic guitars that would make Ennio Morricone proud, which then morphs into battle metal territory with some great flute playing thrown in.
Then here comes that epic male choir, then damn we get some accordian and soprano female vocal to slow things down a bit.
Yet another tempo change with harpsicord leading to traditional eastern european folk with a vocal that could be Marilyn Manson duetting with Topol from fiddler on the roof!!!
A melancholy breakdown then blends into a mid tempo drum rhythm with violins and cello's and another male chorus, then a happy upbeat almost pop bit with some humming and a Kate Bush (ish) vocal blended with more opera.
This is just the most stunning song i have heard in a very long time!

Just how many vocal styles can they keep coming up with??? 'Hellequin' seems to be able to put in black metal vocals and Male tenor that could be Christopher Lee.
Some great 60's style organ playing add's to the ecletic mix to create yet another outstanding piece of music.


'2012' continues this pure aural delight that has a great pumping bassline, Iommi' style guitarwork, high male vocals, superb choral backing, and breakdowns with violins.


The anthemic 'Cu Chulain' with its echo of a traditional welsh male choir on the chorus mixing well with its hard rock verses and overall structure, definatley a touch of Thin Lizzy lurking in the background.
Funnily enough its not unlike a heavy metal take on pet shop boys go west!


Gothic and anthemic and heavy as hell, 'Kali Yoga III' and taking on the Krishna mythology way better than George Harrison ever did!
The song continues from parts one and two from their Sirius B album from 2003.


That wonderfull tenor vocal returns for 'The Shells Are Open' its an almost bouncy ska like backing, a typically operatic song.


Whoa!!! suddenly satyricon make an appearence (well not actually them) but could be with this full on black metal assault with the aptly titled 'Din'.
Furious double peddling and blast beats with full choral vocals create a stunning headbanger.


'After The Inquisition/Children Of The Stone' brings us to a gentle and calm finale.
Beautiful acoustic guitars lead into a pink Floyd/Moody Blues chill out.
The choir sounds almost childlike bringing to mind that song from the Lost Boys movie.

In terms of musicianship, structure, production and emotion this is quite possibly the best album you will hear this year.


STU (Valued contributions from Chelle).

Rating 10/10

For fans of: Nightwish, Epica, Tristania, Devil Doll, Cradle Of Filth, Turisas, Dimmu Borgir

Friday 30 July 2010

PHYREXIA - WORLD ANNIHILATION EP (CD Review)



01.Bladewing
02.Bloodfire Colossus
03.The Pyromaniac


Elliot Beaver (Vocals)
Daniel Saunders (Guitar/Vocals)
Paul Nazarkardeh (Guitar)
Bobby Dennis (Bass)
Rhys Sinclair (Drums)
Vicki Thompson (Keyboards)


Formed in 2007 the band play an organised blend of music which they call "Epic Melodic Dragon Metal",taking influences primarily from metal but all across the musical spectrum and beyond to create an original sound.


'Bladewing' has a classic symphonic/black metal sound, some quite good guitarwork and harmony keyboards and a nice Maidenish guitar solo towards the end.
The vocals however clearly need work unless tasmanian devil is what was intended.

Now for 'Bloodfire Colossus' the vocal is much better, still shouty and more akin to hardcore than the symphonic background would normally be used to.
The timing changes are well executed and again the guitarwork shines through and it sets the right mood.

The epic metal elements are here with 'The Pyromaniac' at times reminescent of early cradle Of Filth, but it's that vocal style which still sits uncomfortably for me.
The breakdown with 3 different guitar solos is well put together and the way the drums kick back in is very good.

This cd is good, dont get me wrong, but i really think that the music deserves a better vocal approach, its too hardcore to do the music justice.
The band clearly have the ability to produce music of a high standard and it will be intresting to see what they produce next.

