Independent music review website from Luxembourg
I am speechless…
I wasn’t sure if I should post this video. Honestly, hearing news of Chris’ suicide would not surprise me at this point. It is out of synch (on purpose, according to an interview with Chris), the guitar sounds out of tune, the drums are… well everything about it sucks. No wonder Philthy Animal Taylor did not show up for the video, who could blame him?
Judge for yourself!
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qNOWn4wYCs]
It’s that time of the year again. And instead of providing you with new reviews we here at El Gore decided to post our personal Top 5 of the year 2012! So you will find a new post each weekday with each member’s personal Top 5, beginning with Dave tomorrow! Trash Monday will, of course, also happen tomorrow!
-El Gore team-
As the music was kind of special during the disco epoche, filmmakers tried to save whole generation by making some of the best and memorable monster/horror flicks like Jaws, The Hills Have Eyes, Piranha, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Dawn of the Dead and I could go on like that forever.
Today I want to present to you a rather unknown but not less interesting flick. Sssssss (1973) is one of those movies which have been on my watch-list for ages and the day before yesterday I finally ended up watching it for the first time. I am not quite sure if I should categorize it as a mad-scientist or animal horror movie but in the end this doesn’t really matter. Sssssss, or Sssssnake Kobra how it was called in France and the UK, is a low-budget B-movie starring Strother Martin, Dirk Benedict (probably better known as “Faceman”) and Heather Menzies. It was directed by Bernard L. Kowalski and the make-up effects were done by Nick Marcellino and the great John Chambers, best known for helping to set up the Canadian Caper story (if you have seen Argo, you know what I am talking about).
To resume, Sssssss has everything a good trash movie needs to have. There is the mad scientist, a rather atypical and “nice” villain, whose plan is it to create a perfect creature , a good-looking woman aka the doctor’s daughter and a naïve student, who falls in love with the woman, and slowly but surely turns into a snake (!!!). You, for sure, can argue that nothing really happens and that it is a really slow movie (although the ending comes a bit too quick and seems to leave the movie unfinished). Furthermore, especially the snake sound effects really get on one’s nerves, but you can’t deny that the movie is really enjoyable and even though the story has a low arc of suspense, Sssssss is really sympathetic and a recommendable goofy flick for genre fans.
To conclude I wanted to state that it is a shame that the oldschool, cheesy, vintage low-budget horror flicks are nowadays replaced by the cheap Syfy CGI infected shitmovies like 2-Headed Shark Attack, Dinocroc Vs. Supergator and co.
I thought about what else I could say about the movie other than what I did it but I am honest, I simply can’t! If you are a B-Movie monster fan, watch it. If not, just leave it but in the end the movie is just cool as shit!
Arkaeon are a Luxembourgish technical death metal band that most people from the “scene” know. Recently we conducted an interview with their lead singer Rosh. Here’s the result! Enjoy!
El Gore: After the release of your EP New Level Of Inhumanity in 2011, 2012 marked a big year for Arkaeon. You played many shows with quite a few big names from the genre. How was that experience for you?
Arkaeon: 2012 has been amazing for us, we’ve had the chance to play with some of our favorite bands and at places that we didn’t imagine to play in that short time that our band existed. For us every show is something special, we don’t care if we play in front of 5 or 500 people, we always have our fun and we hope the people that watch us also enjoy it.
EG: I read on your Facebook profile that you are planning to release a new song around Christmas. Can you give us more information about that?
A: Yes, we will release a new promo song that is called The Illuminated on the 26th of December. This song will give our fans a little preview of our EP that we will record next year in March. The song is as you can already guess about the Illuminati cult, but it also has a more general sense, that people should not always believe what they hear and that they should believe in results and actions and less in talking and promises.
EG: The general consensus is that the EP was a very good start, what can we expect from Arkaeon in 2013 in terms of recordings?
A: Like I already mentioned before we will again record an EP in March 2013 at the Ear We Go Studios with our best man Doudin, this is the same studio where we recorded the New Level Of Inhumanity EP and where we are currently recording our promo song. Maybe we’ll go again intto the studio in late 2013, who knows…
EG: How about shows in 2013? Maybe Food For Your Senses again? Or maybe a tour?
A: We have a lot of shows already planned for next year in Luxembourg, Belgium, Germany, France and so on and we are also doing some tours in April and May 2013, in May we’re also going to the UK for the first time. We are more than excited for this, since it’s something that we always dreamed about. Food For Your Senses is definitely an option for us next year, even though I had my little accident last year, I am still a little unsure about this, but as long as there is no strobe, we will play every show we can! [laughs]
EG: You started a new band, Lifefight, not too long ago. Can you tell us a bit more about that project?
