| CD REVIEW TSM/SLW Promotions special October 2011, Part 1 : Fireyed – Greenthief – Mandara – Minsk Security |
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Aw, aw...(painful self-incriminatory criticism)! Over-worked by stuff of a personal nature, I simply failed to get this special done within the confines of the month of September, as promised. Ah well, that cannot be helped. However, as the personal stuff is now somewhat out of the way, I'll be able to spend more time on these reviews again, and I have still 3 special coming up from a batch confided to me...some time ago now! Promise to get things done as soon as possible, without any delay. Oh, I forgot...I'm spending the day tomorrow at the editor-in-chief's, helping him out to get the site up-to-date...Well, bollocks! For the time being, enjoy the following (special care mention to Greenthief and Mandara)! --------------------------------------------------- Right, here's the story so far... This Italian band from the vicinity of Naples (actually from suburb Caserta, situated North of Naples) was started in 2006 with the intent to recreate the sound and spirit of '80s Rock 'n' Roll, but the intensity with which they played their covers of some of the more popular Hard Rock tunes of the era found the band meeting with immediate success in the local music scene. In 2007 the band decides to stretch their original ideas somewhat by recording also six songs of their own. The self-titled mini-album (oh wait now...the info sheet mentions LP, so would it have been released on vinyl?) is promoted by the band taking their music up and down Italy, and thanks rather positive reactions from the country's press (who recognize a raw diamond in the fresh) the band is enabled to play support slots for some well-known bands in the Italian and European Rock scene, such as Jaded Heart, Mike Terrana, Pino Scotto and Rezophonic. Then the band loses its rhythm section, but the new guys bring in extra influences and an exciting improved mastership of their instruments...and the resulting mix-up of all musical influences only strengthens the internal bonding of the band, and tightens up their musical expressions. Realizing they're up for bigger things now, the band signs onto the roster of the British First Step Management...whose first job for the band is to bring 'em upon UK shores, with a Spring tour covering Wales and England. The British audiences are carried away by the Italians' energetic shows, and the tour is a true success. The return home seemed promising at first, as the band had entered the Metal Battle competition, the first prize of which is to perform at Germany's Wacken Open Air festival. But after a hard battle the band comes in second, and therefore misses its chance. However, the band turns the missed opportunity into an extra incentive to improve themselves even more, and moves on to fulfill a national Italian tour, writing new songs with the power that disillusionment can bring. After the tour they start the recordings which would eventually give birth to the quintet's first full-length album. The sessions end in March of 2010, just in time for the band to travel over the Channel to the British isles, where they baffle the fans they'd already made with their improved playing skills and somewhat modernized sound during an even longer UK tour, which sees the Italian fivesome share stages with some of the better known British bands, among which NWoBHM legend Tygers Of Pan Tang. Returning to Italy, the band is finally noticed by and signed to Heart Of Steel Records, who release the band's album in April. What can one expect when listening to this album? Well, what you get is an adrenalized Garage Rock, in which influences from AC/DC occasionally come through. The modern touch comes from the sound being geared towards the bass end somewhat, but the great lead guitar play lifts everything up to a level of its own. Vocally, there's some interesting things going on, with lead singer Erik frequently being backed by several of the other members. One of those guys has a singularly clear high pitch, which goes exceedingly well with Erik's mid-high vocal stylings in the couple of instances it is used. Also (and I forgot in which song because each time I tried to take notes I kinda get swept away by the music) there's a song in which the other guys take lead in the chorus with the lead singer backing thém...quite unusual, and quite effective on the vocal variety scale! Regretfully, I found only one song off the new album posted a (www.) myspace.com/fireyed, which means you do nót get a sample of the nice sentimental ballad “I'll Be Waiting”, nor one of the very, véry NwoBHM-styled album title song. Still, I guess you might find 30-second samples of all songs at the album's pages on Amazon, or any of the other trusted online sales websites? End conclusion? In trying to find a good categorisation for this band (as journalists usually are asked to do) I could come up only with the following: former Cover/ Garage Rock band with slight Progressive leanings, gone NwoHBM. I think that is a way to describe the music which would please the band most! 87/100 ---------------------------------------------------- Oh...my...God...and now for something completely different (nah, nót the Monty Python's Flying Circus, you silly buggers!) and exhilarating...from the South East of Australia...the incomparable Greenthief, introducing itself with the following story, taken without alterations from (www.) myspace.com/greenthief. “Little people know about the secret cult that has involved the likes of Dali Lama, Pope John Paul II, Tom Cruise and Dan Brown to name a few, in fact not even the Mossad know about the existence of this clandestine cult that has played such an important role in shaping history as we know it today. To fully understand its origins, one has to search back to the Ming dynasty where our Chinese ancestors bagan what is known as Greenthief. Well, nice story, innit mates? Nice, because even if the historical cited may be incorrect people have most probably been singing revolutionary songs since the days that they were able