STU

Rating 6/10

For fans of: Cradle Of Filth, Children Of Bodom, Mayhem

Thursday 29 July 2010

THE MERCY HOUSE - EP (CD Review)



01.Greed
02.Lead The Way
03.Inversions


Drew (Vocals)
Dany (Guitar)
Dan (Guitar)
W.R (Bass)
Nick (Drums)

So for the last 16 months Mercy House have been working hard, very hard, numerous gigs, 4 demo cd's, support slots to major bands like Hamlet, Vains Of Jenna and Biohazzard.
Their popularity caught the attention of Kerrang, and both Metal Hammer and Classic Rock magazines put one of their songs on a cover mount cd.
The band seemingly grow from strength to strength and have now arrived at their first official cd release and are to emabark on their first big uk tour in September.

The Ep along with other merch is available from : http://themercyhouse.bigcartel.com


The dark, brooding 'Greed' kicks off this EP with pure majestic power, it brings to mind Judas Priest's 'Touch Of Evil' with Zeppelinesque qualities, superb production brings out every instrument to perfection.
Drew's vocal delivery is reminicent of Chris Cornell doing an impression of Johnathan Davis, but has those trademark high notes that still makes Drew "THE" rock vocalist in the UK today.
The multi tracking and layering of the vocals and their various styles just adds to a superb piece of work.

That relentless wall of power continues into 'Lead The Way'starting off with a bass riff that would fit any decent Korn track, the song has an Audioslave vibe.
Part ballad part rock monster it is a song destined for american rock radio and a subsequent begging letter to come and tour.


Im not sure how they have managed to do it but the breathtaking 'Inversions' has now reached a level of brilliance beyond my ability to describe, in fact one of the lyrics,"you wont find the answers, they are too deep inscribed, deep within the maze that is your mind" just helps to illustrate my fail here on words.
The music is tighter, the little vocal effects added here and there, the cleaness of the guitars to such clarity that each note has its own purity, i mean its just fucking perfect!
There are few modern songs that have those elements of "classic" but this song will be around to entertain many future generations.

That this band remain unsigned and yet can produce an EP to such a level as to rival (if not surpass) any signed band with a huge budget is nothing short of criminal, this band have a right to be taken to the world stage and the ability to back it up all the way to the top.

STU

Rating 10/10

For fans of: Audioslave, Helloween, Judas Priest, Whitesnake, Alice In Chains, Led Zeppelin

Saturday 24 July 2010

FLYTEONE - NEHULA (Free Download Album Review)



01.Night Vision
02.I Am Unicron (Transformers Remix)
03.Dubplate
04.Pussyhole (Remix)
05.Welcome To Flight One
06.It Died A Quiet Death (Remix)
07.Fucking Croissant
08.I Kissed A Girl (Remix)
09.Woo Ha (Remix)


Tim Storey (Keyboards/Sampler/Electronics)
Adam Ever (Vocals: It Died A Quiet Death)


Tim is better known to most of you as the drummer for the rock group 'From Great Height', perhaps less well known is that his love of all musical genre's from Black Metal to Dub and his abilities as a multi-instrumentalist and producer make him an undiscovered talent as well as an asset to his band.
So here is the first downloadable album of his original electronic compositions and a few clever remixes.

'Night Vision' was actually the first song Tim ever wrote in the electronic field.
Whilst the overall feel is calm, chilling with epic sweeps the loops and phased main keyboard is a little too prominent and takes away much of the harmony that lays behind the mix.Nevertheless an impressive start.


The second track 'I am Unicron' was created as a Christmas present for one of his close friends.
The care and attention to this piece is obvious, even down to the maticulas recreation of the original sounds from the cartoon Transformers of which Unicron was a character.
This is an epic track with a clear nod to Tangerine Dream, its epic qualities ring through the speakers as does the stunning piano playing that eventually leads into some hi-energy beats at the end.


Old skool dub is on the agenda next with 'Dubplate', Tim's attempts to convey happy times of hot summer days in London after the onslaught of rain and snow echo gently with its laid back rhythmic sounds, delicate string orchestration and light pulsing synths.


