Tuesday 28 October 2008

Lucky Bastards.......

In Australia.......

Using this quiet time to try and help out some friends.....



"Olde Crone are still waiting to hear from all you budding drummers and guitarists to join Olde Crone.

We have had some people saying they wouldn't be able to do Foxy's Solos or some of the beats Fyfe has created. We are looking for people who can get close and even add there own touch to whats already down and open to suggestion. So if you know anybody male/female or yourself male/female want to give it a go please contact us and we will go from there.


The album is due out soon and we will update you on that as soon as we know anything.


Olde Crone
"

Doom on! - P

Thursday 23 October 2008

This Week......

It's been a good week for album releases and gigs, Darkthrone, AC/DC and Ross The Boss all with excellent albums coming out in the last few days and a gig in the shape if thee mighty Queen and Paul Rodgers (QPR???) at Liverpool Arena.
Me and SJW got to see some childhood heroes in action this past saturday, personally I just couldn't wait to see Brian May cos he's my all time favourite guitarist without a doubt but man of the match went to my least favourite member of Queen, Roger Taylor and it was all because of his drum solo.
He started with just a bass drum and a hi hat and did some beats for a few minutes, then members of the road crew brought him a snare, then a few beats after that they would start to bring out tom toms and cymbals to add to his kit, Taylor was still playing his solo as the crew constructed the drum kit around him and it all lead to an excellent performance of an old obscure Queen classic, "I'm In Love With My Car", obscure in the sense that anybody that just owns the greatest hits albums will probably never have heard this excellent song before.
I was pretty disappointed by the new songs, they're just not my cuppa tea but that heavy riff on C-Lebrity is spot on!
Only 2 paul rodgers songs got played but they were good ones, "Bad Company" (by bad company!) and Free's "All Right Now".
A special part of the gig that needs mentioning is Brian Mays performance of "Bijou", he was joined by Freddie Mercury via the big screen, amazing stuff! Freddie would show up again later to sing the first half of the almighty "bohemian rhapsody"!
Excellent gig!!!!!

I've also aquired the new CYNIC album, "Traced In Air".
I like Cynic, and this new album is an amazing follow up to their 1993 debut "Focus".
"Traced In Air" is very technical and experimental, with loads of jazz and fusion influences just as on "Focus", very, very intelligent music, all members are on top form here, makes me look more forward to the Pestilence reunion I keep hearing about and a possible new Atheist album in the future.

BUT......
The best album I think I'll hear this year is...



ROSS THE BOSS. NEW METAL LEADER 2008

New Metal Leader is what Manowar should fucking sound like but instead manowar continue to insult metal fans with their recent abysmal downtuned symphonic bullshit and constant trips to mailand europe. I don't get it, They release two legendary albums after Ross left manowar but in the last ten years they've faded into excrement, I didn't even bother buying the last Gods Of War album because Warriors Of The World was absolutely dreadful.
The story about the RTB band is that Ross wanted to do a band and found a manowar tribute band in europe somewhere and asked them if they wanted to be his new solo touring/recording band, pretty cool i think!!!
Ross The Bosses new album sounds like the manowar I know and love and I'm hoping for a tour from him.
Every song is a reminder of how amazing Manowar could be, each song has its own nod to an old mano-classic, I love it!!!

Enough now, me cuppas getting cold haha!!!!

Monday 20 October 2008

Hellbound Underground Sound

Last night, Thee Skum and I went along to Korova in Liverpool to check out a few bands, twas OK but the couple of pints of Hoegaarden listening to Lick and a Promise and The Chase is Better Than The Catch was a good time too!
Anyway, the main crux of today's post is something that came in today's post!

