music group

2005-12-14T18:57:00.000-08:00

rammstein...

Rammstein was started by Richard Z. Kruspe-Bernstein. In 1989 he escaped from East Germany over the border between Austria and Hungary. He eventually ended up in West Berlin and started a band in 1993 (Orgasm Death Gimmicks). At that time he was very influenced by American music. After the wall came down, he moved back home to Schwerin where Till Lindemann worked as a basket weaver and played drums in the band First Arsch.
At this time, Richard lived with Oliver Riedel (of the band The Inchtabokatables) and Christoph Doom Schneider (of Die Firma). Richard realized that the music he had previously made was not right for him. He envisioned something with machines and hard guitars together. The three started working together on a new project.
Richard soon found it hard to write music and lyrics at the same time. He got Till to join them as he had often heard him singing while working. A contest for new bands was announced and the prize was studio time. The four of them recorded the first Rammstein demo and won. Paul Landers knew them all and wanted to know what they were doing. After listening, he agreed to join. At this point, all they needed for the machine-sound was a keyboarder. They tried to get Christian "Flake" Lorenz to join, as he had played with Paul before in the band Feeling B. Flake was not entirely thrilled with the idea at first and didn't want to join for a long time. But, he eventually agreed.
About the time the band was formed, they all had relationship problems which provided the foundation for their debut album Herzeleid (Heartache) in 1995. Since then, they have reached gold and platinum status for their music and have become Germany's number one music export.

2005-12-14T18:54:00.000-08:00

mudvayne...