Dizzee Rascal's 'Pussyhole' gets the full Flyteone treatment with an inspired face paced remix that retains the rapping but totally destroys (in a good way!) the original musical backing.

Echoes of Brian Eno ambience bring the mix back to earth (or should that be up in the air?) with 'Welcome to Flight One'.
Just fasten your seatbelts, sit back and enjoy the ride, but hope that the pilot isnt listening to it because its seriously laid back!

Something of a gamble seems to have paid off with 'It Died a Quiet Death', as Tim said " Well, I thought I’d give remixing my own bands song a go,i tried hard to incorporate Pauls big bassline, mikey’s soloing over the chorus and verse, and of course Adam’s synth towards the end, to give it that extra epicness".
Adam's vocal delivery gives the song an almost menacing element and the use of electronics essentially creates an entirley new song when adding drum 'n' bass/dubstep themes.

The title itself is worthy of praise 'Fucking Croissant', this may be filed under generic Dubstep with its repetitive structure designed for DJ’s, yet at times it has a slow almost industrial mood.

Katy Perry's homage to lipstick lesbians 'I Kissed a Girl' is the next remix target and Tim claims to have not heard the original until after he completed his version.
Now that was clearly a big advantage here as he has turned an upbeat happy pop song in a darker, sleazier almost gothic song bringing to mind Marilyn Manson's take on Tainted Love and Madonna's Justify My Love.


'Woo-hah' the Busta Rhymes classic from 2007 get taken into the realms of Jungle and Drum 'n' Bass with high velocity rhythms and thumping bass to recreate the song for a whole new genre of fans.

To get your copy of the album for free download just go to:
http://soundcloud.com/flyte-one
STU

Rating 8/10

For fans of: Drum & Bass, Dubstep, Ambient, Electronic, Dance Remixes

Such is the impact of Tim's work that he himself has since been remixed, you can find them here :
http://soundcloud.com/modo8-modrecordings

Thursday 22 July 2010

REVIEW of 'The Way we Feel' EP by Last Breath .


Track 1: Drive All Night

Track 2: Craze

Track 3: Break Your Heart (Taio Cruz cover)



Band Members:

James Parkinson(vox and guitar)
Tom Parkinson(guitar and vox)
Mike Croft(drums)
James Gradwell(bass)


Bio :

Last Breath are a four piece melodic rock band from Blackpool.
Their sound has been described as being full of 'catchy rock pop hooks and low tuned rock riffs'
and could be England's answer to Nickelback .


Their first track 'Drive All Night' is a catchy pop number that has a nice melody and a fairly decent guitar solo in there.
The harmonies are very good and the song has an overall Mc Fly /Busted feel to it .

'Craze' comes as quite a suprise given the younger typical'boy band' sound of the first track.
This one has a heavier adult classic rock sound to it and has some awesome riffs!!
Can definately hear Nickelback,Jovi, and maybe even a hint of Metallica in there !!!

The last track is a cover of the Taio Cruz smash hit 'Break your Heart',
although you get the impression that they've attempted to give it a different, more rock based sound ,
they haven't quite achieved it and basically the song sounds just the same which is a shame...
but it will still no doubt be a crowd pleaser and will get their fans singing along .

I think that these guys have got the potential to go far ,
they've got all the ingredients needed ie sound,talent,looks and image...
but the question for me is, in which direction will they choose to go ???
The good McFly/Busted style pop that would please a more younger audience especially teenage girls ??
or
will they produce more of the excellent adult orientated rock that would appeal to an even wider audience ??


Chelle

8/10

Wednesday 21 July 2010

BLACK CANDY STORE - BACK TO THE WALL (CD Review)


01.Back To The Wall
02.Someday
03.Swine Seed
04.Recall
05.Wounded
06.Hollow
07.Humility
08.Bittersweet Euphoria
09.The Pledge
10.Upward Spiral

Arno (Vocals)
Julien (Guitar/Keyboards)
Flo (Drums)
Marco (Bass)

Formed in October 2008 in Southern France, the rock quartet set about creating the most original and authentic post grunge "Seattle Sound" and added a huge slab of classic 70's rock into the mix.
In August 2009 they went into the studio and self produced 10 tracks that were mastered by Dave Collins (Linkin Park, Soundgarden).

