THE HAXANS (Los Angeles, California) featuring World-Class Vocalist Ash Costello “Party Monsters” album UNLEASHED ON PLANET METAL on October 13th, 2017 — PASS THIS CD OUT FOR HALLOWEEN 2017 ALL KILLER NO FILLER –!!!

 

 

THE HAXANS, the goth-pop-infused power duo

featuring Ash Costello (NEW YEARS DAY) on vocals

and Matt Montgomery (ROB ZOMBIE) on vocals and

guitar, will release its debut album, “Party

Monsters”, on Friday, October 13 via Another Century Records.

 

The music video for the track “Lights Out”, taken

from “Party Monsters”, can be seen below.

Costello states: “For years we have felt like mad

scientists, secretly working on our music hidden

away from everyone else… and we are so excited to

finally share our creation with the world!

“I genuinely love what we have made and cannot wait for you to hear it!

 

“We are two weirdos that hope we can call upon all

the rest of the weirdos in the world to join in on our fun.”

 

Montgomery adds: “Finally it’s party time! We

figure after a few years of building this Frankenstein

in the garage, we should let it get out and walk

around a little. Maybe someone will try to beat it up,

maybe someone else will fall in love with it. Who

knows? But it’s out there and it’s loose, and you

never know where it will turn up!

 

“This record is a party for everyone else like us. The

cover, the songtitles, the energy and the colors of

this record are going to pull together an amazing

cross section of people. It’s just everything we like

and celebrate every day, but amped up to eleven! It’s

got a kids-jumping-on-the-bed-while-the-parents-

are-out-of-the-room feeling to it to me, which is

kind of what this record was for us.”

 

Montgomery previously said that the “secret

ingredient” behind THE HAXANS was “having two

people that are on the same wavelength. You’re

painting with the same colors. We’ve got the same

color palette. We’re, like, ‘Purple?’ ‘You mean this

purple?’ And we go, ‘Yeah, that’s exactly the purple

we were looking for.’

 

 

 

 

….GOTHIC adjective noting or pertaining to a music style characterized by a gloomy unsettling setting, grotesque, mysterious, or violent events, and an ominous atmosphere of degeneration and decay….

As  Divine  Grace  • Lumo

 

As Divine Grace  •  Supremature

Artrosis •  Fetish

Avatarium • Avatarium

Avataruim • The Girl With The Raven Mask

Babylon Whores  • Cold Heaven

Babylon Whores  • King Fear

Babylon Whores   • Death of The West

Beseech •  … from A Bleeding Heart

Beseeh   • Black Emotions

The Birthday Massacre • …all releases…

Beyond Dawn (NORWAY)  • Pity Love

Blues Pills • Blues Pills

Blues Pills • Lady In Gold

The Bronx Casket Co. • The Bronx Casket Co.

The Bronx Casket Co. Sweet • Home Transylvania

C

Cadaveria  • Horror Metal

Celtic Frost  • Into the Pandemonium

Christian Death  • Atrocities

Christian Death  • Sex & Drugs & Jesus Christ

Christian Death  • American Inquisition

Cradle of Filth •  The Principle of Evil Made Flesh

Cradle of Filth  • Dusk… and Her Embrace

Cradle of Filth  • Cruelty and the Beast

Cradle of Filth  • Midian

Cradle of Filth  • Damnation and a Day

Cradle of Filth  • Nymphetamine

Cradle of Filth  • Thornography

Cradle of Filth  • Godspeed on the Devil’s Thunder

Cradle of Filth  • Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa

Cradle of Filh  • The Manticore and Other Horrors

Crest of Darkness  •The Ogress

Crest of Darkness  • Project Regeneration

Crest of Darkness  • Evil Knows Evil

Crest of Darkness  • Give Us The Power To Your Evil

Coven  • Witchcraft Reaps Souls and Destroys Mind

Coven  • Jinx

Covenant  • Nexus Polaris

D

Darkseed  • Give Me Light

Darkseed  • Diving Into Darkness

Dead  Can Dance  • Dead Can  Dance

Death Penalty • Death Penalty82′

Devilment • The Great And Secret Show

Devilment  • II The Mephisto Waltzes

Dimmu Borgir   • Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia

Dimmu Borgir • Death Cult Armageddon

Dismal Euphony  • All Little Devils

Dismal Euphony   • Lady Ablaze

 

Dismal Euphony  • Python Zero

Dreadful Shadows  • Estrangement

Dreadful Shadows  • Buried Again

Dreadful Shadows  • Beyond The Maze

Dreadful Shadows  • The Cycle

Elusive  • Destination Zero

Elis  •  Gods Silence, Devils Temptation

Evanescence • Fallen

 

Elis •  Dark Clouds In A Perfect Sky

The Empire Hideous • Only Time Will Tell

Evereve •  Seasons

Evereve  • Stormbirds

The Fields of Nephilim  • Elizium

The Fields of Nephilim  • Fallen

Garden of Delight (deutsche)  • ENKL’s Temple

Garden of Delight (deutsche)  • Epitaph

Garden of Delight (deutsche)  • Sargonid Seal

Garden of Delight (deutsche)  • Necromanteion IV

Garden of Delight (deutsche)  • Symbol And Vision

Garden of Delight (deutsche)  • Scheoul

Garden of Delight (deutsche)  • Paradise

The Gathering •  Mandylion

The Gathering • Nighttime Birds

The Gathering  • In Motion DVD

Graveworm • Engraved In Black

H

The Haxans • Party Monster

Hazel Und Gretyl •…all releases…

I

Ides of Gemini  • Old World New Wave

J

 Jack•Off •Jill    • Clear Hearts Grey Flowers

K

Kabbalah • Spectral Ascent

Kreator (GERMANY)  • Endorama

….yes this Kreator released one of the GREATEST GOTHIC METAL ALBUMS OF ALL….