After spending a year and a half on the road, the members of Mudvayne only took a month off before starting work on the quartet's second album, The End of All Things to Come (Epic Records, out November 19, 2002). Instead of easing into the album, the band gambled on an ambitious recording schedule that made the ticking of the clock a constant source of tension. The self-imposed pressure to create paid off as Mudvayne produced a collection of songs that offer a window into the band's growth. The first single "Not Falling" along with "(Per)Version of a Truth" and "World So Cold" combine a new attention to melody and disciplined musicianship with Mudvayne's trademark dark lyrical vision, rhythmic complexity and jagged, sonic brutality. The End of All Things to Come captures Mudvayne at time when the band has found its voice and is hitting its stride with confidence. "I've always said David Lynch could make a film out of anything and it would still look like a Lynch film," explains drummer Spüg. "At one point while we were writing this album, I felt like we could do the same thing with music; we could play anything and it would sound like Mudvayne. Looking back I realize that what happened was after 18 months on the road we'd finally come to a realization of who we are as a band." The making of The End of All Things to Come was an exercise in deadline management for the band. "We didn't want to take much more than two years between albums and since we were on the road for such a long time that really didn't leave us with a whole lot of time to make this record," explains Chüd. We wrote and rehearsed for four months and then spent another four months to record and master the entire album. The pressure made us focus instead of fold." "I honestly didn't think we could make the record we wanted to make so quickly, but we did," continues Chüd. "I'm very proud of this album from every angle - the music, melody, songwriting and lyrics. It captures who we are at this moment in time." Although the album meets-and in some cases exceeds-the band's expectations, it wasn't all smooth sailing. Taking the first step, admits Spüg, was the hardest. "From the beginning we knew what textures we wanted on the album and the themes we wanted to explore, but we didn't know how to start." Luckily, the band reached a turning point early when "Not Falling"-the first single-emerged quickly from the writing sessions. "That was the second song we wrote and once that was under our belt everyone breathed a little easier," recalls Spüg. "Looking back, I realize how much that song really pointed the way sonically for the rest of the album." While the aggressive tone on "Not Falling" is undeniably Mudvayne, the song represents how much the band's approach to music has matured since the band recorded its debut, L.D. 50. "On the first record we all played in our own little boxes, like we were playing to impress ourselves," says Spüg. "Touring for so long taught us to listen to each other more and play off each other instead of playing over each other. Making that adjustment gives the new music a more rock feel and allows more room for the vocals and melody to shine." "Not Falling" not only served as the key that unlocked the new album musically, Chüd says the song's subject of self-realization also opened the album for him lyrically. "Writing that song was a powerful experience for me," he says. "The song demanded to be the nucleus, the central figure on this record. If you want to think about it in solar terms, the song became the sun for the rest of the album to orbit around." The momentum from "Not Falling" helped the rest of the album fall quickly into place. Buoyed by that confidence, Mudvayne began recording The End of All Things to Come with celebrated producer David Bottrill (King Crimson, Tool, Peter Gabriel) in Minneapolis, Minnesota at Pachyderm Studios-where Nirvana recorded In Utero. In the studio, Bottrill wasted no time getting to work, says Chüd. "David brought an unbelievable sense of control to the project. He showed up, had dinner with the band and three hours later he was on his hands and knees in the studio plugging in his gear." "He brought out the best in us by forcing the band to question what it was doing and helping us trim away the gratuitousness of some songs," adds Spüg. While Bottrill has been typecast as Tool's producer, Mudvayne was pleasantly surprised to learn that Bottrill had worked with prog-rock cult band King Crimson, one of the quartet's inspirations. Bottrill's experience helping a technically gifted band like King Crimson find a way to make music that is challenging but does not alienate listeners came in handy while recording Mudvayne. "One of David's biggest contributions to this album was helping us mellow the intellectuality of the band without eliminating it," says Spüg. "When we started going too far over the top he would ask us, 'Are you playing it that way because you can or because it works for the song?' He really kept us in line." Bottrill's attention to structure and the band's experience on the road combine to create an organic vibe on The End of All Things to Come. Where L.D. 50 was intentionally sterile and internally focused, new songs like "Shadow of a Man" and the title track focus more on the group dynamic rather than individual heroics. But fans that enjoy the band's use of outrageous time signatures won't be disappointed with the new songs. "Trapped in the Wake of a Dream," for example, boasts verses written in 17/8, choruses in 11/8 and a bridge that mixes both time signatures. Despite the wild syncopation, Spüg says the song's strength is its flow. "If I hadn't pointed out which song was written in 17/8 I don't thing most people would have noticed. It's a strange time signature but it works because it's smooth." The song, however, presented Chüd with the intense challenge of finding a way to sing over the song's odd rhythm without sounding like a robot. "It really was the hardest song for me to record on the whole album," Chüd explains. "I wanted to make the song groove and find a way to make people dance in 17/8. The hardest part for me was learning that dance." Chüd's struggles came to a head while trying to record the song's bridge. Overwhelmed by too many ideas, Chüd froze in the vocal booth. It was Bottrill who finally broke the singer's mental logjam. "David looked at me from the control room and said 'I don't' care what you do, just do something. Anything. Let's make something happen.' He helped me regain my focus. I hated that song while I was working on it, but now that it's done, 'Trapped in the Wake of a Dream' is my favorite song on the record." When the album was finished, Spüg says he realized how much the band grew on the road and how comfortable they'd become making music together. "We didn't have any time to absorb and process the chaos of the last couple of years because we started working on this album almost right away," he explains. "It wasn't until later-when I was listening to the finished album-that I realized how much the new songs reveal who we'd become and where we're going." Mudvayne got its start in a Peoria, Illinois basement in 1996. From the beginning, the band was determined to play by its own rules. "If you're a band in the Midwest, you play cover songs or you don't make money," says Chüd. "We refused to play covers because we were more interested in finding our own voice rather than trying to emulate someone else's." The band's dedication to realizing its unique musical vision was rewarded in 1999 when Mudvayne signed with Epic Records. A year later, the group's debut L.D. 50 was released. While maintaining a brutal touring schedule, the band gained a reputation for delivering a live show that was visually outrageous as well as musically compelling. Mudvayne watched the number of its fans steadily grow as they toured on the Tattoo the Earth festival and with Disturbed. Mudvayne criss-crossed the country again as it headlined the second stage of Ozzfest in 2001. The tour turned out to be the start of a victory lap for the band. After the tour, Mudvayne's debut, L.D. 50, was certified gold (500,000 sales) by the RIAA. In September 2001, the band won the first ever MTV2 Video Music Award at MTV's Video Music Awards. In true Mudvayne fashion, the band accepted the award with a humble speech while wearing blood-spattered white tuxedos and sporting bloody bullet holes in their foreheads. The band responded to the award by returning to the road and assuming the coveted role of opening act on Ozzy Osbourne's Merry Mayhem tour. Mudvayne's winning streak continued into the winter as the band released The Beginning of All Things to End, which included its 1997 independent debut Kill I Oughtta along with additional remixes and interludes from L.D. 50. To follow-up the band's DVD-single for the song "Dig"-the first-ever DVD single for Epic Records-Mudvayne released its first full-length DVD, Live in Peoria. The disc included 90-minutes of live performance, behind the scenes footage and a bonus director's cut of the video for "Death Blooms." Mudvayne explores the possibilities of DVD on The End of All Things to Come offering a special-edition of the album that includes a bonus DVD. The disc features 30-minutes of in-the-studio footage, photo shoot outtakes, an interview with Chüd and Spüg along with previously unreleased songs "Goodbye" and "On the Move." With The End of All Things To Come, Mudvayne continues to push their artistic boundaries.

2005-12-14T18:51:00.000-08:00

morbid angel...

