The Audio Injected Soul Music News Report 12.20.07: The Genesis
Posted by Brandon Ratliff on 12.20.2007
Where it all begins…again.
Ahem. Allow me to introduce myself. For those of you that don't know me, I'm Brandon. I've actually been writing here at 411Mania Music for about three and a half years now, since July 2004. I did the Sunday news, entitled "The Day You Can't Stay Up" from shortly after I started until about January 2006. At that time, I posted the news that I wasn't going to continue (mainly due to being the full time editor of the music section at that point along with other time constraints) and anyone who would be interested in writing the column could email me. Well, I did receive a lot of interest, and when it was all done with, I picked my replacement, a man who still writes here to this very day.
A man you know by the name of Ben Czajkowski, author of All You Cannot Live Without. Fun stuff eh?
So I eventually stepped down as full time editor due to (surprise) time constraints and a lack of internet access at the time. I still do a lot of record label PR for the site, mostly behind the scenes stuff.
Enter this news report.
I get so much email from labels about artists and such: news, press releases, free song streams and downloads, et cetera. Not all of this is fit to post in the news section. So what do I do with it? Post it here, if you hadn't figured that part out. Those of you that read The Day You Can't Stay Up know I am a hard rock and metal fan, but I plan to cover all sorts of genres, simply because I have the content to do so. Any streams or downloads that I receive and have permission to post will also go here as well. This week's column will be a little light on news as I just found out the day before it needs to post that I'm doing it again, so please excuse that. But as I get into the groove of things I will post a lot more. I promise.
Okay, I'm done ranting. First column sort of thing you know?
I'm An Ol' Skool Playa
Man, I just realized how the art of pimping is gone now. That's crazy! I plan to do it myself, even if it is just because I'm "ol' skool" like that, but not this week. Again, working out the kinks.
For those of you that don't know, I am not condoning literal prostitution. When I say pimping I mean providing links to the articles of your fellow writers on the site. It seems like no one does that anymore.
Spend Your Money Night And Day, Buy The Albums That I Say
Just as a note, I know Ben does the new release thing too (which he totally jacked from me in the first place), but I will only post the albums that have (seemingly) firm release dates and titles.
Sevendust - Retrospective 2 (out now) Rivers Cuomo – Alone: The Home Recordings Of Rivers Cuomo (out now) Various Artists - The World's Strongest Man (out now) Silverchair - The Greatest View (out now) Skillet – Comatose re-release (December 26) Ill Nino – Enigma (January 8) Egypt Central - Egypt Central (January 15) Course of Nature – Damaged (January 22) Mindless Self Indulgence - You'll Rebel To Anything (January 22) The Mars Volta - The Bedlam in Goliath (January 29) Protest The Hero – Fortress (January 29) Spineshank - The Best Of Spineshank (January 29) Obituary - The Best Of Obituary (January 29) Cradle Of Filth – Thornography re-release (February 5) Bullet For My Valentine – Scream, Aim, & Fire (February 12) Seven Mary Three – Day & Night Driving (February 19) 3 – The End Has Begun re-release (February 19) Don Airey – Light In The Sky (February 26) Black Tide – Light From Above (February 26) Ludo – You're Awful, I Love You (February 26) Sevendust – The 7th Chapter (March 4) Meshuggah – obZen (March 4) Temposhark – The Invisible Line (March 4) The Presidents Of The United States – These Are The Good Times People (March 11) P.O.D. – When Angels And Serpents Dance (April 4) 10 Years – Division (April 22) 36 Crazyfists – The Tide And Its Takers (April 29)
News Is New, So What Do You Call That Which Is Old?
Goofy title, I know. I'll probably change it at some point. Who knows.
The News: Black Tide recently wrapped work on their debut album Light From Above, which will see release via Interscope Records on February 26, 2008. The album was produced by Johnny K (Disturbed, Machine Head, Soil), and features the single "Shockwave."
My Thoughts: I honestly hadn't heard of these guys prior to the press release I received about them, but they are pretty solid. They kind of combine an 80s metal feel with modern hard rock. The musicians in the band are pretty solid too. You can check out "Black Abyss" and "Shockwave" on their Myspace page.