Title track 'Back To The Wall' has all the qualities of a Velvet Revolver outtake, thats not to say its a bad song, but it should have had a little more attitude.

It doesnt improve that much with 'Someday' a huge step backwards that plants the band firmly in bland Nickleback territory.

'Swine Seed' starts with a movie sample and lyrically deals with world hunger and makes the clever implication that big buisness will take care of it."Good health wont be so cheap, your lives are good indeed, i introduce our new shit, please applaud our swine seed".Direct reference to crops that do not reproduce themselves.Its a mid tempo rock ballad with some nice acoustic guitar throughout.

Those chris Cornell influences come out big time for 'Recall' and does it some justice.

'Wounded' has an awesome southern rock feel, fantastic acoustic and subtle slide guitar.The vocals are simply stunning and the production top rate, without a doubt the best song on the whole album and one which should be pushed onto the radio and even be released as a single, it has "hit" written all over it.

So a weird intro, unsettling timing changes and pure zeppelin worship are just three elements that make 'Hollow' my personal favourite.

That zepp feel continues with the slighly heavier 'Humility' but the backing vocals keep it radio friendly.

This may be one of those lighters in the air songs, but 'Bittersweet Euphoria' just doesnt quite cut it above an easy listening tag.

Fortunatley 'The Pledge' woke me up with a punchy drum kick and a good rhythmic powerchord structure.The second half of the song shows some classy musicianship with live active bass and a solo worthy of Jimmy Page himself.

Finally 'Upward Spiral' with its chord heavy headbanging moments ends an impressive but flawed debut that shows the band have the ability to go on and create something that will knock you out.

STU

Rating 6/10

For fans of: Audioslave, Stone Temple Pilots, Black Crowes, Mercy House.

SISTER SIN - TRUE SOUND OF THE UNDERGROUND (CD Review)


01.Sound Of The Underground
02.Outrage
03.Better Than Then
04.24/7
05.Heading For Hell
06.I Stand Alone
07.Built To Last
08.The Devil I Know
09.Time's Aren't A-Changing
10.Nailbiter
11.Beat 'Em Down

Liv (Vocals)
Jimmy (Guitar)
Dave (Drums)
Benton (Bass)

Rejecting the "Gothenburg Sound" that Swedish legends 'At The Gates' single handedly started, Sister Sin looked back to the early 80's euro metal scene for their inspiration, dispite coming from the same town.

So seven years later after numerous high profile tours with the likes of Arch Enemy and Motorhead, several self released recordings and one official release they arrive at album number two and hope to break out into metals mainstream market once again having built up a following in America last year when their song 'On Parole' appeared on the Rock Band playstation game.
If you love metal then you will love this album, essentially it ticks the boxes with fast paced drums, good guitar work and straight forward vocal delivery.

There are a few tracks to pick out like the anthemic almost Motley Crue sounding 'Outrage' which is due to be released as a single soon.

'Time's Aren't A-Changing' has that "fist in the air" quality that will no doubt make this a firm live favourite.

The final song 'Beat 'Em Down' is a heavy as fuck fast paced tribute to Swedish boxing legend Ingemar Johansson complete with some clever use of boxing ring/crowd sound effects.

STU

Rating 8/10

For fans of: Warlock, Acid, Girlschool, WASP, Motorhead, Scorpions

Tuesday 20 July 2010

DIRTY AGNES - THE GRUDGE (Free Download Song Review)


01.The Grudge

Lakis K (Guitar/Vocals)
James McIlroy (Guitar)
Ravi Kesavaram (Drums)
Laura Claire (Bass)

A few months back band mastermind lakis said "It's hard to say what Dirty Agnes are about
- all we know is that it's a lot of fun in rehearsals, and that we did what we considered
to be a one off show. We are however, having a band meeting soon to discuss the possibility of turning it into a real band, so watch this space!".