To see past the secure foundations of convention and into an entirely new state of being demands the strength, conviction and true sense of purpose possessed only by a chosen few. They are the innovators, the leaders, the ones who transcend perceived limitations. In their decade-plus reign as death metal's leading creative force, MORBID ANGEL have consistently succeeded in shattering the musical, spiritual and ideological boundaries of extreme music while unquestionably retaining their core element of brutal and inspirational excellence.With their seventh offering, the band that shaped an entire genre has re-defined it yet again. 'Gateways To Annihilation' marks the opening of a new door for MORBID ANGEL - a new path and a new state of mind. Musically enveloping itself within the natural rhythms of the universe, the album flows with the enduring spirit of infinite possibility. The luminous virtuosity of guitarist, founder and song writer Trey Azagthoth, the astonishing battery of legendary percussionist Pete Sandoval and devastating bassist/vocalist/song writer Steve Tucker, along with the classically-inspired workmanship of guitarist Erik Rutan, combine to weave sinuous, striking, and dark grooves around timeless truths and questions that have been asked since the dawn of consciousness and shall be asked forever more. Produced by MORBID ANGEL and Jim Morris at Morrisound Studios in Tampa, FL, 'Gateways To Annihilation' will become another indispensable landmark on the heavy metal landscape. The standards have been raised and exceeded, but that is what MORBID ANGEL have done since their inception.The world was introduced to the furious intensity of the Tampa natives in 1989 with the release of 'Altars Of Madness.' The album was a revolutionary and unprecedented statement in extreme metal at the time, its strong song writing, finely tuned musical firewinds and uncontrollable lyrical rage finding so many eager ears that it catapulted to #1 on the UK Independent chart. Their debut has gone on to be unequivocally acknowledged as one of the most influential death metal albums ever recorded, a whirling vortex of searing anger and unstoppable energy. 1991's 'Blessed Are The Sick' cemented MORBID ANGEL's (and songwriter Azagthoth's in particular) reputation as truly innovative and visionary composers, infusing prevalent classical undercurrents within their exceedingly powerful material. 'Blessed...' retained the devastating windstorm of sound that had become their trademark and took it to another dimension. With two already-classic albums behind them and a relentless global touring schedule, the band had become a force destined for recognition further outside of the growing death metal community.In 1993, they reached a milestone within that community by becoming the first and only death metal band to be signed to a major label. 'Covenant' proved that a band as uncompromisingly brutal as MORBID ANGEL could not only release an album within the major label system, but thrive in that world as well. 1995's 'Domination' further proved that point, with it's slime-ridden guitar mastery providing a statement to what the band had become: an ever-expanding organic machine, fueled by an unquenchable thirst for evolution and driven by an unstoppable will.1997 signaled a major turning point for the band as Steve Tucker joined as bassist and vocalist. His passion, expert musicianship and true death metal vibe helped to make 1998's 'Formulas Fatal To The Flesh' a grand return for MORBID ANGEL and ushered in a new prosperous era for the entire death metal movement. Their exhaustive touring of nearly every continent saw Tucker quickly become an integral part of the band and also proved that, in this day and age, supreme music can still create a supreme response. With 'Formulas...', the continued resonance of the first two classics, two major label triumphs that have sold a half million albums worldwide and a heralded live album ('Entangled In Chaos'), the masters have set the stage for themselves once again.In the year 2000, another death metal masterpiece has been given to the world. Emanating strength with its dynamic and sweeping passages, intensely dark melodicism and intricate percussive flair, 'Gateways To Annihilation' represents all of what was, is and will be - in both death metal and beyond. It is the mirror of the true self. It is the rhythm of existence.

2005-12-06T19:42:00.000-08:00

Kataklysm...