to fabricate musical instruments of their own. I mean, give the people a reason and they'll grumble, right? And what more effective way of bonding could there be than songs, and dance? Well, be that as it may, we've gotta come back to contemporary history, more specifically to that of the SE Australian band Greenthief, which counts as its members singer/ guitarist Julian Schweitzer (ooh...sounds like this guy's family has European origins), bassist Tom Abbot (this one's were almost certainly from Britain), and drummer Maui Manu (euh...Hawaiian? Or would he have actual Aboriginal ancestry?). Anyway, none of my normal info sources had a clue of when exactly this threesome first came into being, but from the above story we are to conclude the trio started their activities as a reaction to what they felt to be an oppressive invasion from Indie music in their music scene, right? Greenthief recorded its debut 6-track EP Annicain the first half of 2009, releasing it before the end of the year...and immediately got praise from the in-crowd and selected media. Playing gigs up and down the coast of SE Australia, the trio also put in a short tour in more western parts of Australia, spreading the word on Greenthief beyond their natural habitat. And with the promotion deal they struck with Two Side Moon for their new EP (aka Mini-album) Retribution (recorded by English producer Steve James of Sex Pistols and The Jam fame at the well-known Byron Bay based Rockinghorse Studios, and mastered by Tim Young of the Metropolis Mastering Group, known from previous interaction with the likes of Bjork and Placebo among others), Greenthief ads a completely new share of fans to those already conquered in Ozland...because that, you see, is something quite inevitable with the type of irresistible music the guys play! How so? Well, one only needs listen to what's posted at the band's own site (www.) greenthief.com, or even better to what's posted at their MySpace pace (address already mentioned above) to find that these guys base their Alternative Indie Rock (yeah...in spite of what they said above, thàt scene is hit as primal target, you know!?) on a very interesting Progressive Rock with sensitive intensities which sees the band alternate between calmer and heavier passages without ever falling into the entrapments of popular genre crossings with Grunge or other down-tuned Metal sub-genres. On top, Julian has a truly nice semi-high vocal pitch, which he bends and folds effortlessly (and which he only fleetingly – for instance in a sort sentence during the EP's first song “Sanity”, at the end of the album's title track, a short passage halfway through “Vultures” - uses in a more aggressive form), and the slightly moaning quality of which goes so typically well in the Indie Rock genre. With the drums and bass as solid foundation, Julian also twists and uses his guitar as a multi-task instrument, either fondling it with the greatest of care in the calmer moments, or using a little more aggression...but always with a great sense for melodic repetition, making for a dream-away factor for any people listening to the music. Oh yeah...I dó love what these guys do here...to the point of loitering around the house for several days while listening to the material over and over before actually sitting down to start on this review. You know, this is the stuff of dreams people like myself stay in this dreary business (well business, I've been doin' this on a voluntary basis since 1985...and that seems like only yesterday to me) of music journalism for...the occasional exceptional band that stands out from everything else in their genre. How could you be surprised to find Retribution on top of my “Best Albums Of 2001” lists, eh? Good goin' mates! Can' wait t'ear back from ye soon enuff! 98/100 ----------------------------------------------------- Sometimes good things just happen in a series! Here I am just writing another band into my own provate musical heaven, and along comes Mandara, a delightful young female singer-songwriter with the most incredible strong voice and a message to all those oppressed! The oppressed...that's a group of people she feels very related to, and with cause...because born in New York, she was raised in the South as a Buddhist, in the Tennessee Bible Belt, which means she faced much religious persecution as a child. And there's there's actually quite some history of oppression and reaction to that in the girl's ancestry. Her Great-grandfather, as a child, escaped death when his mother hid him in a hay wagon leaving Russia, only to see his brother die of starvation in Vienna as Franz Joseph marched by. Her grandfather was Hungarian freedom fighter Imre Kovacs, esteemed author and Senior Editor of Radio Free Europe whom, having fought Nazi oppression and then the Communist repression, fought for a form of democracy in his country, and was therefore threatened with execution by the authorities...after which he escaped to the US. Current-day authorities having seen the light, there's now a statue of his place in Budapest. If he had lived, he'd have become his country's Prime Minister. Her Grandmother, by the way, became the first female editor of the Harvard Crimson in its 300 year history. Mandara's mother, who raised her daughter as a single parent not only spent her life rescuing horses, but also inspired the '70s Punk Rock movement and its relation to the band Talking Heads, created an unprecedented art form as portrayed in Visible Light. Mandara's own reaction to repression and oppression came at an early age, and in the form of song, writing songs that speak out for the protection of our civil liberties (you know, the constitutional rights to religious freedom and equality), overcoming the intolerance of our time, and striving to have her audiences overcome all personal obstacles. Her music is determined to be a catalyst to encourage all who hear it to be courageous and spiritually free. Blessed by an unusually emotional-laden voice, she has touched people's inner lives and inspired them. She was only 10 when a room full of Rockers pounded the air with their firsts for her, 14 