L

Lacrimas Profundere  • Memorandum

Lacrimas Profundere  • Burning : A Wish

Lacroisma •  Inferno

 

Love Like Blood * Exposure

Love Like Blood * SnakeKiller

Lucifer • Lucifer I

Lucyfire * This  Dollar Saved My Life At Whitehorse

Lutherion * Kosmogensis

M

Marilyn Manson  • Anti-Christ Superstar

Mercyful Fate Melissa

Mercyful Fate Don’t Break The Oath

Macbeth * Vanitas

Moonspell Irreligious

N

Nefilim  • Zoon

NFD  • No Lost Love

NFD  • Dead Pool Rising

NFD  • Deeper Vision

Notre Dame • Coming Soon to a Théatre Near You!!!

Notre Dame • Vol 1 Le Théâtre du Vampire

Notre Dame  • Nightmare Before Christmas

Notre Dame  • Demi Monde Bizarros

One-Eyed Doll  • Witches

Paradise Lost   • Gothic

Paradise Lost   • Draconian Times

Riti Occulti  • Riti Occulti

Riti Occulti •  Secta

Riti Occulti • Elenor Rigby

Riti Occulti • Tetragrammaton

Savn  • Savn

 

Secret Discovery * Philarmonic Diseases

Secret Discovery * Slave

Scream Silence * To Die For

Scream Silence * The 2nd

The Sweetest Condition   • Edge of the World

The Sweetest Condition   • We Defy Oblivion

Theatre of Tragedy * Theatre of Tragedy

Theatre of Tragedy * Velvet Darkness They Fear

Theatre of Tragedy * Aégis

 

Theatre of Tragedy * Storm

Theatre of Tragedy * Forever is The World

Theatre of Tragedy •  Last Curtain Call DVD

Theatres Des Vampires of Night Breed of Macabria

Theatres Des Vampires • Candyland

Tiamat * Wildhoney

Tiamat * A Deeper Kind of Slumber

Tiamat * Prey

Tiamat * Judas Christ

Tiamat * Skeleton Skeletron

Tristania * Widow’s Weeds

Tristania * Beyond The Veil

Tristania * World of Glass

Tristania * Ashes

Tristania * Illumination

Tristania * Rubicon

Tristania * Darkest White

Type o Negative • ….all releases…..

P

Pale Forest * Exit Mould

Paradise Lost * Gothic

Paradise Lost * Shades of God

Paradise Lost * Gothic

Paradise Lost * Draconian Times

Paradise Lost * One Seconds

Yearning * With Tragedies Adorned

Yearning * Plaintive Scenes

Yearning * Frore Meadow

Yearning * Evershade

Yearing * Merging Into Landscapes

The Vision Bleak * The Deathship Has A New Captain

The Vision Bleak * Carpathia * A Dramatic Poem

The Vision Bleak * The Wolves Go Hunt Their Prey

The Vision Bleak * Set Sail To Mystery

The Vision Bleak * The Witching Hour

Zeraphine * Kalte Sonne

Zeraphine *Traumaworld

Zeraphine * Blind Camera

Zeraphine * Still

Zeraphine * Whiteout

First and Last and Always”, to name a specific metal genre as gothic, which makes the oh-so renowned and overabused gothic metal term, this specific metal genre MUST have references and influences from the gothic rock/dark wave scene from the 80s. Apparently, without any second thought and a shadow of doubt, many bands from this so-called commercial and big scene are not gothic metal because they have not a single reference from the gothic rock/dark wave scene of the 80s. It really is something funny for metalheads that know nothing about this scene to speak about gothic music. But what is even more funny is the fact that part of the metal scene dislikes goths and when you ask them “which people do you refer to as goths?” you get the answer “those people, man, that paint their eyes black and listen to Marilyn Manson endlessly”, even from this you can get that a big part of the metal scene really has nothing to do in knowledge and experience about the gothic subculture, its bands and its audience. And thus this over-confusion passes in the gothic metal scene.

You see, the gothic subculcture has all these chicks dressed in black, with the cute faces, the beautiful make up and stuff, yes, I know, they are beautiful, I adore them as well, but, sadly, when a female-fronted metal band starts sounding a bit more symphonic/atmospheric or even a bit melancholic and has a female singer, preferably cute that stands as the front of the band and wears all these beautiful scarlet or velvet or black dresses with flowers and stuff, people start referring to this band as gothic metal, for no reason apparently. A female singer that has a more obscure and “poetic” dress-code won’t make a band a gothic one, apparently, it’s the music that matters, not the supposed dress-code. And so we come to bands like Evanescence, Lacuna Coil, Within Temptation, Epica, After Forever and so on, well, these bands have nothing to do, more or less each one of them (or used to have a slight reference but they have nothing to do anymore), with the gothic metal genre, the only common thing they have as bands is that they are female-fronted, does this make them gothic metal? No, for fuck’s sake no! Ok, they have their own atmosphere each one of them, they have some strong female vocalists, some good tunes, others more others less, but that’s all people; no gothic elements, no gothic metal.

If you want some bands with female vocalists that actually play gothic metal then you should definitely check Tristania of the first era (who can deny that “Widow’s Weeds” has gothic rock elements? I’ll give the answer, no-one can because these elements are present in the guitar work; and let’s not forget the gothic rock guest male vocals on “Angellore” ), Theatre Of Tragedy of the first three releases, yes, they are gothic metal, and not because Liv Kristine used to wear black dresses and have that absolute female gothic look, just check the music, apparently gothic metal, then come Trail Of Tears, their first releases are also strong and gothic metal, really good work and it seems to me at times that the gothic metal scene including female vocals blossomed in Norway, judging from the bands I mentioned above. And of course I shouldn’t skip to mention Sirenia, the band Morten Veland formed after he left Tristania, another wonderful gothic metal act, with intense gothic rock elements, even the hat in the vein of The Sisters Of Mercy/The Fields Of The Nephilim is present, hehe (if you don’t believe me ask Mr. Veland and check Elusive’s debut album, “Destination Zero”, to see which are his influences; for the history, Elusive are a rising gothic rock act from Norway and Veland played the guitars on this album) and of course I shouldn’t skip to mention Beseech, they have female vocals as well in their compositions, but they are a 50%-50% female-male fronted band now, with balanced male and female vocals. Just check their first two releases, pure romantic gothic/doom metal with The Fields Of The Nephilim references being too intense, both in guitar parts filled with gothic rock riffing and vocal lines in which the first singer of the band sounds like a reincarnation of Carl McCoy. And of course I shouldn’t skip to mention As Divine Grace from Finland, they used to be a romantic doom/death metal act but with years they became more gothic metal oriented, with female vocals, a really strong band that sadly disbanded.