A: I always wanted to sing in a hardcore band since I’m into this music, but it was difficult to find other musicians that share the same interest, because hardcore wasn’t really big at all here; until a year ago the whole scene went more into hardcore and beatdown. So then Jones, Kai and I decided to start with Lifefight, we already have some songs written, which we will also record in early 2013. Then we will also start with some shows, but Arkaeon will always be the main band for us.
EG: I know you, Rosh, have mostly retired from organizing gigs but instead decided to do an annual concert. Can you give us any more information? A date or what to expect maybe?
A: Yes since the music business can really kick you in the ass financially I decided to stop organizing regularly shows here, but instead continue with one festival which I already did this year in Trier: the Bring Back The Passion Fest. The name is program, this festival is not there to make money, gain fame or whatever, it’s all about the music and the people. That’s why all the benefit of this show will go to a foundation that helps people that really need the money. Next year the Bring Back The Passion Fest will take place at the Kulturfabrik in Esch/Alzette on the 6th of July 2013. You can expect a mix of international and local hardcore and metal bands for a quite cheap price, more details will follow in the next weeks/months.
EG: By the way, what is the reasoning behind offering your EP completely free of charge? Because I think it’s a great idea for a new band.
A: We are not a band that cares about money, this doesn’t mean that we’re rich or whatever, this is not at all the case unfortunately [laughs], but for us it’s important that as many people as possible are able to hear our music and for free always sells better. We also play shows for a minimum wage, as long as we get a good show, we’re more than happy. So book us, we’re cheaper than a prostitute! [laughs]
EG: Last but not least, if you had to eat one dish for the rest of your life…what would it be?
A: That’s a really hard question, does Jack-Cola count as a meal?
EG: I lied. One more: anything you would like to add?
A: www.facebook.com/ARKAEONOFFICIAL
HAIL SATAN!
HAIL JACK DANIELS!
HAIL DEATH METAL!
HAIL ARKAEON!
We’d like to thank Rosh for taking the time to do this interview and we’re all looking forward to their new song and most of all the year 2013!
It’s almost the end of the year and yet I’ve managed to be surprised by another record: Crown The Empire‘s The Fallout. In line with the last three reviews it’s metalcore, yet again; but this time of the finest kind. So sit back and enjoy the read!
When you first put on this new band’s debut record, you might think that it’s very similar to bands like My Chemical Romance…which it is, but at the same time isn’t. Meaning that, after about a minute or two, screams will hit your ears with full force. The reason why it could be compared to bands like that lies in the super catchy melodies and chorusses that will come your way.
The guitars will you make you want to hum along to their tunes almost immediately and the drums make sure you’ll tap along right away to them. On the production level it is rather modern but yet not overproduced, so you won’t feel like you’re listening to same alien instruments.
The vocals, and the lyrics, are the main seller to this eleven track endeavor however. The two singers both have highly enjoyable voices, with the screamer taking the cake for me: because even though they will knock you off your feet at some points, they’re far from being monotonous. The only minor complaint I have is that they use the probably most over-used tool in the genre this year at some points: distorted vocals and “scratch” vocals. Don’t get me wrong: it fits nicely into the ensemble but almost every single record that I’ve reviewed in 2012 has featured them so they don’t come across as much of a surprise anymore…but I guess the band isn’t to blame for that.
One thing that does score extra points in my books is that some songs, namely Johnny’s Revenge, feature true “what the…” moments like the use of accordions, which makes this song sounds almost like polka metal. A huge thumbs up for that.
All in all, I consider these forty minutes as a great way to finish off this musical year and I’m very much looking forward to what next year will hold in stores. But more about that next week. Be sure to check out the band on Facebook and listen to the song below in order to get an idea what I mean.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoMJ0VkGG1c]
We all know the saying “An apple a day keeps the doctor away”; in the case of the Luxembourgish band An Apple A Day this could not be any more wrong, because after listening to their brand new EP Fall Of Thera I almost needed a doctor for my aching neck! Let me tell you why that is the case.
The quintet has moved away from their old deathcore style and now plays modern death metal with minor elements remaining from their roots. I’d say that it’s a mixture that is appealing to both traditional metalheads but also to the modern crowd, but you be the judge of that.
