NEMHAIN - FROM THE ASHES (Cd Review)

01.From The Ashes
02.Ana
03.Clear My Eyes
04.Second Skin
05.Girls Like Honey
06.Dirty Weekend
07.Jane Doe #1
08.Heroin Child
09.Mr Bronson
10.Babylonia
11.The Filth And The Fury
12.Speed Queen


Amber Erlandsson (Vocals)
Lakis K (Guitar)
Lisa Dickinson (Bass)
Adrian Erlandsson (Drums)
Sam Astley (Guitar)
Note : Sam does not play on the album.

Guest
Pete Dolving (Vocals)


Formed in may 2006 by Adrian and Amber, they have so far had 5 line up changes,
released one ep 'Blood Runs Free' and contributed to 3 compilation cd's, played gigs in
America and Holland, a couple of festivals and 50 uk gigs.

Last year they went to Sweden and recorded their debut album, originally due for
release late last year but postponed due to Adrians touring commitments with Paradise
Lost.

What we have here is 12 of the darkest, disturbing and at times twisted songs i have
ever heard, these songs of abuse, revenge, drugs and sex put people like Marilyn Manson
to shame, devistatingly brilliant.

Starting with 'From The Ashes' the song is punctuated by a great riff and there is no
question that it is drum driven as Adrian pounds the hell out of the poor kit.The song is clearly one of defiance, "Hate what you think i am, I'll use your hate to make you drown'.

So weird to hear 'Ana' re-recorded (it was on the 2006 ep), its a lot heavier than the
original, still has the nice guitar intro but then Amber screams 1,2,3,4 and it just blasts through the speakers, always loved this song about the beauty queen who wants to be a star but ends up dead after drug adiction.

A Sabbath/Zeppelin feel greets 'Clear My Eyes' this has that epic quality about it and
it lives up to that task with ease but being Nemhain it gets that blues stained punk
rock treatment.Amber's vocal is sultry, it has a kind of evil glamour about it.A brilliant song about a destructive relationship best summed up with the line "make me sick to look at you" great solo from Lakis as well.
Note to self its "wash your face in my abyss" not "my own piss" which is what ive been
singing along to all last year!!!!!!

The cover of the Gits 'Second Skin' was the idea of Lakis, and a great one, the song sits perfectly with the Nemhain ethos.The song features a guest vocal from The Haunted's Pete Dolving, and boy does this one rock.

The moody 'Girls Like Honey' is next, another dark and brilliantly written song about
an abuse victim turned prostitute, its heavy ballad quality moves superbley with those
lyrics, im mean this is serious stuff, "Daddy i want to hurt you, you fucked me in the
head, why did you go leaving me bleeding on the bed".

Inspired by Helen Zahavi's disturbing book of revenge and murder by a woman in
Brighton, 'Dirty Weekend' is an upbeat rocker with a catchy chorus.

'Jane Doe #1' has a weird intro that sounds like some squeaky metal object with guitar
over it.I think we could be in serial killer or necrophillia territory here, or perhaps both,
"Im addicted, I'm afflicted, black hair, dead stare, masturbated, so wasted", whatever its about it's pretty fucked up.

My favourite Nemmers song is up next 'Heroin Child' this is a much more refined version
that first appeared back in 2006, its raw and alive, full of anger and energy, Amber's
voice is just perfect, the drums retain the backbone, the bass is punchy and the guitar
is screaming!
Every time i hear this i always feel like its my song, it resonates certain things inside me, sorry but this song is just fucking perfect and "I know how to shout and destroy everything".

Now the idea that Amber wrote a song about the headmaster from Tv's Grange Hill is not
very dark and disturbing but then this 'Mr Bronson' is indeed something far more dangerous and fun but the lyric reminds us "His price is as high as the price of your pain", just as JJ Cale wrote the anthem in the 70's, Nemhain have written it for this generation.