You know, a band to be called gothic metal must have references from the gothic rock/dark wave scene as I said above, which means, Christian Death (with Rozz Williams on the vocals of course, hehehe! Or Valor of “Atrocities”, it was an awesome album, i have to admit it! And why not “Sex & Drugs & Jesus Christ”, their last really strong album with Valor!), The Mission, The Sisters Of Mercy, The Fields Of The Nephilim, Bauhaus, early The Cult, Siouxsie And The Banshees, Clan Of Xymox, Virgin Prunes, early Dead Can Dance etc must be present, with each band sticking to its own references. And what the history has shown to me is that whenever gothic rock acts started turning heavier and more metal-oriented they made far better work from gothic metal acts, because gothic rockers really know what to do, they have the feeling in their blood, it’s flowing, they know how to express it correctly and make it sound heavier if they want to enter a heavier sound stage. And of course I will mention some gothic rock/metal acts and first and above all one of the best gothic acts of the 90s that most of you don’t know, DREADFUL SHADOWS, listen to them to feel the decadence, the sorrow, the pain, the gothic aesthetic, the gothic feeling from a band that released four great albums and with every album it tended to sound steps further, reaching “The Cycle” where more modern references made their appearance. After Dreadful Shadows sadly disbanded Sven Friedrich and Norman Selbig of Dreadful Shadows formed Zeraphine, another wonderful gothic rock/metal act with a more modern approach of course. Another fabulous gothic rock/metal act have to be Scream Silence, at times tending to sound like Dreadful Shadows, but they tended to perfect their own sound, their first two album are the most metallic ones and the other three are heavy still, but more gothic rock definitely; at times they tend to have a doomy feeling as well. Secret Discovery is a good band as well, moving in pure gothic rock in their early years and from a moment and on they started sounding a lot more metallic. Also, Love Like blood is a gothic rock band ,one of the best if you ask me, they have released some really strong opuses during the first half of the 90s, in the second half of the 90s from a moment and on they started sounding heavy and “Snakekiller” is a good gothic metal/rock album. Take Garden of Delight now, one of the best gothic rock acts of the 90s, they released in 7 years 7 albums with 7 songs each one of them, they disbanded afterwards, after the first circle had ended. They came back in the 00s, stronger, heavier, more powerful, but above all gothic rock. After 4 albums they formed Lutherion and they definitely are gothic metal/rock now, sounding really heavy, gothic rock-oriented and with an electro touch as well! Most and above all I shouldn’t forget to mention the metal approach of Carl McCoy, first with The Nefilim in the second half of the 90s and recently with the dynamic come back of the Fields Of The Nephilim. “Zoon” of the Nefilim was a brilliant piece of thrash/death metal blended with strong doses of gothic rock in the renowned McCoy n’ Fields vein and “Mourning Sun” of The Fields Of The Nephilim is an album of pure gothic rock/metal, a really strong release to show to the gothic metal scene who can rule the scene in no time. And let’s mention NFD, a The Nefilim oriented project, heavy enough and always gothic rock and another project from members of The Nefilim, Saints Of Eden, gothic rock with heavy doses of metal and electronic/industrial elements, sounding really heavy and definitely really strong!