The first thing that will strike you when you start listening to the six songs is the massive sound: I’m not kidding when I say that the band doesn’t have to fear comparisons to bigger bands because what they managed to achieve on this record is just amazing. The drums have a rich, yet not over-triggered, sound and the guitars will tear your ears right off the sides of your head.
But the close to perfect sound isn’t all there is to it: the drumming, mainly the double bass, will keep you interested all throughout these twenty-four minutes with its pounding rhythms and its groove. The same goes for the guitars which feature riff after riff of goodness, and some rather interesting solos.
The forte of this whole thing, to me, are definitely the vocals though. The singer constantly switches between (really) deep growls and screeches with some occasional pig squeals and clean vocals here and there thrown in for good measure. I’d even go as far and say that this endeavor grants him access to the hall of fame of Luxembourgish metal vocalists, if there is such a thing. But apparently the band wasn’t satisfied enough by their own singer, so they decided to get Sacha from local matadors Scarred to help out on the last track.
All in all, I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that this release is probably the one Luxembourgish (metal) effort of 2012 that you absolutely have to check out. And the time and place to this is this Friday, December 21st, at Rockhal in Esch where the guys will have their release party with support from Falling Promises and Lost In Pain. For more info check out the band’s Facebook page and if you want to get in the mood for the concert, listen to the song below!
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6Z0KHEvu4M]
This video has it all: a grandma playing drums, bavarian trombonists, ghosts, a talking turtle, cowboys…anything you can imagine is in here. To sum it up with a quote from the video: criminally insane.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLrnkK2YEcE]
The first Steven C Miller “movie” I have ever seen was his short film Granny which was a really good start and impressed me a lot (read my review here). After Granny I lost sight of Miller and his work. Although I heard of his TV movie Scream of the Banshee (2011) I have never seen it. At this time I fell deeply in love with trash and B-movies and wasn’t really interested in anything else but then, by accident I read about him doing a remake of the 1984 slasher classic SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT and he immediatly got my attention again. First of all because I am a huge fan of his very unique style with high recognition value and second of all because I just started getting into the oldschool slasher movies. After I saw SILENT NIGHT for the very first time I got the chance to do an interview with director Miller. Read on to find out what it is all about.
El Gore: Hello, thank you for agreeing to an interview. For those who don’t know you yet, could you introduce yourself?
Steven C Miller: Hey no problem! Sure. I am Steven C Miller, director of the film Silent Night.
E.G.: You are a horror movie director but also a father of a daughter. What are your thoughts on nowadays, modern, really brutal/gory horror flicks and children watching them? What is your opinion on censoring movies?
SCM: I’ve always thought horror was pretty brutal and have been very careful what my daughter sees and doesn’t see. All kids are different. Some mature faster and can handle the material at an earlier age. I think it is a parent’s job to teach their children that movies are a form of entertainment and should not be looked at as reality. Because it is the parent’s job, I feel censorship is weak and movies should not be edited for society’s sake.
E.G.: How did your most recent movie, the “remake” of Silent Night, come to be? Was it a thing you’ve always wanted to do or were you approached by a studio?
SCM: I’m a huge fan of the original, so I went after the project for a few years. It bounced around from different producers and finally ended up with Richard Saperstein. Richard happened to be at Dimension when my first film (Automaton Transfusion) was bought there. After Richard left Dimension, he took the rights to Silent Night, Deadly Night with him. He was a fan of mine and gave me a call when he got a script done. I pitched him and Shara Kay my take, then off we went.
E.G.:A question you probably can’t hear anymore but what were your experiences working with the great Malcolm McDowell (Clockwork Orange) and the wonderful Jaime King (Sin City) in Silent Night.
SCM: Both were amazing. Jaime is such a fantastic lady and always comes prepared. She loves to be as involved as she can be with the evolution of her character. It’s really great to see her get so into every emotion she has on screen. Malcolm is just a badass. He really is the nicest guy and the most professional. He gets the genre and knows how to embrace it. I love watching him work. He is an icon.
E.G.: Most of the time you can read that your flick is a remake of the 1984 Silent Night, Deadly Night but lets be honest: there is not much left besides the sadistic Santa, the title and the deer-head kill. What was your reasoning behind omitting most of the content from the original?
SCM: Well, honestly it was already like that when i got the script. But that was a huge draw for me. I didn’t want to make the same film everyone had seen or even attempt to do something that felt dated. I wanted to give the series new life and re-imagine this classic for a new audience.
E.G.: Has everything turned out exactly how you wanted it? What were the biggest challenges?