The band, which is something of a supergroup, features Lakis from Nemhain/Love & Bullets
on guitar and vocals, he also produced and mixed the song.
Laura is ex Area 54, Ravi is from My Vitriol and James from Chaosanct/Cradle Of Filth.

Well this month the first song was released with a promise of more to come.
To get a free MP3 of the song contact the band at dirtyagnesband@googlemail.com

Coming in at just under 4 minutes this is a catchy high energy post grunge slice of
classic rock n roll that puts current darlings of the scene 'Reckless Love' to shame.
The song also has a good use of a movie sample half way through which throws in a nice
edge and reminds me of a Rob Zombie song.
What can you say solid drumming, pumping bass, great guitar sound and confident vocals, it delivers!

If this is to be the direction and sound of the band then Lakis really has no choice but
to go with it all guns a blazing!!!

STU

Rating 9/10

For fans of: Velvet Revolver, Alice In Chains, Buckcherry

THE ORDER OF APOLLYON - THE FLESH (CD Review)


01.God Speaks
02.Ich Bin Das Licht
03.Word
04.Never
05.Fifth
06.White Dust
07.Four Beasts
08.Flesh Of Yhvh
09.Ex-Voto
10.L'Orgueuil

James McIlroy (Guitar)
Dan Wilding (Drums)
BST (Guitar/Vocals)
Peter Benjamin (Bass)

Formed in summer 2008 by former Aborted members Daniel Wilding and BST, the band began work on the first offering following the induction of guitarist James McIlroy (Cradle Of Filth/Chaosanct) and bassist Peter Benjamin (Akercocke).
The opus, entitled “The Flesh”, concentrates on the passage from the spiritual to the material,
and unlike the clinical sounding productions that intoxicate the metal industry.
The Order’s first release aspires to praise the extreme metal scene of the late 80’s/early 90’s.

The cult of Apollyon is set on dessiminating the message of our God the Supreme Being. It will drive the masses to accept the indubitable domination of the Holy Spirit and to repent their sins before the impending Judgement.
The disloyal scum shall writhe in Eternal Suffering, while a chosen elite shall bathe in glory and rapture. Unconditional devotion is the key.The tag line is more a statement of intent than a mere slogan:
"For his Name. For his Glory. For his Victory. Judgement is upon us. Join The Order."

A nice intro leads us into an aural onslaught of powerhouse drumming, well executed riffs and screaming vocals that have much more in common with Black metal than the more obvious extreme metal that they wanted to emulate.
In fact the opening song 'Ich Bin Das Licht' would not be out of place on Dimmu Borgir's 'In Sorti Diabol' album.
'Word' also has a near symphonic quality to it, however the speed and power keep this firmly in the "extreme" but clearly outclassing the majority of genre exponents by a clear mile.

The powerchord driven and brooding 'Never' blends rhythm with short bursts of high velocity metal to perfection, superb lyrics and the overall production and structure make this for me the best song on the album.
Track 5 with its inspired title 'Fifth' creates that wall of energy that requires a seatbelt on the sofa to appreciate, especially when played at 100% volume.

Both 'White Dust' and 'Four Beasts' stick to traditional form with blast beats punctuating the mayhem, with added guitar solos to die for.

As promised the song 'Flesh Of Yhvh' delivers on all levels, near demonic vocals backed with punchy chord work truly harken back to the glory' days whilst retaining the modern edge and influence.

The horror movie score quality to 'Ex-Voto' creates a sense of impending doom and the haunted vocal effects makes for an ambience that will require a change of underwear for some.

Finally 'L'Orgueuil' deals with the subject of pride, musically its a real headbangers delight with a solid heavy rhythm and enough melodic breakdowns to recover.