The News: Joel Dorn, a multiple Grammy Award-winning record producer who first made a name for himself while at Atlantic Records in the late 1960s and early '70s, died on Monday, December 17, from a heart attack, in New York City at the age of 65.
My Thoughts: I knew who he was, but he didn't work with anything I really listen to. Even so, condolences go out to his family and friends.
The News: Not music related, but apparently you can buy an acre of Moon land for about $20 US. Read more about it here.
My Thoughts: Hmm, maybe I should move to the moon instead of Chicago? It seems property is much cheaper there, and the government can't tax it either. Score!
The News: Memphis, Tennessee's Egypt Central will be releasing their self-titled debut in January 2008 on Fat Lady Records in conjunction with Warner Music Group's Independent Label Group (ILG). Egypt Central, featuring John T. Falls (vocals), Joey Chicago (bass), Heath Hindman (guitar), Blake Allison (drums), and Jeff James (guitar), originally recorded the album in 2006, which was mixed by Josh Abraham (Velvet Revolver, Korn, Linkin Park).
My Thoughts: This album has actually been recorded for a long while. It was originally going to get released earlier this year (I want to say somewhere around March?) on Bieler Brothers Records, but shortly before release got shelved. I hear the band then went back to the studio to "re-tool" the album. They are a pretty decent radio-rock band, but I'm not quite sold on the stuff they posted on their Myspace page yet. Check that out to hear "Over And Under," "Home," "Leap Of Faith," and the single "You Make Me Sick."
The News: Every Time I Die, From First To Last, The Bled, August Burns Red, and The Human Abstract are gearing up to run the Take Action! tour. The tour will begin on February 14, 2008 in Detroit, and will run through March 23, 2008, ending in New York City. Dates, and ticket information can be found here.
My Thoughts: I like From First To Last, and August Burns Red, and I have only heard a little of The Bled. The latter remind me of a modern day Professional Murder Music. But Every Time I Die…I tried to get into these guys, but I absolutely can not stand them. They just seem like they don't try that hard when writing and recording their music, despite what you'd probably read. To each his own I guess.
The News: +1 Public Relations are debuting their new record label, +1 Records at the beginning of the year. To celebrate the debut of the label, they plan to manufacture one limited edition 7" "digital vinyl" single each month of 2008. The first two formal releases scheduled for the label will be The Heavy's Great Vengeance & Furious Fire (Myspace) and The Morning Bender's Talking Through Tin Cans (Myspace, both in April 2008.
My Thoughts: To be completely honest, I'm not a huge fan of much of the stuff that +1 promotes as they work with a lot of indy rock and pop, but they are all great people that I have been working with for a long time, and I most definitely do wish them the best of luck with this new record label.
The News: As a Christmas present of sorts to fans, Century Media Records has launched an online "8-track player" which features streams and free downloads from Arch Enemy, Suicide Silence, Himsa, Divine Heresy, The Agony Scene, In This Moment, Sworn Enemy, and Warbringer. Check it out here.
My Thoughts: I went and played with this a bit, and it's actually really neat. You start by inserting the 8-track tape in the deck (it's all done via Flash) and scroll through the tracks. As I said before, you can download all of them for free too. Man, you guys are lucky. All Century Media sent me was a Christmas card that says "Santa Slays" and had all of the staff's signatures in it. But mine is personalized. So…hah! I win.
The News: Former Nightwish vocalist and diva-extraordinaire Tarja Turunen will release her debut solo album on February 26th. My Winter Storm was produced by Daniel Presley (Faith No More) and will come in the typical regular and deluxe version, the latter of which will feature several bonus tracks and a DVD.
My Thoughts: Wow, I knew it was only as matter of time, but you guys should read the official press release (take a look at it on Blabbermouth) for this. The DVD is apparently "stimulating." The funny thing about this is you know that a bunch of little metal head boys will go after this and "stimulate" themselves watching Turunen prancing around on stage like the egotistical diva she is. Seriously people, she's really not at all attractive.