Canadian Death Metal legends Kataklysm officially formed in the fall of 1991, they released a now classic demo called Death Gate Cycle Of Reincarnation in 1992 that got world attention and a record deal with Germany's Nuclear Blast records, the band signed in 1993 and immediately released the demo on CD format and added the bonus track The Orb Of Uncreation which resulted in the creation of the critically acclaimed MCD The Mystical Gate Of Reincarnation. Kataklysm gained world praise and recognition ...a new style and influence was born : the Northern Hyperblast ..and that was just the beginning! In 1995 the band releases their first album entitled Sorcery which quickly propelled Kataklysm as one of the new leaders and forces to be reckon with in the extreme metal scene!
The band follow up again with another hard hitting assault in 1996 with the release of the second full length album Temple Of Knowledge accompanied with a video clip for the track The Awakener which resulted in headliner tours and a bright future a head. With releases like Northern Hyperblast Live a limited edition CD and the controversial 3rd album Victims Of This Fallen World in 1998 the band showed divesity and explored new territory in which Kataklysm found new ground to establish a new sound that soon that would pave the way for new classics to come!
In 2000 Kataklysm strike with a deadly weapon and 4th album called The Prophecy (Stigmata Of The Immaculate) an album that put Kataklysm on a new course and new horizons, that critics called one of the most devastating release in extreme music in years. With all eyes on Canada's finest export Kataklysm, the pressure was one. but that's when Kataklysm are their most lethal! In 2001 a classic extreme album was born entitled Epic (The Poetry Of War), with a melodic edge backed by extreme roaring power. The bands 5th album has become Kataklysm's finest hour leaving critics stupefied and the world begging for more!
So here we are today with tours in over 19 countries around the world, TV appearances expanding in 11 years of existence of blood & sweat, Kataklysm are back to prove that aging brings experience that make great leaders, Kataklysm are at the top of they're form and have evolved into a powerhouse that will crush all and leave nothing but Shadows & Dust for the mortals to beg! Their 6th album to be released in fall of 2002! Once again handled in the true mercenary fashion of Kataklysm with a production that will leave you breathless. A new chapter is born.. a new era in extreme music.. be prepared for Kataklysm's deadly grip!! Here is what one of North Americas most respected writers has to say about this new masterpiece: "Like true Gladiators, Shadows And Dust tears at you with violent power, crude anger and the barefaced truth of somebody with nothing to lose. A hailstorm of musical swords, without the sorcery, Kataklysm are primed to 'Face The Face Of War' with their latest. This is a furious speed freak with enough doom and gloom to lock and load you for many years to come. Think In Flames huffing gas while classic Priest blares in the background. Shadows And Dust is beauty from a world viewed with revulsion and malice. Unlike anything they've done and a true succession, Kataklysm, once again, take the heaviest of music and add true weight and consequence. " Mitch Joel (Circus Magazine/Hour/Revolver online)