STU

Rating 9/10

For fans of: Anaal Nathrakh, Axis Of Perdition, Akercocke, Dimmu Borgir

LAURA LONDON PRESENTS FANTASTIQUE!! (Magic & Music & Cabaret Night August 11th)


Laura London presents...FANTASTIQUE! A night of Magic, Music and Cabaret At Proud Cabaret, Modelled on a 1920s speakeasy.

Doors open 7.30pm
Show starts at 8.30pm -11pm, after which you are then invited to stay for drinks until late.
£10 on the door.

Proud cabaret are offering an amazing deal for their Wednesday supper club, where you will receive a delicious 3 course meal for £24.95 (Normally £49) this exclusive deal also includes free entry to our fabulous evening of entertainment.

Laura London.
The host of this fabulous night! She is an internationally acclaimed magician who's worked everywhere from Buckingham Palace to a theatre in NYC and has appeared on numerous television shows.
She has picked some of her favorite performers to bring you Fantastique!

Katherine Mills.
Her diverse and up to date style combined with her slight of hand dexterity is guaranteed to conjour up an air of elegance and wonder. Katherine has performed internationally and for the BBC as one of the few magicians of her genre.

Little Bo.
The head of Circa Cabaret, she will be delighting us with her saucy, comedy shows.
Little Bo is a woman of many talents including fire and stiltwalking but at Fantastique! she will be doing some cabaret... bumble bee style!

Alan Hudson.
This funny man has appeared at many prestigeous places including The Magic Castle in Hollywood, USA. He will perform his hillarious stand up comedy cabaret act with mind reading and magic. He remain a firm favourite throughout the comedy clubs in the UK and abroad.

Dani Glasson.
A beautiful lady who has recently come out of self imposed retirement to bring you the first in a series of fusion belly dance shows.

Claudia De La Creme.
A Swedish beauty who mixes burlesque and magic with absolute style and grace. Claudia is also the other half of London De La Creme, where she performs magical illusions with Laura London.

The Stillhouse Orchesra.
A superb duo musical act who perform country swing, bluegrass and other old time music. They will delight and make you laugh with covers of classic songs as well as their own original songs. Their combination of great voices and instrumental ability make them an absolute joy to watch.

Miss Rejoyce.
This professional dancer will show you burlesque the Aussie way. You may even see a touch of magic watching this high legged beau in action.

Mr Flay.
Escape Artist and Man of Action, The Irrepressible Mr Flay will add bravado and a touch of class to our cabaret. Full of dash and forged from raw daring-do, Flay has a variety of dramatic and death-defying stunts that will astound you!

Fay Presto.
Our headlining act is the fantastic Fay Presto, who is arguably Britain's premier close-up and cabaret magician. Having been previously nominated Tatler's 'Entertainer of the Year' and personally requested to entertain HM The Queen on no less than six occasions. Fay is the first choice entertainer to a host of celebrities and VIPs including Madonna, Elton John, Rod Stewart, Dustin Hoffman and Eric Clapton to name but a few.
Her television work has included 'Talking Telephone Numbers', Paul Daniels' Magic Show 'Secrets', Gay Byrne's 'The Late Late Show', John Lenahan's 'Stuff The White Rabbit', 'This Morning', 'James Whale', 'Trick on 2' and BBC's 'History of Magic' series (2004).

PROUD CABARET.
Corner of Dunster Court and Mark Lane, 1 Mark Lane, London EC3R 7AH.
Tel: 020 7283 1940
http://www.proudcabaret.com/

There is also a Facebook invite :

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=138153619545784&index=1

To book your table please contact Laura London ASAP at :

lauralondonmagic@yahoo.co.uk



TOVELL PROMOTIONS IN BUSINESS

A new start.
Tovell Promotions are here to help your band with getting reviews, radio play and known to the general music loving hoards!!!!!