'Babylonia' is a completly new song written for the album, its a moody, brooding and
damn right evil, nasty as anything piece, some great slide guitar from lakis.Possibley the angriest song on the album "You paint your face with roses and vitriol" the song is definatley poetry with a knife, i think i know what this is about as well, but somethings are better left un-said.

Originally called the Hate Song the Motorhead like 'The Filth And The Fury' comes
hammering through my headphones, full volume of course, this songs pretty angry as well
and another dark tale of revenge and twisted love and violence involving a blow torch.

Finally that driving Motorhead vibe again for the classic 'Speed Queen' always a live
favourite and now finally on disc in perfect form (It was on the 2006 ep, but this version blows it away).Just ends the album so well now everybody after me..."Amphetamines are in my dreams,
dont need no sleep for this machine'.

The perfect album from the perfect band, no question at all that this should help them
gain recognition and respect that they deserve, now wheres that acoustic ep and second
album????

Rating 10/10

For fans of : Distillers, Motorhead, Chrome Division, Turbonegro

STU

HOLLOW SIN - VACANT TRANSGRESSION (Cd Review)

01.Hurricane
02.Fated Consequences
03.Shell
04.Blood From A Stone
05.Calling


Andrew (Vocals/Guitar)
Harry (Bass)
Dave (Drums)
Tom (Guitar)


Formed in august 2008 and with clear intention of making quality music that will last and more importantly get them noticed.

I guess the first thing you really notice is the mature and quite superb vocals, they are melodic and soulfull, pure class.

'Hurricane' has a nice intro that leads into some melodic thrash with great riffs and very solid drums.The next song is way too melodic, its a good song but bordering on a ballad it drops the initial kick of the first song.

'Shell' is an acoustic ballad, however this fits better, reminds me of Stone Sour's 'Bother'.
Ahh but the metal returns with 'Blood From A Stone' though the riff got motley crue's Dr Feelgood running through my head!!It has a great solo towards the end as well.
The final song has another great intro then kicks in, a very melodic vocal almost seems at odds with the heavyness of the music, but it all works.

Overall a very good ep, personally would have dropped 'Fated Consequences', now get this band into the studio and record an album, especially when you take into account the quality of this recording that was done in the drummers bedroom!

Rating 8/10

For fans of : Incubus, Megadeth, Stone Sour, Krybgrinder, Feral

STU

DUSTEROID - TYRANNOSONOR (Cd Review)

01.Defy
02.High Roller
03.Tomahawk Storm Troopers
04.Whiskey Overdose
05.Imprisonment
06.The Rolling Head
07.Holy Sin
08.Dusty Road


Dimitris Blanos (Vocals/Guitar)
Sammy Forway (Drums)
Tijay Tarintino (Bass)

Nothing short of awesome stoner/doom from the london trio, formed in 2005 and featuring Tijay better known as bassist for Blood Island raiders.This is their debut album and comes in a brilliant fold out sleeve.

On the 'about' section on their myspace it says "On the 8th day of creation, the cosmic silence was getting boring and therefore our one and only architect decided to sniff the planets for a quick fix messing up reality. To his surprise and during his natural high he sneezed and pollution appeared into the unusually golden and calmly obeyed structures, therefore creating the Dusteroid. There was no turning back after that. God decided to quit!".

First 2 songs tick all the right boxes, pounding drums and bass, great vocals and some fantastic guitarwork.
For me 'Tomahawk Storm Troopers' is the first stand out track, the guitar playing is just breathtaking and it has this power like hawkwind jamming with black sabbath in 1971!!!!!!!!
Then it just keeps going with this vibe as the track rolls straight into 'Whiskey Overdose', which also has this great bluesy section reminiscent of Ten Years After.

'The Rolling Head' is a kick ass doom/metal hybrid with some great breakdowns in it, whilst 'Holy Sin' has this bluesy feel again and a really weird bit in the middle!