2005-12-06T19:37:00.000-08:00

Hypocrisy...
Feigning to be what one is not is something Renaissance man Peter Tägtgren can never be accused of. A living embodiment of music (who has also appeared in three films and written music for one), Tägtgren has been a central and active figure in the extreme metal movement for over a decade. With a list of Abyss Studio production credits (Dimmu Borgir, Immortal, Marduk) linking him to some of the most groundbreaking albums of recent times and rightfully hailed by Alternative Press as "the Rick Rubin of Scandinavian metal," the restless genius of Peter Tägtgren can be equally measured by the vast list of his own musical output. A well-known insomniac workaholic who lives life at a relentless pace, the vice of Tägtgren’s work ethic has proven to be virtuous for the underground scene. 2005’s Virus boasts a lethal combination of reptilian vocals, powerful percussion, grandiose atmospherics, and symphonic requiems, truly revisiting all previous parts of the HYPOCRISY catalogue. Once Virus infects you with its beautifully brutal and painstakingly produced music, a worldwide pandemic is inevitable.
After closing the door on his band Seditious following their 3- and 5-song Life Of Pain demos, guitarist Tägtgren formed HYPOCRISY in Sweden as a quintet in the early ‘90s after having briefly lived in Florida in the late ‘80s - and occasionally drumming for Malevolent Creation. The inaugural line-up included Masse Broberg on vocals, Mikael Hedlund on bass, Jonas Osterberg on guitar, and Lars Szöke on drums. This first incarnation released Penetralia in 1992 (with its heavy Morbid Angel, Deicide, and Entombed influences), but it was 1993’s Obsculum Obscenum when the metal underground took notice of the purity of HYPOCRISY’s old-school death metal approach combined with the unbridled fury of the burgeoning black metal genre. 1994’s Inferior Devotees five-song EP showcased the Tägtgren / Hedlund / Szöke line-up that most would come to associate with HYPOCRISY, though equally notable was Tägtgren’s permanent switch to lead vocals. The Fourth Dimension, 1994’s full-length studio album, showcased Tägtgren’s vocal range and also introduced keyboards, melodies, and slower tempos into HYPOCRISY’s musical cartography.
With 1996’s excellently produced Abducted, Tägtgren began to share his lifelong childhood fascination that would become his modus operandi: themes & lyrics about extraterrestrials. Introducing "Roswell 47" (a song destined for set list immortality) and securing an infinite amount of future writing material, HYPOCRISY continued to prioritize moods over strict adherence to any one musical genre, and therefore pursued a legacy of sonic alchemy that could be death, black, thrash, and even gothic at any given moment. The dirtier sound of 1997’s The Final Chapter reached a wider audience with its fluid elements; however, rumors circulated that the album title was broadcasting the band’s dissolution. Clearly, the strains of writing and producing HYPOCRISY’s music and lacking the time to further develop his own electronic/industrial side-project with clean vocals (Pain) led Tägtgren to choose between HYPOCRISY’s career and Abyss Studios’ continued existence. Swayed by worldwide fan pleas and weary from the unrelenting requests to produce records for other bands, his decision was made easier by a contagious desire to experience a Swedish summer outside the confines of a studio control room, to tour more (and perform half-naked!), and use Abyss Studios solely to record his own bands, as well as a few select bands.
1999’s self-titled album hijacked HYPOCRISY’s retirement and a renewed vigor marked the band’s reformation, elegantly captured in the song "Fractured Millenium." The tracks on 2000’s death-drenched Into The Abyss were captured in a few weeks, and were an exercise in spontaneity that resulted in a display of energy so raw, it proved that a band’s death metal origins could propel music into exciting new landscapes. In 2001, HYPOCRISY fans around the world were invited to choose the track listing for the Years Of Chaos & Confusion box set, with all chosen songs released prior to 1996’s Abducted re-recorded to drench them in a heavier production. Always determined to evolve their style, HYPOCRISY never seemed content with the stagnant lethargy of a redundant sound. Answering to no one but themselves and borrowing a title from Joseph Heller’s classic tale of contradiction, Catch 22 was released in 2002 and reared a savagely experimental and evolutionary attitude. Touring North America that year with Killswitch Engage, Soilwork, and Scar Culture, fans were treated to addictive doses of HYPOCRISY’s live, vile aggression. Honoring the pledge to tour more, HYPOCRISY was noticeably affected by their pillaging of North America in late 2003 with Dimmu Borgir, Nevermore, and Children Of Bodom and numerous sold-out shows. It came as no surprise that 2004’s The Arrival had a predisposition of urgency, though it also came to be long-time drummer Lars Sköze’s swansong. Former Immortal/Grimfist drumming machine Reidar "Horgh" Horghagen - a man Tägtgren had long admired - replaced childhood friend Szöke (who also played in Tägtgren’s school band, Conquest) not only for the band’s upcoming tour with Cannibal Corpse, Exhumed, and Vile, but as a permanent member. Procuring passport stamps from various countries in Europe and South America, HYPOCRISY returned to North America in the spring of 2005 with Soilwork, Dark Tranquillity, and Mnemic to harvest some frenetic momentum before heading into the studio to record their latest album.
It’s the inherent dignity in Virus that affirms why HYPOCRISY continues to impact today’s extreme metal scene even after more than a decade of existence. The aural spectrum enveloping the tormented opening scream on "War Path," the punishing guitar riffs on "Craving For Another Killing," the time-honored gallop in "Scrutinized" (featuring a guitar solo by Gary Holt of Exodus), the melancholy melody of "Incised Before I’ve Ceased," and the collective manifestation of the band’s Thanatos in "Blooddrenched" is where HYPOCRISY exhibits their dauntless and valiant death instinct. "The new HYPOCRISY songs roar with dynamism that the band never before grasped," proclaims Metal Maniacs, and no truer truth could be spoken. With the bassassinations of Mikael Hedlund, the percussive endeavors of Horgh, and the addition of newly permanent / long-time live guitarist Andreas Holma (a death metal musician with a jazz background who moonlights as a fretless bass player), HYPOCRISY continues to be led by the man who considers freedom to explore and create the most contagious virus known to humankind. Making music is no job - it’s an adventure, and Peter Tägtgren, the Godfather of Gothenburg, is on a worldwide mission to infect the masses at all costs - sleep be damned

2005-12-06T19:29:00.000-08:00

despised icon...

The Montreal death metalcore six-piece DESPISED ICON was formed in January 2002 by members of Neuraxis, In Dying Days and Heaven’s Cry. The group’s first album, Consumed By Your Poison, was released in October 2002 on Galy Records and quickly sent shockwaves throughout the underground metal community. From that moment on, the DI crew played countless shows, unleashing its brutal mixture of death metal and metalcore until it suffered a loss by the middle of 2003.Replenished with a new vocalist and drummer in January 2004, DI recorded its Syndicated Murderers EP a month later and established itself furthermore as one of the most promising Canadian metal acts. January 2005 proved to be a turning point in the young band’s career as it marked the release of it’s split CD on Relapse Records with Bodies In The Gears Of The Apparatus and the signing of a worldwide deal with Century Media Records.DESPISED ICON’s highly anticipated sophomore release, The Healing Process, produced by guitarist Yannick St-Amand (Ion Dissonance, Neuraxis), mixed by J-F Dagenais (Misery Index, Kataklysm) and mastered by Alan Douches (Shadows Fall, Dillinger Escape Plan) is currently set for an April 5th release on Century Media. The DI crew plans on touring as much as possible in 2005. Expect breakdowns as brutal as a kick-in-the-face.

