VANISHER: I love this band (video)

Welcome to my new feature, I love this band.  Each post will highlight a band or artist that may be flying (or has flown) under your musical radar. 

This first one is about a fairly new band from North Carolina called Vanisher

Needless to say, thanks to my career choice I hear tons of new music every week. When something rises above the average and begs to be listened to multiple times, I know I have found something special.  So it went with Vanisher "Unbound", after first listen came a second and third, etc...  it demanded my attention.

I cannot find much info about the band on their sites but it seems they changed their name a couple of years ago to what could be a reference to a semi-obscure comic book villain from X-men #2 in 1963.

As heavy as the band appears, they never lose sight of the melodic elements.  Songs take strange and intriguing directions, yet remain catchy and driven.  This is a 21st century hard rock sound with tight playing and hooky melodies.


Check out the debut track from their new album:


Reaction (from Unbound)






Here is something from their EP, a video they obviously had fun making.


Martyr To The Flames (from The Buried Alone EP)







And, just in time for Halloween, I found this Metallica cover:

Of Wolf And Man (Metallica cover)






If you are still not convinced to download their debut album, here is a sampler...

Album sampler

http://vanisher.bandcamp.com/

I believe in this band enough that they are getting played on both of my radio stations: http://RockfileRadio.com







Future posts will include artists both new and classic....just a little off the "beaten path".


Thanks for stopping by and sharing the love of music! (-']

Evil Dead: Can a remake be great? (video)

Remakes are everywhere, some are good, some are ok...most are terrible. Which brings us to a new remake that sounded like a really, really bad idea.  But...

I remember watching the original Evil Dead (1983) on VHS and being a little freaked out by it.  What Sam Raimi, his cast and crew created was a truly original horror film...especially for it's time.  The gore, the deadites...the tree scene!!

When Evil Dead 2 (1987) came along, it was basically a remake of the first with a bigger budget plus the addition of black comic elements.  And who can forget the brilliant, over-the-top, second portrayal of Ash by Bruce Campbell?

Army of Darkness (1992) was an actual sequel to Evil Dead 2, had a bigger budget but dropped most of the scariness to become an action/horror/comedy.  After its release, we heard rumors or another sequel or maybe even a remake of the first.


Fast-forward twenty years, Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell are producing the remake and promise it is NOT a horror comedy.

“This is for the fans,” Campbell said. “We’re not some random cigar-chomping producer looking for a horror movie to remake. This is our baby.”

“The movie is not funny,” he explains. “The movie is old-fashioned, retro horror. There’s not a snappy line in the whole movie. The first movie wasn’t like that and this is a remake of the first movie. He’s matching the tone of the first movie which is not har-de-har-har.”

“It’s going to be a horror extravaganza,” he says. “Not in terms of size, but in terms of the intensity of the horror you will experience. This movie is going to blow the fricking doors off. It’s just five new actors and a nasty book they should have left alone."



As much as I thought a new Evil Dead would suck... this trailer seems to prove otherwise. It is NSFW and very gory...you have been warned.




I would love to hear your thoughts on the trailer.  Here's hoping Evil Dead rocks when it hits screens next April!!

For more, visit: http://www.deadites.net/


And this is my BOOMSTICK!

Just give me the truth

 
I have never been a particularly political person, but I vote. I do my own research and cast my vote, hoping for the best. Living outside the U.S. 2001-2005, I gained an whole new appreciation for our country and how others view us. (Especially during and after 9/11.)

Over the last decade, technology has given the public and the media a little too much "insight"...and things seem to be getting worse. Everyone has an opinion, but the "facts" those opinions are based on are very suspect. You certainly cannot trust the candidates to tell you the truth, they are too busy trying to make you like them and, as a result, get elected. And, since the news media now picks sides... where do you turn?

As I watch my Facebook news feed fill up each day with vile, nasty and more importantly, untrue statements made by my politically minded friends (on both sides), I look for sources of truth amid the crap...someone had to be checking the fact-checkers, right?

Well, I found this Pulitzer Prize winning site launched in 2007, who seems unbiased in their attempt to find the truth amongst the B.S.. And like a breath of fresh air, things become a bit clearer.

Visit http://www.politifact.com if you want to know what is real versus manufactured, no matter which side you support.



Off my soapbox and back to rockin'...

Kamelot - Sacrimony (Angel of Afterlife) [Official Music Video]

Tampa's Kamelot return with a new album (featuring a new vocalist, Tommy Karevik) next week! So far, Silverthorn sounds quite tasty!

Here is the first track and video:



I will review the album as soon after it arrives as possible!

Cheers

Christian Älvestam: And now for something completely different (audio)

Being a fan of music, I enjoy all types and styles.  Well, most.  But, I really love it when an artist steps out of his or her comfort zone, in any genre.  The results are not always revolutionary or evolutionary... but sometimes these forays into other styles can be entertaining and even enlightening. This is a short blog about Swedish vocalist Christian Älvestam

Metal fans know the names Scar Symmetry and Solution .45. These technically amazing, hard driving progressive metal bands are two of my favorites for many reasons, not the least of which is the vocals.  From 2004-2008, Christian Älvestam did all the vocals in Scar Symmetry, easily switching from a melodic, clean singing voice with incredible range to death growls...and back. He co-founded Solution .45 while still in Scar Symmetry in 2007.  (and when he left Scar Symmetry they replaced him with two vocalists! talk about "big shoes to fill".)

Christian Älvestam is now trying something completely different. Not only is he showing off the fact that he can sing ANYTHING but that he also has very varied interests in music! I will post some of his metal work below, but first, check out what he is doing on his new solo EP Self 2.0:




Out today, you can pick it up here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/self-2.0-ep/id553728714

or here: http://www.amazon.com/Self-2-0/dp/B009QFV3BK/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1350660447&sr=8-7&keywords=Christian+%C3%84lvestam




Sometimes when you see blogs like this, they are sponsored or something.  I posted this, and everything else, because I am a fan... and I enjoying sharing the things I like in music, movies, games, etc.  Here's hoping you enjoy!




And now for some of his earlier work! Prepare yourself...

Solution .45


Check out the change :36 seconds in!



Scar Symmetry





Impressive, eh? I have no idea how he does both!


It's Friday #RockYourDay