Now concerning some gothic metal acts I should mention Evereve of their first era with Tom Schedotschenko, heart-rending, twisted, mourning gothic metal from the pits of Hell, utterly desolate and melancholic, with the ideal references! After the suicide of the singer a new singer came on board and they released an easier album, gothic metal still, afterwards they started moving in more electronic soundscapes. Darkseed as well, they definitely had gothic-oriented references in albums like “Diving Into Darkness” and “Give Me Light” etc, a good band definitely. Paradise Lost OF COURSE and no matter how much doomsters hit their asses on the wall and point out that “Gothic” is doom/death metal I will always be there to be a pain in the ass and their closed mind to point out that it is one of the first pure gothic metal releases, not because of the name, “Gothic”, but because of the music. Listen carefully, the gothic rock references on the guitars are too obvious, where Sisters Of Mercy stepped Paradise Lost found water. The orchestrations have a Celtic Frost sense from the “Into The Pandemonium” era and a dark wave aesthetic as well along with the fragile female vocals that seem to have come out of the 80s dark wave scene. Sure, it has a doom sense, but think about it more. Paradise Lost continued as a gothic metal act after “Shades Of God” (which was doom metal at all costs) releasing many fabulous albums like “Draconian times”, “Icon”, “One Second”, “Paradise Lost” etc, one of the best acts of the gothic metal scene. I shouldn’t skip Lacrimosa, one of the most important acts of this very scene; i have heard/read that they are progressive gothic metal, this statement always sounded funny to me from people that really have absolutely nothing to do with the scene. Tilo Wolf is a pure genius, from the gothic-death rock/dark wave oriented first releases of Lacrimosa to the historic moment when Anne Nurmi entered the band and Lacrimosa started becoming metal, gothic metal of course! Because the references remained, the doses of classical music became too obvious and one of the characteristic parts of the sound of the band. Generally they kept the Lacrimosa feeling alive, they just became one of the most quality, recognisable and best acts of the scene. Lacrimas Profundere, from a romantic doom/death metal act they started slowly and steadily incorporating in their sound gothic references reaching nowadays where they are a goth n’ roll act, slightly metal, more of a rock band, gothic rock with a poser attitude. And since I mentioned the poser attitude of Lacrimas Profundere I shouldn’t skip at all to mention The 69 Eyes, a non-metal band, they are goth n’ roll as well, at some times offering more more romantic gothic rock like on “Paris Kills”, at others more hard rock/gothic rock having several references from the 80s/early 90s. Where the Sisters Of Mercy left “Vision Thing” and The Cult left their releases Jyrki, Jussi and their companions stole them and found out many useful things for the now-sound of The 69 Eyes and Jyrki where Ian Astbury and the singer of LA Guns stood proud stole a bit of their pride to form his stage presence. So no, The 69 Eyes are not metal, poser gothic rock or goth n’ roll yes, definitely. A! Beyond Dawn’s “Pity Love” shouldn’t be missing from here as well, an album having the decadence of doom, references from the doom metal scene and of course intense The Sisters Of Mercy passages, both in structure and guitar parts, but always tending to present them through their very own and unique avant-garde prism. I shouldn’t forget to mention, just for the history, that Beyond Dawn during that period were supporting the Sisters Of Mercy at some of their shows, not a coincidence, is it? I shouldn’t skip Tiamat, they had a good course changing their sound from album to album, progressing positively, and as you all noticed they had their gothic rock-driven moments as well. Their latest release to date “Prey” was a metallic gothic rock worship with Edlund’s haunting vocals entrancing the atmosphere, “Skeleton Skeletron” had also a gothic rock air, quite modern in sound, good enough but nothing awesome and “A Deeper Kind Of Slumber” which was a mixture of psychedelic rock with gothic rock and stuff, good work! And some of you that may know, Johan Edlund has a gothic rock oriented band, Lucyfire, good stuff. Also, The Babylon Whores, not many know them, but they are awesome, a metal-driven Christian Death worship band, they know what they are doing, really good act! Another bright example of a band that injected intense 80s gothic/dark elements have to be Portugal’s finest and most known act, Moonspell, with bands like “The Antidote”, “Sin/Pexado” (a very underrated album), “Darkness And Hope” and “Irreligious”, they have to be one of those bands that interpret gothic metal in a really good and personal manner! Also, a new band around that had quite an impressive course so far with their two releases are definitely The Vision Bleak, travelling through the corridors of nightmares, drama, horror and gothic decadence they offer a new and fresh air to the scene! Also, Yearning from Finland are doing a good job with their esoteric and beautifully adorned by sadness and esoteric emotions gothic/doom metal. Last but not least Kreator’s “Endorama” is a thousand times more gothic metal than all those so-called gothic metal bands that are being referred as gothic metal by the silly music press and the audience that knows nothing about what is gothic, doesn’t “Endorama” sound so gothic metal to you? Change scene! It’s so simple!

The problem with the gothic metal scene doesn’t end here, there are two more problems with the scene except for the female-fronted bands that are mostly being referred by both press and audience as gothic metal and of course i’m referring to part of the Visual Kei scene and the Suomi Metal scene with bands tending to sound romantic, melancholic or suicidal, moving in metal/rock soundscapes with common road on their course being the melancholy factor. Concerning the Visual Kei scene with bands like Moi Dix Mois, Malice Mizer and stuff, they have an intense gothic aesthetic in their appearance, but this is the most gothic part of their existence, their music apart from some keyboard-driven really dark passages has nothing to do with the gothic rock/dark wave scene and the Bauhaus references in those bands that i have read somewhere is definitely non-existent and i know Bauhaus really well to not recognise them in a band. Well, part of the Visual Kei that is being referred as gothic metal could be the Japanese option of gothic metal, somethng different, something “foreign” to the European scene/audience, so I won’t be absolute in this case. I have to admit, anytime with the hand on my heart, that those Visual Kei bands are more gothic than all the other female-fronted or Suomi “we’re supposed to be gothic” metal bands will ever be, both in reality and dreams. And let’s move to the Suomi metal scene, believe me, I used to be a huge fan of this very specifc scene supporting bands like HIM, Entwine, For My Pain, Poisonblack, Charon, Sentenced, Lullacry, To Die For etc, I still support Entwine, HIM and To Die For because all those three are bands that have a lot to offer in my opinion, but really, where did you people find all these gothic elements in their compositions? You can always inform me because I’m craving to know more about gothic music and I would love to find out where all these elements hide and I can’t find them. I had read somewhere that Sentenced were gothic metal and on their latest releases they became gothic rock, HA HA! I mean, how funny is that? Only a metalhead that knows nothing about the gothic scene would ever say that, and a metalhead was indeed the person who said that. Ignorance is bad, definitely bad, and in this case ignorance has caused a lot of harm, something that disgusts me seeing it going on more and more day by day.

Well, I got bored writing and I think you’ll get bored reading too, so I will stop for now, but I will have to warn all of you i-know-it-all metalheads (to avoid misunderstandings, I’m not referring to every single metalhead, but to a specific part of it) that will give my article a shot, “if the truth hurts, prepare for pain”. Kisses!

“Lipstick on my cigarette…”    

……..DO YOU GOTH WHAT IT TAKES………………

 

……………….IN GOTH WE TRUST……………………..

 

……………ONLY GOTHIC IS REAL……………………..