SCM: No. I think in independent film it’s close to impossible to get it exactly how you want it. We shot this film in 17 days and that was immensely challenging. The biggest would have to be the woodchipper day. I literally had 4 hours to shoot that entire chase and kill sequence. Its a massive set piece and I wanted to make sure I did it justice. Luckily I had an amazingly fast crew and great talent to keep it moving quickly!
E.G.:Before shooting, did you watch the original again?
SCM: Many times. I really do love that flick. I mostly watched Friday the 13th part 2 though. Was a huge inspiration for this film.
E.G.:I read that you wanted to do a sequel? Are there any plans yet and why do a sequel in the first place?
SCM: I would love to do a sequel. There is talk if the movie is received well and the numbers make sense. I think it would be fun to expand on the mythology and really take this Santa to a place we haven’t seen before. There is a ton of possibilities for this series and I feel it’s worth exploring.
E.G.:Silent Night had a very limited theatrical release on November 30th. Are you happy with that limited release and the fact that the movie came out on DVD pretty fast?
SCM: As a filmmaker you’re always happy your film is seeing the light of day, no matter what the size. But I will say I was disappointed because I felt the film deserved a much wider release and I thought the fans would have really turned out to see this one on the big screen.
E.G.: I noticed that you inter alia paid homage to the iconic “Garbage Day” scene from Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2. Generally speaking, is it important to you to include such little details that only fans of the originals understand?
SCM: 100%. There are many of those in the film. Including one to the original Black Christmas. I want the fans to know I’m also a fan and I’m not trying to ruin their beloved film. Im just trying to have fun and give a new generation something different.
E.G.: The colors and the light worked really well and made this film to something really special. Was this something you put a lot of focus on or rather a natural process?
SCM: Joseph White (the DP) and I really focused on colors pretty heavily in pre-production. We wanted the film to stand out from other modern slashers and have a very vibrant feel. I love color and it is apparent in this film that I feel horror films can be shot this way and still have a great creepy atmosphere. I just love cinematic movies and that was the goal on this film.
E.G.: What can you tell us about your future projects like Motel Hell?
SCM: Motel Hell is something that has been in development hell for a while. Hopefully MGM will remember it’s there and figure out what they want to do with it. Other than that my film Under the Bed will be hitting theaters summer 2013 and I’m working on a few other things that I’m hoping get green lit very shortly!
E.G.: Anything else you would like to add?
SCM: Just to thank everyone for supporting the film and indie horror. Its because of the fans that films like this will continue to be made. Really appreciate everyone!
As usual we want to thank you for spending your time answering our questions. To all the readers: If you are into oldschool horror but are open towards modern stuff, you should absolutely give Silent Night a try. Check out the trailer below and buy the movie here.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhLw3GmHQqA]
As you might have guessed from last week’s review, the other band I was talking was Woe, Is Me. This week it’s time for me to throw in my two cents on their new record Genesi[s] to see if their two new singers are worthy replacements and if the band has managed to put out a good record despite its many line-up changes. Enjoy!
After a short intro followed by a song, that feels like another intro, the record kicks off with A Story To Tell, a song about the difficulties the band has faced in the past two years and how they have overcome them. It’s followed by a song which features Caleb Shomo, the singer of Attack Attack!, and deals with the struggles the band had to endure since their last record Number[s]…the next song pretty much has the same theme, and so does the rest of the eleven songs. This is the first negative thing that really stands out to me: the album focusses too much on revenge and the “we-made-it-anyways” theme is just annoying after a while.
Musically, it’s not bad in any way but it just lacks that extra spice to make it stand out among your average metalcore record. The production is very modern and almost a bit too overproduced, even for me. The second thing that left a sour taste in my mouth was the fact that the same riff seems to be used all throughout the record and makes most of it sound like one giant breakdown; only in the chorus the songs start to shine because those actually have quite catchy melodies.
At this point I’d like to take back a word from the first paragraph: the new singers are not just mere replacements; they stand their ground very well and I’m going to go ahead and say that the clean vocals are a tick better than before. Apart from the earlier mentioned guest vocals there is also an appearance by Matty Mullins of Memphis May Fire.
All in all, these thirty-one minutes ended up being a bit of a let-down for me, if it weren’t for the highly enjoyable clean vocals. However, I will not turn my back on Woe, Is Me but instead follow their progress further and hope that this record was just a slow new beginning for a bright future. You can check out the band’s Facebook page for more info and listen to the song below.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GttItGw-HVo]
It’s getting winter again, 2012 is coming to an end soon, and damn, I think we forgot something here. It has been a year full of stoner and metal bursts for most of the El Gore scribblers. I personally like to switch a bit into more melodic and progressive music these days, and here we are: Crippled Black Phoenix, a band I love and cheer for their 2010 release I, Vigilante, brought out an LP in the beginning of 2012 and an EP last October! What an idiot I am! Let’s go to work!