The much-anticipated (at Claw Towers at least) new Darkthrone album, Dark Thrones and Black Flags.
So what have Gylve and Ted come up with for us this time?
In short, this is one of my favourite Darkthrone albums for a long time, carrying on from the "new/old" style that's been obvious on The Cult is Alive and Fuck Off And Die. Anyone expecting a return to the so-called "classic" Peaceville trinity from 92-94 will be dissapointed, but Darkthrone care not for the likes of you.
Like the greatest albums of old, and following their recent tradition, the album is split into two "sides"; a bit unworkable on a CD unless you follow my advice; grab a cold beer or two and listen to the first five tracks, then pause the CD whilst you retreive a few more tins from the refrigerator/shed/hole in a frozen lake.
My CD comes in a super-crazy case that's going to be a nightmare to pull out of the shelf when I'm drunk, and contains some lyrics, and the usual remarks from Gylve Fenriz about plastic mr-fancy metal and satan's purse. No, really.
The Winds They Called the Dungeon Shaker starts the album off, an opening riff reminiscent of Burzum, some amazing clean-ish vocals from Fenriz here. He's really getting into the role of vocalist now and he has a surprisingly unique (and totally metal) voice. That riff is amazing, comes in again at 2.30, total evil sounding. Oh, and the title makes more sense when you realise it's delivered in the chorus as The Winds! They Called! The Dungeon Shaker!
Death of all Oaths (Oath Minus) is one of Nocturno Culto's trademark "finger-moving riff" songs, there's no lyrics included in the booklet, but it's a solid, old-sounding thrasher with a solo after a minute and a half that is totally necro - and some atmospheric evil sounds after two and a half minutes or so.
Hiking Metal Punks if a song with that title and the lyrics "MAMMOTHS OF THE FOREST....WORLDS COLLIDE" doesn't do it for you, then you're going to hate what Darkthrone are doing now. Fenriz wrote this one as well and his metal-scream half way through is amazing.
Blacksmith of the North (Keep That Ancient Fire) is another one of Nocturno's, which is again lyric-less in the booklet. This has a total fist-pumping, headbanger of a main riff, with evil vocals from Nocturno, reminiscent of Shut Up from the Cult is Alive. Norway in September closes side A, to me this is the most reminiscent of older Darkthrone material, but still with Ted's more gruff vocal style that he's used on the more recent records rather than the total black-metal approach of older ones, a great finger-moving riff on this one too...THE LARGER THE LIFE THE CLOSER IS DEATH....total thrashing riff at 3 minutes forty...
Now, more beer before I get into side B.....
Grizzly Trade
Hanging Out in Haiger
Dark Thrones and Black Flags
Launchpad to Nothingness
Witch Ghetto

Thursday 16 October 2008

Arrived Today: The New Record By The Lamp Of Thoth

It's here, it's finally arrived!

What, you ask? The record of the year! That's what!


The new record by THE LAMP OF THOTH arrived here at Claw Towers today: "Portents, Omens & Dooms". THE MISKATONIC FOUNDATION have really done the band proud with this release, the sound and the packaging of the CD are top notch! I opened the package to find it was bound in a velvet pouch, along with a copy of the latest demo by THE LAMP (on tape - old school as hell) as well as a big old LAMP badge too.

Most of all, the record sounds fucking awesome. I mean, really atmospheric. I was on my way out to work when the package arrived and so I had the privilege of giving it my 1st listening while driving around the street of Liverpool in my cab and picking up the unsuspecting public to take them from A to B. I had a granny in the back of my taxi when Blood On Satan's Claw began, along with the "Hey! You! You motherfucking whore! opening chant... Needless to say, she didn't leave me any tip.

In fact, you know what, I am going to head back out to do another few hours work now... just to give this baby another few listens. Expect THEE SKUM to be raving on about this record once his copy is in the clutch of his grubby claws!

I know that this record is a limited release (250 copies I believe), but believe me when I say that this shouldn't detract from the fact that the world finally has a truly great modern doom album from a future underground giant of a band. The Lamp Of Thoth are going to be huge - you heard it here first, second and third.

(I would go as far as to advise ya to go check out the MISKATONIC FOUNDATION website, but it's down at the moment...)

Sunday 12 October 2008

Thursday 9 October 2008

ONSLAUGHT....



Onslaught November UK tour dates...

Nov. 01 - Gloucester, UK - Brunswick (free entry!!!)
Nov. 14 - Birmingham, UK - Asylum
Nov. 15 - Nuneaton, UK - Queens Hall
Nov. 21 - Swansea, UK - Sin City
Nov. 22 - Leeds, UK - Damnation Festival
Nov. 28 - Kingston, UK - The Peel

Thursday 2 October 2008

Wednesday 1 October 2008

Gigs......


Sunday 19th October, Korova, Liverpool (thought korova had closed down?) Entry £1 (you can't beat that, a lot of quality bands from all over the country for a quid!)



Bradford Deathfest, Saturday 25 October, Bradford, The Exchange, £5 Entry (a fiver for 11 bands, 4 nicker in with the flyer, boss value for death!!!)