We are also happy to help promote your venue, club night and gigs.

www.facebook.com/chelle.stuart

www.myspace.com/Tovellpromotion

www.twitter.com/Tovellpromotion

EMAIL : Tovellpromo@yahoo.co.uk

Stu & Chelle

Friday 9 July 2010

FROM GREAT HEIGHT - SPECTRES AT THE FEAST (Cd Review)


01.Spectres At The Feast
02.It Died A Quiet Death
03.Invited In By

Adam Ever (Vocals/Keyboards)
Michael Alp (Guitar)
Paul Buckingham (Bass)
Tim Storey (Drums)

These are the first recordings since Tim joined late last year and show a clear forward
progression for the Enfield based rock group who are now deservedley gaining major press
attention.
Many great bands start life with a lable that does not really represent their body of
work, think of bands like U2, Simple Minds, The Jam who were essentially classed as
Punk/New Wave, this is true of FGH who gained a "Progressive" tag, yet drew comparisons
to a variety of artists as diverse as Marillion, David Bowie and Roxy Music.
What the band have done even at this relativly early stage in their, what will become a long, career is create a unique brand of commercially viable rock music that trancends genres from Extreme metal to stadium rock and intelligent pop music.

The dual attack of haunting vocal and guitar open up this first track 'Spectres at the
feast' before the song literallly explodes into a crescendo of keyboards and drums mixed
with absolute perfection.A truly epic song that blends agression with melody with defining keyboards making for an instant and very catchy hit.

The live favourite 'It Died A Quiet Death' is next, a mid tempo rock number with a great
guitar riff punctuating the quality throughout.Its anthemic qualitys are simply awaiting the massive audience cheering and singing along that a main stage support at Glastonbury has been crying out for.

The slow ballad quality to one of the earliest songs ever written by Michael Alp,
'Invited In By' showcases Adam's awesome and mature vocal delivery, but also the early
Progressive influences of Michael.The various timing changes, use of synth and the superb phased guitaring create a song that has truly epic qualities and with a drum fade out that just leaves you wanting more.

All in all a single of such professional standards i can but hang my head with pure
disbelief that this band are not signed and arranging a major European tour.
But good things comes to those who wait and in years to come From Great Height will be a household name.

STU

Rating 10/10

For fans of : Marillion, U2, King Crimson, Peter Gabriel, Simple Minds

Tuesday 6 July 2010

UPCOMING GIG's

Welcome to the updated and improved layout for Stu's Reviews.

NEWS:
The UK's answer to Nightwish, ACHILLA have just put up new recordings on their myspace as a taster to the upcoming self produced debut album.

SOLSIKK have now completed their debut album as well and have new songs to hear on their Myspace as well as some new promo pictures.

GENERATION GRAVEYARD have some demos on Myspace, one of which features me on backing vocals!!!!

FROM GREAT HEIGHT have put up their first recordings with new drummer Tim on their myspace and website, review of this new ep will be coming soon.

NEMHAIN have announced another european tour where chaos will no doubt ensue and numerous personal injurys :) for this September.

CATFIGHT have now become two bands, Samara decided to rename the old band as KAIN and pursue the original intention to have Catfight as an all girl band.



This is a stunning line up for an all dayer :

CLOVEN HOOF - http://www.myspace.com/clovenhoofofficial

Virus - http://www.myspace.com/virusthrash

Generation Graveyard - http://www.myspace.com/generationgraveyard

Ghost Train - http://www.myspace.com/therealghosttrain

9 Blind - http://www.myspace.com/9blind

Kyrbgrinder - http://www.myspace.com/kyrbgrinder

To Kill A Rose - http://www.myspace.com/tokillarose

*BAND TBC*

Sarajevo - http://www.myspace.com/sarajevotheband

Black Water - http://www.myspace.com/blackwaterbandleeds

Tickets are £8 advance from the bands, or £10 on the door.

You can now buy tickets from the following link (registration required)http://www.whatnext.org.uk/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=50&category_id=11&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1

If you book 36 hours before the show tickets will be on the door for you.

Cradle of Filth (Yness) will be had when Nemhain join Sarah for a couple of gigs!!!!