 

 

 

 

Hanoi Rocks — HEAVY METAL LEGENDS — (Helsinki, Finland) “Two Steps From the Move” 100 OUT OF 100 BLOOD DRIPPING FUCKING SKULLS — FUCKING ESSENTIAL — TOP 100 HARD ROCK/HEAVY METAL ALBUMS OF ALL-TIME OF THE GOLDEN AGE OF HEAVY METAL — AUGUST 1ST, 1981 TO OCTOBER 31ST, 1986 — KICK ASS METAL HEAVY METAL HALL OF FAME ALBUM

Hanoi Rocks

HARD ROCK/ HEAVY METAL GODS

HARD ROCK/ HEAVY METAL LEGENDS

HELSINKI, FINLAND

Two Steps from the Move

August 10th, 1984

EPIC RECORDS

EK 39614

KICK ASS METAL RATING

100 OUT OF 100 BLOOD DRIPPING FUCKING SKULLS

FUCKING ESSENTIAL

KICK ASS METAL HEAVY METAL  HALL OF FAME ALBUM

TOP 100 HARD ROCK/ HEAVY METAL ALBUMS OF 1984

TOP 100 HARD ROCK/ HEAVY METAL ALBUMS OF THE GOLDEN AGE OF HEAVY METAL — AUGUST 1ST, 1981 TO OCTOBER 31ST, 1986

TOP 100 ALBUMS OF ALL-TIME

June 11th, 1984 Hanoi Rocks was in heavy rotation on MTV with the song Hanoi Rocks “Up Around the Bend”. Hanoi Rocks “Two Steps from the Move” went on my wantlist right away. My local Metal Records shoppes. The Record Gallery and Molten Metal in Las Vegas, Nevada did not carry this since those were elitist METAL ONLY record stores. I had to get it @ Odyssey Records, which if you were paying attention back in 1980/1981/1982/1983/1984 Odyssey Records was the biggest college rock record shoppes I have ever seen in the world… and at the time the term alternative rock and alternative was a half a decade away!! MY average disposable income from 1982 to 1999 was on average was $800 a week for vinyl and attending a concert everyday for a decade and a half, i was allowed to drink for free since i worked for heavy metal concert booking agencies, which freed up tons of money for vinyl binges, my daily per diem was 3 gourmet meals a day, and no limit on alcohol!!!!!!!!!! I was easily a $5,000,000 million dollar a year producer, most of my recommendations never flopped as a concert booking agency employee…. so I knew how to handle negotiations dealing with pay raises, perks, bonuses and vacations and i easily drank bands like alcoholica under the table…. In the Summer of 1997. I traded my album and international tape trader demos collection for a 1 to 1 trade…my tens of thousands of albums for tens of thousands of CD’s @ first I thought I won, because this dude who i did the trade with was a DEATH METAL maniac, and I was always on the RIFF BASED side of hard rock and heavy metal. If you do NOT have a riff you do not have a song…!! Since I always bought duplicates of tons of albums, I had this on cassette forever and a day…I started collecting CDs in the Summer of 1997, because I have a LOVE/HATE RELATIONSHIP with the compact cassette. I LOVE TO HATE THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Like I said, I collected one way, and my collection resembled more and more of what you see on metal elitist websites like Voices from the Darkside instead….but as DEATH METAL and BLACK METAL became over saturated, like the other 1,300 genres in this world. I just went back and see what albums i could recall from memory note for note…this for sure was one of them…!!!!!!!! THE RIFFS AND DIRECT HEADBANGER ACTION ON THIS ALBUM IS SECOND TO NONE…..AND HAS A ALBUM REVIEW SCORE OF 100 OUT OF 100 BLOOD DRIPPING FUCKING SKULLS — FUCKING ESSENTIAL. Since this is a album in the upper-tier of the upper echelon of WORLD-CLASS HEAVY METAL….!!!!!!!! WITHOUT HARD ROCK HEAVY METAL WOULD OF NEVER EXISTED IN THE FIRST PLACE, and if you play your record collection backwards in chronological order by release date….the music gets better. For every band feature here on KICK*ASS*METAL we look for a bands that is original and unique. And for each artist we always seek out there predecessor and successor. To make the KICK ASS METAL HALL OF FAME COMPLETE/PERFECT…. But for sure, this band CAN NEVER BE DUPLICATED OR IMITATED…!!!.. since they are a true one-of-a-kind!!!

THIS ALBUM FEATURES KILLER AND KICK ASS METAL RIFFS SO….RIDE THE LIGHTNING TO THIS ONE!!

Exit Eden * International (Wolfsburg, Germany/ Lyon, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France/ São Paulo, Brazil / Germany) Featuring World-Class Vocalist Amanda Somerville * World-Class Vocalist Clémentine Delauney * World-Class Vocalist Marina La Torraca * World-Class Anna Brunner * Exit Eden Write-UP

https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FExitEdenMusic%2Fvideos%2F442636999462811%2F&show_text=1&width=560

Four musicians from four different countries with four entirely different biographies, yet all stemming from the world of Rock, now united in one band: EXIT EDEN!

The all-female four piece *ensemble / group / band* unites all attributes ascribed to the new millennium: cosmopolitan, self-confident, independent and ready to do their very own thing. Despite their diversity, the four singers Amanda Somerville, Clémentine Delauney, Marina La Torraca and Anna Brunner blend together personally as superbly as they do vocally with their very diverse vocal tones and techniques that go from opera style to raspy rock. This constellation created extraordinary and powerful ideas and it became their unique plan to raise EXIT EDEN’s very own edge: to show the world that almost every classic song can be transformed into a solid metal-rock song.

Amanda Somerville:

Amanda is a rock-solid authority of the music scene, both as a solo artist and sharing success and the stage with bands like AVANTASIA, EPICA and KAMELOT. Though her US-American roots are based in Pop & Rock, she fell in love with the Metal scene and made it her home. She has toured with Alice Cooper, Ian Gillan and many more legends with her commanding voice and fronts the projects TRILLIUM and Kiske Somerville (with HELLOWEEN icon Michael Kiske). All of this, combined with her wide range of experience, grants her a unique edge and a permanent address in the Metal world.

Anna Brunner:

Anna Brunner far right photo below !!