2005-12-06T19:26:00.000-08:00

cradle of filth...
These are dark days. We live our lives cowering in the shadow of a future black and bleak, snatching all too brief glimpses of romance, hope and humanity, burdened by monochrome drudgery and the stupidity of mankind. The shit keeps hitting the fan and we’re all getting splashed. That’s why those of us who live for the moment need a soundtrack that provides both unhindered escapism and a heightened, tangible sense of reality’s uplifting sensual power. That’s why we need Cradle Of Filth more than ever. This is a band that caters for the filthy little secrets inside all of us, eliciting those exhilarating erotic and animal charges that make our time on this planet worth living. Prepare yourself for a hefty shot of ‘Nymphetamine’…
Cradle Of Filth first burst into the choking glow of Hell’s spotlight in the early 90s, when the UK metal scene was striving to produce a fitting response to the purposeful malevolence and youthful intensity of the Norwegian black metal scene, with its church burnings, death threats and random acts of extreme violence. Smarter, more ambitious and more fiendishly creative than any of their Norse contemporaries, Cradle emerged in 1991 from the bat-infested Suffolk shadows with a fully-formed and multi-faceted sound; a cunning amalgam of venomous black metal, high gothic drama and pure British steel that immediately elevated them above the malnourished aspirations of their peers and grabbed the attention of both the global metalhead legions and the controversy-starved music press in the UK. A raw and belligerent debut album, 1994’s ‘The Principle Of Evil Made Flesh’, ensured that the band’s now trademark bombast and arrogance were proclaimed loud and clear and within months Cradle Of Filth were firmly established as the UK metal scene’s sharpest and bloodiest blades.
The subsequent decade brought untold success and a further consolidation of the band’s inestimable sonic prowess, with a series of bold and audacious albums, a never-ending stream of dullard-baiting merchandise (including the infamous ‘Jesus Is A Cunt’ shirt) and a relentless procession of eye-popping live extravaganzas. 1996 saw the release of the hideous, blistering ‘Vempire’ and its extravagant, lascivious follow-up, ‘Dusk & Her Embrace’. Two years later, ‘Cruelty & The Beast’ took Cradle’s popularity to new heights, revealing a new sophistication and maturity in the band’s songwriting and a greatly enhanced degree of musicianship that belied the never-ending litany of line-up changes that, until recently, have been a fixture in the Cradle story. The ‘From The Cradle To Enslave’ EP and the masterful, epic ‘Midian’ (2000) followed in close succession, reaping widespread plaudits and applause from all quarters. The new century was ushered in with 2001’s ‘Bitter Suites To Succubi’, a stopgap compendium of old and new material. ‘Live Bait For The Dead’, the first official audio document of Cradle Of Filth’s notoriously ferocious and hallucinatory live show appeared in 2002 and, as the band enjoyed a brief spell in major label land, the grotesque majesty of the orchestrally twisted ‘Damnation And A Day’ made 2003 their most victorious and creatively remarkable 12 months to date. Visual offerings came in the form of DVDs ‘PanDaemonAeon’ and ‘Heavy Left-Handed and Candid’.
And so to Cradle Of Filth in 2004. Ten years on from the ominous eruption of their debut album, the UK’s premier merchants of darkness have regrouped and found a new home at Roadrunner Records, a label with a suitably metallic past, present and future. After spending the majority of 2003 on the road, performing over 100 shows and hitting a rich vein of creative endeavour as a result, the current Cradle line-up - founder member/frontman Dani Filth, guitarists Paul Allender and James McKillbroy, keyboard maestro Martin FoulPowell, bassist Dave Puybius and drummer Adrian Erlandsson - are now putting the finishing touches to their latest and greatest opus, ‘Nymphetamine’; a foul and frenetic compendium of shiny new compositions that takes the band’s unmistakable sound off on a variety of strange and fascinating new tangents. With astonishing artwork from incredibly talented aesthetic prodigy Matt Lombard and a bludgeoning production courtesy of Rob ‘Anthrax’ Caggiano and mix-master Colin Richardson, ‘Nymphetamine’ is destined to be the most addictive jewel in Cradle Of Filth’s incomparably daemonic canon, with songs bearing such intriguing titles as ‘Filthy Little Secret’, ‘Mother Of Abominations’, ‘Nemesis’ and, most charmingly of all, ‘Gilded Cunt’ (a song debuted on stage at the band’s recent show-stealing appearance at the Download festival) seemingly custom-built to reconfirm the band’s status as undisputed champions of sumptuous, black-hearted melodic devilry and unfettered sonic barbarism. That glorious torrent of invigorating filth slithers majestically on…
"We weren’t under any pressure to make this record and that’s been the catalyst for us to create something really incredible," cackles a triumphant sounding Dani Filth. "The only way to top the last album was to go a completely different way, so it’s a real mixture of styles this time. We haven’t anchored ourselves to a concept. It was a real pleasure to write on a variety of different themes and the music is really diverse and sonically precise. The whole thing sounds perfect and very fucking heavy."