The last track 'Dusty Road' is a masterpiece, a slow doomy intro moves into this drum driven fast paced rocker.
But keep the disc running through 5 minutes of silence and then there is a secret song, which is an acoustic instrumentle very bluesy and really neat.

Rating 10/10

For fans of : Cathedral, Blood Island Raiders, Electric Wizard, Clutch

STU

MORE GIG FLYERS

KNOXFEST @ The Gaff 16.01.10 (Gig Review)

MALLORY KNOX
FIVE SECOND RULE
GENERATION GRAVEYARD
ZERO EXPERIENCE
GHOST TRAIN

The Gaff,Holloway Road 16.01.10

GHOST TRAIN
Fucking hell these guys are good, basically a british WASP without the shock element.A stunning live performance for a debut gig, great songs, really good stage presence and a vocalist who knows how to work an audience.They ended their set with a superb cover of WASP's 'Wild Child'.

ZERO EXPERIENCE
A post grunge trio whose Alice In Chains vibe is quite infectious, well structured songs and a strong vocal make for an entertaining set.

GENERATION GRAVEYARD
Always explosive, never dull, the london mob never fail to impress and tonight was no
exception, in fact tonight was their best show to date.Wheather blasting out 'Murder Rock & Roll', a cover of GG Allin's 'Bite It You Scum' or throwing in a brand new song, every song is delivered will full conviction and recieved with equal energy from the audience.

FIVE SECOND RULE
It was almost exactley one year ago that these guys first took to the stage and it has
been a pleasure to watch them mature (if thats the right word for this gang??) into a very serious outfit, now i say serious in terms of professionalism because the most important factor with their show is "fun" and "entertainment", both delivered to perfection.
As always a friend gets a lap dance and the finale has dancers and fire!!!!

MALLORY KNOX
To end one of the most exciting gig's in a long time comes the slightly scarey Kit and
her band of warriors!It's just pure punked up energy, backed with solid drums and bass and some neat solo's and agressive backing vocals.You cant get bored when these lot are on stage and for the third time in a row the audience went crazy.
Show-stopper tonight was a highly amplified version of 'Helter Skelter'.

STU

GHOST TRAIN
ZERO EXPERIENCE

GENERATION GRAVEYARD

FIVE SECOND RULE

MALLORY KNOX

GHOST TRAIN - GHOST TRAIN EP (Cd Review)

01.Are You Happy Now

02.Dark Queen

03.Ghost Train

Charlie Turner (Vocals)

Owen Palmer (Guitar)

Aj Bond (Bass)

Ryo Aiba (Guitar)

Andy Doran (Drums)

Vocalist Charlie had previously been with london based rock group Roxville, so it was quite nice to catch up with his vocal talents again, but this band is surprisingly heavier and darker.
'Are you happy now'is not a happy song, its moody with dark lyrics and has some great guitar work, but Charlie's voice just booms throughout.

Now 'Dark Queen' is a classic in the making, good riffs, good lyrics and it just drives along like WASP did in the early days.There is a great solo in their as well, backed by some furious drumming.

The final track 'Ghost Train' has a cool country intro then hits their trademark sound and again those vocal talents shine through,"take a ride on the ghost train its only one way" goes the lyric and the way it goes is forwards at high speed!!!Really neat guitar outro as well.

I tell you Ghost Train have the potential to be really big in 2010, their take on that glam/punk/metal hybrid is very refreshing and very well delivered.

Rating 10/10

For fans of : WASP, Murderdolls, Quiet Riot, Al B Damned

VOYR - VOYR EP (Cd Review)

01.Early Warning

02.Dont Push It

03.Good Enough

AC (Bass/Vocals)

JP (Guitar)

Gorge (Guitar)

Emilio (Drums)

With no info on their myspace and no available bio i had to do a bit of research to find out their names let alone anything else.The myspace page dates from may 2007, but on facebook it says making music since 2009.So a total lack of any self promotion does not help when it comes to reviews.