(Mankind) The Crafty Ape was released in January this year as a double LP concept album, and I must say, I didn’t like it: too interminable, not enough I, Vigilante. Ignorant me! There is way more progressive and way more Pink Floyd than ever in the work of Crippled Black Phoenix and you have to invest a bit time into it. In fact, the LP turned out to be a grower, although you have to display lots of goodwill when you’re still focused on the 2010 release, which of course is pretty unfair.
The dark and apocalyptic atmosphere continues to be omnipresent although the deepness and the drama (and post-rock elements) make way for many more progressive, psychedelic and also pop experiments. The album’s highlights are often lying between the main hooks, but they aren’t invisible in any way. Synths and samples between the songs, stringed instruments, instrumental parts and especially background choirs singing about Armageddon constitute the typical and lovely Crippled Black Phoenix sound.
Furthermore they also opened the door for more guitars (Laying Traps) and also for Daisy Chapman on the microphone, who sounds more mature than she did when singing Of A Lifetime in 2010. Some songs perfectly find their end and (even more important) their purpose, others are whirring around, not knowing where they belong. Making everything fit with each other is a huge challenge when doing such a long piece of art, a challenge that the group from Bristol sometimes fails. Nevertheless, they still know how to surprise their listeners (King Crimson says hello in Born In A Hurricane), which is an important element and a must do for long progressive outputs. Although I know (and I already wrote it) that it’s unfair to permanently compare this LP to I, Vigilante, one other thing unfortunately has to be mentioned: the vocals in general have lost a lot of energy, which is surely due to the love of experimentation. It is the progressive approach which guides the vibe through the songs this time, the symbiosis between vocals and music seemed more perfect in 2010 though, also compared to the ups and downs on this album.
(Mankind) The Crafty Ape is a very solid LP, which loses its focus sometimes and which again doesn’t reinvent the wheel (Pink Floyd is just the most obvious inspiration, there are many others, most situated in the last 40 years of progressive and rock music). Still, Crippled Black Phoenix still sound fresh and playful and they certainly aren’t just a homage band. In the end it seems that I missed something last winter.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLiR_MT6toQ]
Recommendations: The Heart Of Every Country, Get Down And Live With It, A Letter Concerning Dogheads
October 2012. Crippled Black Phoenix present a new singer besides their new EP (which is already understated considering the 50 minutes running time). Any news or reasons about the changes? Nope. The band from Bristol sometimes is as mysterious as their music is. Let the sounds do the work, not the band history. Good approach.
The opener of No Sadness Or Farewell is nothing but Crippled Black Phoenix at their best. Melodies of the Last Day combined with post rock tunes and no vocals needed at all. However, post rock by no means has become the golden thread again; the band is experimenting with very melodic, songwriting and pop parts. This sometimes arises a feeling of total relaxation and sometimes it kind of disturbs the lovers of old releases (I know, I’m getting unfair again). One way or another, John E. Vistic reveals new possibilities for the Phoenix‘s sound, although this new poppish approach now and then appears to be too theatric and sometimes even a bit kitschy when it comes to my personal taste.
Talking about Miriam Wolf, the new female vocalist, one must say that her performance on the EP is really lovely, bringing another taste of melancholy and great psychedelic parts into the whole farewell concept. Despite all the new influences, the core sound hasn’t really changed, but sometimes accepts an unjustified subordinated role. Jonestown Martin crows with a dramatic monk choir combined with experimental and synthesised vocals, followed by a typical climax joined by even a few electronic tunes. You decide whether the beginning again may be too corny, for the author this is one of the strongest moments of this release.
In the end, there’s the question about “who shall protect us from our protectors”? Who shall protect Crippled Black Phoenix from experimenting too much? Let’s hope that nobody will ever dare it. Although I still miss the deepness and greatness of 2010, this band still is worth a listen after every step they take and still one of the most underestimated post rock, progressive and experimental bands around.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTw_puqDtms]
Recommendations: How We Rock, Jonestown Martin.
So, which of the two 2012 releases is the best? They can’t be compared (standard answer, but it perfectly fits). If you ask for the author’s preference, he would choose (Mankind) The Crafty Ape.