A natural talent, Anna began singing at a very young age. As a daughter of a German father and an American mother, she grew up bilingual and founded her first Rock band as a teenager. Due to a music study that lead her through different parts of the world, she garnered a multitude of experience and it became crystal clear to her: music has to rock – and vocals need to be emotional – just like a passionate scream.

Marina La Torraca:

Hailing from Brazil, Marina was born with rhythm in her blood. As the auspicious frontwoman of several Metal bands since the age of 15, her path led her to Europe, where she got to perform with AVANTASIA and to found her up-and-coming band, PHANTOM ELITE. Since having studied musical theater in New York, the versatile singer and actress can also be seen internationally in musical productions, including the upcoming German tour of the Broadway-Hit, RENT. For her, being close to the crowd is what counts – no problem for her and her natural convincing character.

Clémentine Delauney:

Clémentine was born near Paris 30 years ago. She has been a multi talent since her childhood days – no matter if she was dancing, playing the piano or singing – she enchanted her audience. At the age of 16, she joined her first Metal band, she is currently fronting Symphonic Metal outfit VISIONS OF ATLANTIS and also worked with SERENITY and MELTED SPACE. Another one of her career highlights is her participation on Kai Hansen’s (HELLOWEEN, GAMMA RAY) first solo album, released in 2016. Thus, Clémentine has carved her way into being one of the great performers of the scene.

 

 

 

 

Exit Eden Select Discography

Exit Eden “Rhapodies In Black” * Napalm Records

NPR 747 JC

August 4th, 2017

KICK*ASS*METAL TOP 100 ALBUM OF 2017

 

 

NUCLEAR BLAST FROM THE PAST feature — Evanescence (Little Rock, Arkansas) featuring World-Class Vocalist Amy Lee “Fallen” Unleashed on Planet Metal on March 4th, 2003 — TOP 100 GOTHIC HEAVY METAL ALBUMS OF ALL-TIME — GOLDEN AGE OF GOTHIC METAL CLASSIC ALBUM EPIC RECORDS EK 91746 CANADIAN PRESSING

 

This Nuclear Blast from the Past is a all-time top 100 gothic rock/ gothic metal album of all-time, since Evanescence has a transcendence to there artistic vision, there is also elements of Symphonic Metal, Alternative Metal as well as NuMETAL….But this is a Gothic Metal publication in the Avant-garde-age as well as the Death Metal-age.

THE GOLDEN AGE OF HEAVY METAL IS FROM AUGUST 1ST, 1981 TO OCTOBER 31ST, 1986

THE GOLDEN AGE OF EXTREME METAL IS FROM AUGUST 1ST, 1983 TO OCTOBER 31ST, 1986

THE GOLDEN AGE OF GOTHIC METAL IS FROM JANUARY 1ST, 1993 TO JULY 27TH, 2003

This album was UNLEASHED ON PLANET METAL ON March 4th, 2003 @ the tail-end of the Golden Age of Gothic Metal. So not only is a top 100 heavy metal album of all-time — pick a genre NuMEtal, Alternative Metal, Symphonic Metal, or Gothic Metal….!!! I was really expecting this album to be slandered, by the likes of Metal-Archives and or BNR Pages, but neither of those publications have a Evanescence Encyclopedia Metallic entry over-there. I love reading up on the top 100 heavy metal albums of all-time and like to see how bad the quality control is over @ Metal Archives, there is none….!!!! The page has over a billion errors on the 117,000 bands they cover over there, the review section of course has more errors in this one publication that the whole internet combined, since the internet happened on April 1st, 1995 !!!! This is one of those albums if your a fan of World-Class Heavy Metal with a World-Class Vocalist, then you have multiple copies of this in your serious metallic collection!! I live by the US/Canadian Border, when this KICK ASS METAL album was unleashed on Planet Metal on so I am using the Canadian Epic/Wind-Up Records Import version — EPIC RECORDS — EK 91746 for this NUCLEAR BLAST FROM THE PAST !!!!

Evanescence

Fallen

March 4th, 2003

Epic Records/ Wind Up Records

EK 91746

KICK ASS METAL RATING

100 OUT OF 100 BLOOD DRIPPING FUCKING SKULLS

FUCKING ESSENTIAL

KICK ASS METAL HEAVY METAL HALL OF FAME ALBUM

TOP 10 HARD ROCK/ HEAVY METAL ALBUMS OF ALL-TIME

TOP 100 GOTHIC METAL ALBUMS OF ALL-TIME

TOP 100 SYMPHONIC METAL ALBUMS OF ALL-TIME

TOP 100 ALTERNATIVE METAL ALBUMS OF ALL-TIME

TOP 100 NuMETAL ALBUMS OF ALL-TIME

….GOTHIC adjective noting or pertaining to a music style characterized by a gloomy unsettling setting, grotesque, mysterious, or violent events, and an ominous atmosphere of degeneration and decay….

As  Divine  Grace  • Lumo

 

As Divine Grace  •  Supremature

Artrosis •  Fetish

Avatarium • Avatarium

Avataruim • The Girl With The Raven Mask

Babylon Whores  • Cold Heaven

Babylon Whores  • King Fear

Babylon Whores   • Death of The West

Beseech •  … from A Bleeding Heart

Beseeh   • Black Emotions

The Birthday Massacre • …all releases…

Beyond Dawn (NORWAY)  • Pity Love

Blues Pills • Blues Pills

Blues Pills • Lady In Gold

The Bronx Casket Co. • The Bronx Casket Co.