2005-12-06T19:19:00.000-08:00

children of bodom...
In the last eight or so years, Children Of Bodom that darted to international fame with their debut, 1997’s "Something Wild", has gone from being "this amazing band from Finland" to a household name in the metalscene. And that, of course, is obvious given the intensity, sheer quality of their material and the flawless execution.
Formed in 1993 and hailing from the city of Espoo, Finland, this young Finnish group took their name from one of the biggest murder mysteries in the history of their home town and Finnish crime: the murders at the Lake Bodom. After starting out as a thrash-metal combo, the founding members Alexi Laiho (guitars and vocals), Jaska Raatikainen (drums), Henkka Seppälä (bass) and Alexander Kuoppala (guitars) soon found elements of classic heavy metal creeping into their music. After taking in keyboardist Janne Wirman to complete their line-up, they honed their combination of old schoold black metal, classic heavy, and death metal vocals into the sharpest instrument of its kind and headed out to a studio record a demo tape.
After Spinefarm Records received Children Of Bodom’s demo, it didn’t take long for the company to figure out what they had in their hands back in late 1996. Soon the band was signed and ready to knock a few heads off.
The self-titled debut single "Children Of Bodom" went straight to number 1 on the Finnish charts and sold platinum. The debut full-length album "Something Wild" was released in Finland in 1997. The Bodoms supported Dimmu Borgir at the band's Helsinki show in November and were hailed as the new kings of Finnish underground metal by the press. Licensing deal with Nuclear Blast for central Europe was inked quickly and soon after Middle Europe the album was also released in Japan and Thailand.
Soon Children Of Bodom was flying all over Europe and writing new material that would become the "Hatebreeder" album, which was released in February 1999. On "Hatebreeder" their music had found its true shape: the album was faster, heavier and more versatile than "Something Wild". The single "Downfall" went gold and ruled the Finnish charts.
During the summer 99 Children Of Bodom toured Finland and Europe. In June they did three sold out gigs in Japan with Dark Tranquillity and Sinergy and recorded the live CD: "Tokyo Warhearts-Live in Japan". "Tokyo Warhearts" came out as a limited digibook-edition in Europe in October and all the 20.000 copies of it were almost immediately sold out. The buzz around the band was reaching new heights.
In 2000 the single "Hate Me!" went #1 at the Finnish charts and sold gold in Finland in just a couple of weeks. Platinum sales soon followed. While the single was topping the charts, Children Of Bodom finished their studio sessions at Peter Tägtgren's Abyss Studio, and the third album "Follow the Reaper" saw the light of day on the 30th of October 2000.
"Follow the Reaper" was a glorious mixture of their debut album's heavy riffing raw sound, combined with "Hatebreeder" monstrous technical metal acrobatics. The most noticable thing however was how much the band had improved as a unit and in bringing the personal levels of musicianship to a new high.
On "Hate Crew Deathroll", which was released in January 2003, not only did the band take their songwriting into new levels of aggressivity and heaviness but the way the songs were carried out pummeled everything they -or anyone, for that matter- had done into dust.
On "Hate Crew Deathroll" Alexi Laiho spits out his lyrics with vitriolic hate, the guitars (courtesy of Alexi and Alexander Kuoppala) shred everything in their wake with razorsharp precision while the rhythmsection (the demolition duo of Henkka T. Blacksmith & Jaska W. Raatikainen) pounds away like the world is about to end. As a final coup de gracé come the keyboards of Janne Warman, making sure the path of destruction is complete with the fervour and precision of a seasoned executioner on a killing spree.
In the Summer of 2003, Alexander Kuoppala left the band and was replaced by Roope Latvala, whose stellar playing had already graced countless of Finnish metal records. Being perhaps the most widely acclaimed metal guitarist in Finland ever, Roope’s flexible playing style and strange sense of harmony was a strong influence on CoB by the way of his early nineties speed metal band Stone.
In 2004 the band tested their new line-up on a four-track EP and a separate DVD-EP "Trashed, Lost & Strungout" that gave a little taster of the future alongside with two great cover songs. The EP was an introduction to a new-found drive, a rougher edge, still sounding definitely and unmistakeably very CoB.
After the relase of the successful mini-album, Children of Bodom barricaded themselves into studio Hästholmen, Helsinki, to record their next full-length album together with producer / mixer / engineer guru Mikko Karmila. The result was "Are You Dead Yet?", title of which is merely rhetorical: the fourth studio album from the trailblazing Finnish metal hate crew is killer stuff throughout.
Children of Bodom have come a long way since their humble beginnings, and today stand tall in the all time extreme metal hall of fame, commanding the respect and awe of both fans and colleagues alike. Children of Bodom have been hugely influential, but still, eight years down the road east and west alike, remain the leaders of the genre. "Are You Dead Yet?" is all the proof you need.