The News: Fall Out Boy guitarist Joe Trohman's hair was caught on fire at a December 14th show at Madison Square Garden. In a blog after the event, Trohman said the following: "There was so much pyro on stage that I lit my hair on fire, which in turn made me feel the power that the gods of rock bestowed upon us, and I proceeded to head bang."
My Thoughts: … Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.
The Following Bands Claim To Be Working On A New Album. It's Probably Just A Government Conspiracy Though.
I liked this title for this section (along with keeping this separate from the regular news) so I decided to keep it for now at least. Thoughts?
Canadian progressive death metal band Neuraxis is current working on their new album, the first for new label Prosthetic Records, and the follow-up to 2005's Trilateral Progression, which release on Galy Records. The album is expected sometime in the summer of 2008.
Deep Purple keyboardist Don Airey is working on a solo album, to be released February 26th. Good for him I guess.
This is pretty old news now, but Disturbed recently recorded a cover of…something, which I couldn't find. But the album is almost done apparently. I'm actually not sure why I didn't just post this as news. But I digress.
Slipknot is planning on reconvening and heading to the studio within the next couple of weeks or so, tentatively aiming for a spring release for their new album. Drummer Joey Jordinson has been quoted as saying the album will be "will be "heavy as f*ck," adding that it will also be "just as weird and as experimental" as (Vol. 3)." The members who weren't working on other projects during the offtime (Sid Wilson was touring clubs as DJ Starscream, Corey Taylor and Jim Root were working with Stone Sour, and Jordinson spent most of the year touring with Korn) have been working on new music for quite a while now however, so expect the process to go fairly quickly. Personally for me this is huge as Slipknot was the first metal band I ever took to, after my dark ages of listening to nothing but radio pop. I've been a big fan of them since before they really took off too, but I definitely like to see the exposure they get as long as they stick to their grounds, which they have thus far.
Listen Up! It's The Band Of The Week
Those of you that read TDYCSU should remember this little feature. If not, it's pretty self-explanatory. If you have someone you'd like to nominate, feel free to send me an email about it.
Twin Method: If you've read anything I've done in the past few months, I've mentioned these guys multiple times. I'll keep the story short as I'm running low in time here, but basically, while working security at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater here in Kansas City back in August, the Family Values tour came through, which these guys were on. One of the staff there knew the drummer, and they were talking as I was going to clock out. After being kind enough to make an alcohol run for them since they couldn't leave the venue, myself, and two of my friends who also worked there hung out with them and a bunch of the bands that were on the tour backstage. We then all went to IHOP (with the bands of course), talked for a while longer, and left. We all bought their CD from them, and I honestly don't think I'd ever made such a great impulse CD purchase ever, since I didn't hear any of their set. They combine heavy guitars with solid rhythm and a play between two vocalists; one screamer, one singer. Or if you want to take their description: "It's like Linkin Park mixed with Metallica mixed with Mudvayne mixed with Primus. Then take the bastard child of that and add some Fear Factory. It's metal your mum would listen to." That's not the exact quote, but something close to it. Anyways, for being an awesome band with an album without a single bad song, Twin Method is my band of the week.
Everyone Loves Free Music, But At Least Here It's Legal
DJ Skee recently released a remix album called American Godfather, which you can download in its entirety for FREE right here. The album basically combines mostly vocal clips from the most recent Jay-Z album American Gangster with samples and music remixes from the classic Godfather movies. Not sold yet? Go here to watch a video preview of the remix of "Fallen." Read more about it here.
Jimmy Dow Shall Forever Be My Mailman
This one is pretty obvious too. I don't have any mail yet oczywiscie, but I will use this section to respond to any mail or comments I may get.
Current Listenin'
This is another section that's pretty easy to figure out, as I will list any particular albums or bands I have been listening to a lot of in the past week. I have to skip it for now due to time constraints, but it will be here next week.
The Weekly Fortune
Just think of this as your fortune cookie for the week. Use this advice wisely, young grasshopper.
Well, that's it for me. I'm happy to be doing this again, and I hope you enjoyed it. Feel free to leave any comments or email me on anything you liked and want to see more of, or anything you didn't like. You get the idea. But until next week, I'm Brandon Ratliff, and you've just gotten a glimpse into my Audio Injected Soul.
