Weekend Listening: June 2013 (video)

#rockfile #newrock #prog #metal #newmusic

During my career, I usually have a few hours a week set aside to specifically listen to brand new music for my radio stations.  In my current situation, I have much more freedom to play new music no matter where it come from... and sometimes I am overwhelmed with new releases having to make time for extreme listening.

This past weekend, I had over 200 songs to listen to, from folk rock to death metal. I listen to everything that comes across my desk but things had piled up and I had a lot to get through. 

Here are the notes I jotted down while listening to various albums and singles:

Akord - a very cool EP from beginning to end. ADD to ICE!

Sebastian Bach - two shows. Big outdoor show, intimate indoor show. 19 tracks total. Two different sides of the band. And Bach is a consummate professional, showing he still has range and chops but I detected some "tweaking" of the vocals in the mix...I could be wrong. ADD live cuts to FIRE for two-fer and occasional spins.

Blackmore's Night - medieval folk rock. Perfect for a ren-faire attendees or Game Of Thones marathons. Very polished recording, Richie Blackmore's guitar work is always worth a listen.

Burning Rain - 80's rock with the usual swagger.

Frostland Darkness -  slow, growling metal and kinda boring

Illusion Suite - if I have to wait 1:29 to get to the vocals of a five minute song they better be great. Not so much. He's a decent singer but his introduction should be impressive, not anemic

Patrick Hemer - weak vocals don't match the fairly decent song

 

Pursuing The End - Epica with less classical/opera and more metal. Funny dubstep intro to the album.

Scott Lucas & The Married Men - minimal rock sound from former Local H guy, very Americana. interesting arrangements

Spirits of the Dead - psychedelic stoner rock but interestingly done.  mix is kind of dull sounding but could be the mp3s.

Subject To Thoughts - 2010 indie release would be most excellent with a real producer. Solid songs with vocals that sometimes search for the pitch.

All Too Human - prog metal and kinda interesting. ADD to ICE?

Avelion - interesting mix of metal and prog. ADD to ICE?

Brand New Machine - blackout overdose. Not as good as the current single but it's a free download.

Constantine - power metal and just ok.

Divided Multitude - power metal and a little better.

Divinity Compromised - symphonic prog metal that leans power. not bad.

Teramaze - techy power metal and better still.

Votum - very proggy! ADD to ICE!!!

Warnot - power metal and will have to re-listen.

Boil - Vindication. Very interesting! ADD to ICE!

Spiritual Migration - a little too metal for ICE. clean vocals are good, just not enough of them.

Lycanthia - Doomy metal mixed with gothic vocals. Too metal for ICE but re-visit.

We As Human - New church rock band discovered by Skillet. about as exciting as that sounds. Will have to listen to the new Skillet later.

My stations Rockfile Radio ICE and Rockfile Radio FIRE are streaming live from http://RockfileRadio.com

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New PACIFIC RIM clips without robots (video)

 

#pacificrim #rockfile #kaiju #jaegers

Check out two new clips from Pacific Rim with no special effects!! Zero robots or monsters in these but I am still psyched!! Pacific Rim opens July 12th!

from MTV

from Yahoo Movies

source: Pacific Rim





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First Trailer for Ridley Scott's new film 'The Counselor' (video)

#ridleyscott #rockfile #michaelfassbender #javierbardem #bradpitt
After his return to sci-fi with Prometheus, it seems Ridley Scott is now moving into Oliver Stone/Coen Brothers territory for his next project.  Great cast, looks interesting. Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt, Javier Bardem, Penélope Cruz, Cameron Diaz and John Leguizamo.

From Fox:

This intense drug thriller tells the story of an attorney (Fassbender), a good man in need of money who decides to dabble in the cocaine trade. The story heats up when he teams up with a rich acquaintance (Bardem) for the new business that also brings in a shady type (Pitt). Of course, things don't go as planned. The Counselor is directed by the legendary English filmmaker Ridley Scott, of Prometheus, Alien, Gladiator, American Gangster and Kingdom of Heaven. The screenplay was written by author Cormac McCarthy, the writer behind No Country for Old Men and The Road. Fox will be releasing The Counselor in theaters everywhere starting October 25th.

source: 20th Century Fox UK

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New PACIFIC RIM trailer and IMAX poster (video)

#PacificRim #rockfile #kaiju #jaegers #mecha #imax

I did mention there would be more posts about this flick, didn't I? So, here is the brand new trailer, a Minecraft edition trailer (don't worry, it's cool!) and links to my previous posts.  Cannot wait for July 12th! (You can get the poster above if you are one of the first to see Pacific Rim in IMAX opening day.)

For more, visit:

http://rockfileonline.blogspot.com/2013/06/pacific-rim-looks-geektastic-new-jaeger.html

http://rockfileonline.blogspot.com/2013/06/pacific-rim-new-tv-spots-video.html

http://rockfileonline.blogspot.com/2012/11/pacific-rim-is-going-to-rock-video.html

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My favorite albums of 2013, so far (video)

I have always lived for new music.  Yes, I still pull out my favorite classics from time to time but a steady diet of new tunes keeps me happy. Of the albums I have had a chance to spend some time with during the first half of 2013, these are the ones I have listened to most:

Steven Wilson - The Raven That Refused To Sing (And Other Stories)
The Porcupine Tree leader's third solo album is his best solo work. period. Beautiful and strange, just like some of my all-time favorites.

Leprous - Coal

These technical musical pranksters seem to top themselves with each release, this is truly a masterwork. Dive in!

Bruce Soord with Jonas Renkse - Wisdom Of Crowds
Not what you expect from the meeting of The Pineapple Thief and Katatonia but what a seductive listen! Mesmerizing.

Riverside - Shrine Of New Generation Slaves
Riverside continues to refine and expand their sound and songwriting, with truly enjoyable results. A solid listen from beginning to end.

  

TesseracT - Altered State
Hopefully this singer (Ashe O’Hara) can stick around because Altered State is their most cohesive work yet.

Jolly - The Audio Guide To Happiness Part 2
It took a while for part 2 but it was really worth the wait!

Sound Of Contact - Dimensionaut
A new "supergroup" and a great listen that gets better the deeper you get into it.

Byzantine - Byzantine
West Virginia metal masters take sharp turn into melodic territory and carved out their own progressive niche. Wow!

Queensryche - Queensryche
This sounds like the Queensryche that I have been missing.  And while I still miss Geoff, Todd is doing a fine job.

A Pale Horse Named Death - Lay My Soul To Waste
If Type O Negative and Alice In Chains had a child, this would be it.

Also on my list are these, I just ran out of time/space.

Aeon Zen - Enigma

Intronaut - Habitual Levitations (Instilling Words With Tones)
Amplifier - Echo Street
Sevendust - Black Out The Sun
ASG - Blood Drive
Serenity - War Of Ages
Long Distance Calling - The Flood Inside
AEtherfallen - Revelation's Eternal

Cardiant - Verge

Spock's Beard - Brief Nocturnes and Dreamless Sleep
Stone Sour - House Of Gold & Bones Part 2

Stick Men - DEEP


honorable mention:

Gemini Syndrome - ?
Based on the four songs I have and seeing them live twice, I am anxiously awaiting the September release of their debut album.

There are still several high profile albums I have not listened to all the way through, including Black Sabbath, Alice In Chains, Pop Evil and a few others. Also, I am really digging the sound of new tracks from The Winery Dogs and Fight Or Flight but the albums are not out yet. Look for updates soon and a big wrap up at year's end. 

These are my personal favorites, your mileage may vary.

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