The Bronx Casket Co. Sweet • Home Transylvania

C

Cadaveria  • Horror Metal

Celtic Frost  • Into the Pandemonium

Christian Death  • Atrocities

Christian Death  • Sex & Drugs & Jesus Christ

Christian Death  • American Inquisition

Cradle of Filth •  The Principle of Evil Made Flesh

Cradle of Filth  • Dusk… and Her Embrace

Cradle of Filth  • Cruelty and the Beast

Cradle of Filth  • Midian

Cradle of Filth  • Damnation and a Day

Cradle of Filth  • Nymphetamine

Cradle of Filth  • Thornography

Cradle of Filth  • Godspeed on the Devil’s Thunder

Cradle of Filth  • Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa

Cradle of Filh  • The Manticore and Other Horrors

Crest of Darkness  •The Ogress

Crest of Darkness  • Project Regeneration

Crest of Darkness  • Evil Knows Evil

Crest of Darkness  • Give Us The Power To Your Evil

Coven  • Witchcraft Reaps Souls and Destroys Mind

Coven  • Jinx

Covenant  • Nexus Polaris

D

Darkseed  • Give Me Light

Darkseed  • Diving Into Darkness

Dead  Can Dance  • Dead Can  Dance

Death Penalty • Death Penalty82′

Devilment • The Great And Secret Show

Devilment  • II The Mephisto Waltzes

Dimmu Borgir   • Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia

Dimmu Borgir • Death Cult Armageddon

Dismal Euphony  • All Little Devils

Dismal Euphony   • Lady Ablaze

 

Dismal Euphony  • Python Zero

Dreadful Shadows  • Estrangement

Dreadful Shadows  • Buried Again

Dreadful Shadows  • Beyond The Maze

Dreadful Shadows  • The Cycle

Elusive  • Destination Zero

Elis  •  Gods Silence, Devils Temptation

Evanescence • Fallen

 

Elis •  Dark Clouds In A Perfect Sky

The Empire Hideous • Only Time Will Tell

Evereve •  Seasons

Evereve  • Stormbirds

The Fields of Nephilim  • Elizium

The Fields of Nephilim  • Fallen

Garden of Delight (deutsche)  • ENKL’s Temple

Garden of Delight (deutsche)  • Epitaph

Garden of Delight (deutsche)  • Sargonid Seal

Garden of Delight (deutsche)  • Necromanteion IV

Garden of Delight (deutsche)  • Symbol And Vision

Garden of Delight (deutsche)  • Scheoul

Garden of Delight (deutsche)  • Paradise

The Gathering •  Mandylion

The Gathering • Nighttime Birds

The Gathering  • In Motion DVD

Graveworm • Engraved In Black

Hazel Und Gretyl •…all releases…

I

Ides of Gemini  • Old World New Wave

J

 Jack•Off •Jill    • Clear Hearts Grey Flowers

K

Kabbalah • Spectral Ascent

Kreator (GERMANY)  • Endorama

….yes this Kreator released one of the GREATEST GOTHIC METAL ALBUMS OF ALL….

L

Lacrimas Profundere  • Memorandum

Lacrimas Profundere  • Burning : A Wish

Lacroisma •  Inferno

 

Love Like Blood * Exposure

Love Like Blood * SnakeKiller

Lucifer • Lucifer I

Lucyfire * This  Dollar Saved My Life At Whitehorse

Lutherion * Kosmogensis

M

Marilyn Manson  • Anti-Christ Superstar

Mercyful Fate Melissa

Mercyful Fate Don’t Break The Oath

Macbeth * Vanitas

Moonspell Irreligious

N

Nefilim  • Zoon

NFD  • No Lost Love

NFD  • Dead Pool Rising

NFD  • Deeper Vision

Notre Dame • Coming Soon to a Théatre Near You!!!

Notre Dame • Vol 1 Le Théâtre du Vampire

Notre Dame  • Nightmare Before Christmas

Notre Dame  • Demi Monde Bizarros

One-Eyed Doll  • Witches

Paradise Lost   • Gothic

Paradise Lost   • Draconian Times

Riti Occulti  • Riti Occulti

Riti Occulti •  Secta

Riti Occulti • Elenor Rigby

Riti Occulti • Tetragrammaton

Savn  • Savn

 

Secret Discovery * Philarmonic Diseases

Secret Discovery * Slave

Scream Silence * To Die For

Scream Silence * The 2nd

The Sweetest Condition   • Edge of the World

The Sweetest Condition   • We Defy Oblivion

Theatre of Tragedy * Theatre of Tragedy

Theatre of Tragedy * Velvet Darkness They Fear

Theatre of Tragedy * Aégis

 

Theatre of Tragedy * Storm

Theatre of Tragedy * Forever is The World

Theatre of Tragedy •  Last Curtain Call DVD

Theatres Des Vampires of Night Breed of Macabria

Theatres Des Vampires • Candyland

Tiamat * Wildhoney

Tiamat * A Deeper Kind of Slumber

Tiamat * Prey

Tiamat * Judas Christ

Tiamat * Skeleton Skeletron

Tristania * Widow’s Weeds

Tristania * Beyond The Veil

Tristania * World of Glass

Tristania * Ashes

Tristania * Illumination

Tristania * Rubicon

Tristania * Darkest White

Type o Negative • ….all releases…..

P

Pale Forest * Exit Mould

Paradise Lost * Gothic

Paradise Lost * Shades of God

Paradise Lost * Gothic

Paradise Lost * Draconian Times

Paradise Lost * One Seconds

Yearning * With Tragedies Adorned

Yearning * Plaintive Scenes

Yearning * Frore Meadow

Yearning * Evershade

Yearing * Merging Into Landscapes

The Vision Bleak * The Deathship Has A New Captain

The Vision Bleak * Carpathia * A Dramatic Poem

The Vision Bleak * The Wolves Go Hunt Their Prey

The Vision Bleak * Set Sail To Mystery

The Vision Bleak * The Witching Hour

Zeraphine * Kalte Sonne

Zeraphine *Traumaworld

Zeraphine * Blind Camera

Zeraphine * Still

Zeraphine * Whiteout

First and Last and Always”, to name a specific metal genre as gothic, which makes the oh-so renowned and overabused gothic metal term, this specific metal genre MUST have references and influences from the gothic rock/dark wave scene from the 80s. Apparently, without any second thought and a shadow of doubt, many bands from this so-called commercial and big scene are not gothic metal because they have not a single reference from the gothic rock/dark wave scene of the 80s. It really is something funny for metalheads that know nothing about this scene to speak about gothic music. But what is even more funny is the fact that part of the metal scene dislikes goths and when you ask them “which people do you refer to as goths?” you get the answer “those people, man, that paint their eyes black and listen to Marilyn Manson endlessly”, even from this you can get that a big part of the metal scene really has nothing to do in knowledge and experience about the gothic subculture, its bands and its audience. And thus this over-confusion passes in the gothic metal scene.