2005-12-06T18:45:00.000-08:00

Amon Amarth...

Deeply rooted in death metal with firm beliefs in Viking mythology, AMON AMARTH formed in 1992 in Tumba, Sweden, a southern suburb of Stockholm. They began writing material with lots of melodies, harmonies and lyrics about Vikings and the northern gods. In summer 1993 they entered Lagret Studio to record the never released demo "Thor Arise". The band continued to rehearse and writing stronger material and again entered the studio. The result was the second demo "The Arrival Of The Fimbul Winter". This time the band was much more satisfied with the sound and songs and launched it to an unsuspecting underground. The response was overwhelming, quickly selling out of the first pressing and secured them a one off deal with Singapore's Pulverised Records.This time they decided to use Abyss Studio, owned by Peter Tägtgren of Hypocrisy, and during five days in November 1995 the MCD "Sorrow Throughout The Nine Worlds" was recorded. The five track recording contained three new songs plus two re-recorded tracks from the band's second demo. The MCD was released in April 1996 and continued the band's build to world dominance. June 1996 saw the exiting of drummer Nico who was quickly replaced with Martin Lopez. During this time labels began to show interest and after much consideration the band chose to sign with Metal Blade. In March 1997 AMON AMARTH entered again Abyss Studios to record their Metal Blade debut "Once Sent From The Golden Hall" with Peter Tägtgren. The result proved that they were destined to become force of fury in the Swedish Death Metal scene and beyond.After the recording of "Once sent...", guitarist Anders Hansson quit just a month before their first major tour with Deicide, Six Feet Under and Brutal Truth in June 98. They quickly recruited Johan Söderberg to make the line-up complete. The line-up was now solidified. "The Avenger" was recorded at Abyss Studios Sweden February to March 1999. Produced by the band, the seven track album is a lesson in pure Viking aggression and brutality blurring the line between death and black metal. The tour following this release was the X-mas massacre festivals, headlined by Morbid Angel.In November 2000 the band entered The Abyss Studio for, as it would turn out, the last time. This time they recorded the album "The Crusher" (released in 2001). Living up to it's name, "The Crusher", the album is the most brutal album the band has produced so far. This release gave Amon Amarth the opportunity to tour a lot more than before and right after the recording they went on their first headlining tour through Denmark and Germany with Purgatory and Seirim. That tour ended up with great succes and they also managed to be the first metal band entering the German stages for the century. 00.05, 01 of January in 2001 in Guben. Then they went on the No Mercy Festivals 2001 with bands like Marduk and Vader. In the fall of 2001, AMON AMARTH was supposed to support Marduk on their American tour, but due to the events of September 11th, that tour was postponed until January 2002, and if that wasn't enough, Marduk couldn't make it over to the states. So AMON AMARTH got to headline their very first US tour, supported by Diabolic from Tampa, FL. The tour was a huge success, but unfortunately the tour agency decided to cut the tour short with one week. Returning to Europe, AMON AMARTH was offered the possibility to headline their own full European tour, and in April 2002 they went on the road together with Swedish "gore-masters" Vomitory. During the tour the band kept writing new material for an upcoming album.August 2002 started with the bands second appearance at Wacken Open Air. Approximately 12 000 people saw the show, and the response was overwhelming. Almost going straight from Wacken to the Studio, AMON AMARTH began recording their new album "Versus the World" on August 7th. This time, however, the band had to use a new studio, since Peter no longer produces or records any bands, except his own, in his studio. The choice fell on Berno Studio in Malmö, and it turned out to be a great choice. Berno Studio has a great reputation in the scene and AMON AMARTH found it to be very easy to work with both Berno (owner, engineer) and Henrik (engineer). Recording in a new studio gave new dimensions to the bands sound. During the recording, the band managed to squeeze in a trip to Germany and the Summer Breeze festival, where they made a successful appearance. The new album is set to be released on November 18th, and proves to be a milestone in the bands career.

Johan Hegg - singer
Olli Mikkonen - guitar
Johan Söderberg - guitar
Ted Lundström - basse
Fredrik Andersson - drum

2005-12-06T18:18:00.000-08:00

Hi! I'm Ladydeath. I love the music and especially the "death metal". then, I decided to create a blog on the musics groups. Ho! and sorry for my english but I'm not really good. lol.