So hit play and hope the music does all the talking?

At just 2 minutes the opening song 'Early Warning' is very short, which is a real shame as it just starts to get going when it stops.

Fortunatley 'Dont Push It' is a bit longer giving time to take the song in and hear some great guitar work, weird though that the main lyric seems to be 'Let It Go' and not as titled??

Last song 'Good Enough' really is, overall great guitar and vocals give this early seventies influenced rock band a very listenable sound, need to work on the promo side of things though.

Rating 7/10

For fans of : Taste, Free, Led Zeppelin, Ten Years After

STU

KILL THE MACHINE - KTM EP (Cd Review)

01.Control
02.Rise
03.Intravonous


Mick Readings (Vocals/Bass)
Ian Winters (Drums)
Davo Cooke (Guitar)


Ex New England & N.E.U.K are back with a new band! "KILL THE MACHINE" who are taking the London Rock scene by storm! After only a hand full of gigs, this review says it all! "Unforgiving Take-No-Prisoners Experimental Groove Rock with a touch of Stoner. Hailing from all over the England rock scene, Kill the Machine are the soundtrack to a bring-your-own-power-tools party. Constructing riffs of iron and maliciously attacking the senses with a sonic hammer. In other words, imagine being beaten by a tree trunk. You might want to purchase a hard-hat for this one.

'Control' kicks in from the opening bass riff and remains a constant onslaught of southern tinged groove metal throughout.Its a punchy instant headbanger!

Track 2 'Rise' has a more stoner feel, awesome vocals as well, sounds like he's singing through an old 1950's mic, the drums hold this moody mutha fucker together as well, my favourite track on the ep.

And all too soon we arrive at 'Intravonous', it has a pretty cool fade in and then some great acoustic guitar before crashing into the heaviest of the three songs.

A quite stunning little ep, leaves you wanting more, so hurry up with the album!!!

Rating : 9/10

For Fans of : Eyehategod, Crowbar, Grand Magus, Down

STU

Victimless Voodoo Gig Info For 24.01.10

London burlesque star Amanda Mae Steele has a heart of pure gold and moved by the recent events in haiti has rushed together to put on an amazing fundraising show with people like Lydia Darling and the awesome voodoo rockabilly band Voodoo Pins.

http://www.myactionaid.org.uk/amandamaesteele/victimless-voodoo-help-for-haiti(Donations page for those who want to donate but maybe cannot attend on the night)BUYING RAFFLE TICKETS BEFORE THE EVENT

For those who would like to buy raffle tickets please use this link to pay securely via paypalhttps://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=11272068Please ensure you put your telephone number and full name in so that we can contact you if you win.

We will email you with your raffle ticket numbers. Boston Arms have kindly let us use their venue to orgnaise a phenomenal night of Music and Cabaret to raise money for Haiti.Haiti has been hit by a devastating earthquake that has seen an already improverished and deprived country brought to it's knees.It has not been given the help it needs with any great speed although finally aid is reaching those who really need it.All the people involved in this gig have given their time, products and performances for free.

EVERY SINGLE PENNY MADE IS GOING TO HAITI.The kindness, speed and help that each person has already given is phenomenal and we hope that this will prove to be a wonderful night that will bring in a lot of money to help those people who need it so desperately.Although initially we did say that money would be going to UNICEF we have now decided to give all the money to Action Aid as that will ensure that ALL funds go directly to the Haitians. As the ONE movement state themselves - Where you live should not dictate weather you live.

Websites

http://twitter.com/#/list/ONECampaign/haiti-newsUp to date news feed of what’s currently going on in Haiti to aid the people caught in the crisis.

https://support.actionaid.org.uk/store/checkout_donation.asp?prod_id=247

Action Aid – charity that has been in Haiti since 1996 to aid one of the poorest places on earth.

Please support the charity and Amanda's night.

Stu

JANUARY GIG FLYERS