when after a performance at the National Cherry Blossom Festival a Chinese family ran over to say how amazingly different she was, how she affected them... when a member of Rolling Thunder cried on her shoulder. She's also had mail from European countries, North Africa, the Middle East, India, Pakistan and as far as Indonesia, and one in specific wrote to her how her music and the message entailed actually saved his life. Mandara also got her name into the media, being described in various published newspapers and magazine feature articles...and gotten her Associated Press coverage (AP is probably the biggest news group in the US), as well as a television feature. In the music business, Mandara has had resounding praise from none less than Bob Leone (first manager of Lady Gaga), Dale Radecki (concert coordinator/ stage manager of the National Cherry Blossom Festival), Saad Al-Ameri (lead singer of Tarnished), and such well-placed people as Teresa LaBarbera Whites (Columbia Records) and Stacy Quarterman (Sony Records). Having heard Mandara's voice myself (quite repeatedly), I am not surprised at all about all the emotions she has awoken thus far. What doés surprise me is that, in spite of all her accomplishments so far (to which should be added being invited by Pepsi Cola to sing at Freedom Hall two years in a row with audiences numbering well over 100,000 people, as well as for the first two World Peace Concert events at the Beck Black Heritage Center...she still was not offered a decent recording deal (as far as I know at this very moment, that is!). Of course there's hopes within this girl that her music will one day be able to sustain her living needs, but even so she's already made the solemn vow to have a third of all he profits go towards charities assisting starving nations, animal rights, or such like. In fact, she hopes to advance enough in the music business to be enabled to form her own charity in which she will acquire no profits at all, and of which the donations will be used only for the betterment of the world. With her very nice female tenor which reminds me very strongly, somehow, of Cher...(enjoy it by listening to the 4 songs (very nice mid-pace ballads-with-balls Rock songs, you'll agree) posted at (www.) mandararock.com and on her MySpace page)...and the material she has at hand (she's recorded another EP so far, released in late 2010) there should be no problem for Mandara to accomplish these goals at all! Besides, and this is the most amazing thing of all...she's only 16 at the moment. One could only hope for people just like her to get into politics, and become leaders of our countries. As far as I'm concerned, it's Mandara for US President first, then for World President! Tolerance, peace, love and respect for all on Earth and beyond. That may be seen as the stuff of dreams...but it's a dream shared by more people than some of the war-mongering idiots on this astral globe can fathom! Too bad they're also the ones in power, or protected by 'em! Until “that” day, we can only strive to spread our spiritual love freely, and enjoying to the fullest whatever little things we get in return without really expecting 'em. 98/100 ---------------------------------------------------- As you may already know (because we've come across 'em before in these specials), Quam Libet Records is a label promoting the harsher forms of Metal music, and therefore Minsk Security is a band right up their alley! In contrast of its name, MS hails from Hinwil near Zurich in Switzerland, where the band (current members singer Marc Reichen, guitarists Michael Suter and Oliver Schneider, bassist Andreas 'Andy' Schaufelberger, and drummer Simon Burkhard) was founded in 2003, rooted in the Alternative and Punk genre. The band's connection to Quam Libet Records goes back to its very first release, December 2005's mini-album S.A.F.E. In Minsk, which was followed-up in January 2008 by the band's full-length debut Rebornation. Lyrics, by the way, are about war, oppression, religion, and hate in general. To date (including more recent dates this year) the band has played over 100 gigs, most of which admittedly on home country soil. Between January and June 2010 however, the band concentrated on getting the recordings done and mixed for their third release, this under productional supervision of their own licenced recording engineer and guitarist, Oliver Schneider. While already looking for some gigging possibilities, the band then went in search for the proper label to promote their new album...and eventually came back to Quam Libet. Although labeled by the band as just “Melodic Thrash Metal”, I find some of the 11 songs on the album to bring a nice melodic mix of Thrash and Death Metal, with some Hardcore thrown in (mainly in some of the vocals) on top. According to the band itself (citation from their own website (www.) minsk-security.ch) the music on Reign Of Iniquity is, compared to its predecessor Rebornation, much more tough-minded, condensed and catchy. I'm willing to believe 'em on face value of the words, and what I heard on the album gives me a good feeling on the band. The twin guitar work is simply delightful and displays some nice grooves as well as twin lead guitar play, and the vocals have a nice variety to 'em, with Thrashy/ Hardcore vocals getting occasional clean backings/ alternating passages added. All at a very nice and steady up-tempo beat, backed by the steady foundation of bass and drums, which both still have space to go into different modes, and get a chance to shine individually as well. I haven't made any comparisons to older material, because I haven't had the time. But you're absolutely free to do so...you'll find songs off the new album (tracks “The Prostration” and “Ungenesis”) at (www.) myspace.com/minsksecurity, alongside a 3-some of older tracks (of which you should be able to find more – or at least sample thereof – thanks to a link in the “Releases” section on the band's own site – address see above). Although not considered an essential buy, I've nevertheless enjoyed this album thoroughly, and that's why the release gets a nice... 90/100 Tony. |