You see, the gothic subculcture has all these chicks dressed in black, with the cute faces, the beautiful make up and stuff, yes, I know, they are beautiful, I adore them as well, but, sadly, when a female-fronted metal band starts sounding a bit more symphonic/atmospheric or even a bit melancholic and has a female singer, preferably cute that stands as the front of the band and wears all these beautiful scarlet or velvet or black dresses with flowers and stuff, people start referring to this band as gothic metal, for no reason apparently. A female singer that has a more obscure and “poetic” dress-code won’t make a band a gothic one, apparently, it’s the music that matters, not the supposed dress-code. And so we come to bands like Evanescence, Lacuna Coil, Within Temptation, Epica, After Forever and so on, well, these bands have nothing to do, more or less each one of them (or used to have a slight reference but they have nothing to do anymore), with the gothic metal genre, the only common thing they have as bands is that they are female-fronted, does this make them gothic metal? No, for fuck’s sake no! Ok, they have their own atmosphere each one of them, they have some strong female vocalists, some good tunes, others more others less, but that’s all people; no gothic elements, no gothic metal.

If you want some bands with female vocalists that actually play gothic metal then you should definitely check Tristania of the first era (who can deny that “Widow’s Weeds” has gothic rock elements? I’ll give the answer, no-one can because these elements are present in the guitar work; and let’s not forget the gothic rock guest male vocals on “Angellore” ), Theatre Of Tragedy of the first three releases, yes, they are gothic metal, and not because Liv Kristine used to wear black dresses and have that absolute female gothic look, just check the music, apparently gothic metal, then come Trail Of Tears, their first releases are also strong and gothic metal, really good work and it seems to me at times that the gothic metal scene including female vocals blossomed in Norway, judging from the bands I mentioned above. And of course I shouldn’t skip to mention Sirenia, the band Morten Veland formed after he left Tristania, another wonderful gothic metal act, with intense gothic rock elements, even the hat in the vein of The Sisters Of Mercy/The Fields Of The Nephilim is present, hehe (if you don’t believe me ask Mr. Veland and check Elusive’s debut album, “Destination Zero”, to see which are his influences; for the history, Elusive are a rising gothic rock act from Norway and Veland played the guitars on this album) and of course I shouldn’t skip to mention Beseech, they have female vocals as well in their compositions, but they are a 50%-50% female-male fronted band now, with balanced male and female vocals. Just check their first two releases, pure romantic gothic/doom metal with The Fields Of The Nephilim references being too intense, both in guitar parts filled with gothic rock riffing and vocal lines in which the first singer of the band sounds like a reincarnation of Carl McCoy. And of course I shouldn’t skip to mention As Divine Grace from Finland, they used to be a romantic doom/death metal act but with years they became more gothic metal oriented, with female vocals, a really strong band that sadly disbanded.

You know, a band to be called gothic metal must have references from the gothic rock/dark wave scene as I said above, which means, Christian Death (with Rozz Williams on the vocals of course, hehehe! Or Valor of “Atrocities”, it was an awesome album, i have to admit it! And why not “Sex & Drugs & Jesus Christ”, their last really strong album with Valor!), The Mission, The Sisters Of Mercy, The Fields Of The Nephilim, Bauhaus, early The Cult, Siouxsie And The Banshees, Clan Of Xymox, Virgin Prunes, early Dead Can Dance etc must be present, with each band sticking to its own references. And what the history has shown to me is that whenever gothic rock acts started turning heavier and more metal-oriented they made far better work from gothic metal acts, because gothic rockers really know what to do, they have the feeling in their blood, it’s flowing, they know how to express it correctly and make it sound heavier if they want to enter a heavier sound stage. And of course I will mention some gothic rock/metal acts and first and above all one of the best gothic acts of the 90s that most of you don’t know, DREADFUL SHADOWS, listen to them to feel the decadence, the sorrow, the pain, the gothic aesthetic, the gothic feeling from a band that released four great albums and with every album it tended to sound steps further, reaching “The Cycle” where more modern references made their appearance. After Dreadful Shadows sadly disbanded Sven Friedrich and Norman Selbig of Dreadful Shadows formed Zeraphine, another wonderful gothic rock/metal act with a more modern approach of course. Another fabulous gothic rock/metal act have to be Scream Silence, at times tending to sound like Dreadful Shadows, but they tended to perfect their own sound, their first two album are the most metallic ones and the other three are heavy still, but more gothic rock definitely; at times they tend to have a doomy feeling as well. Secret Discovery is a good band as well, moving in pure gothic rock in their early years and from a moment and on they started sounding a lot more metallic. Also, Love Like blood is a gothic rock band ,one of the best if you ask me, they have released some really strong opuses during the first half of the 90s, in the second half of the 90s from a moment and on they started sounding heavy and “Snakekiller” is a good gothic metal/rock album. Take Garden of Delight now, one of the best gothic rock acts of the 90s, they released in 7 years 7 albums with 7 songs each one of them, they disbanded afterwards, after the first circle had ended. They came back in the 00s, stronger, heavier, more powerful, but above all gothic rock. After 4 albums they formed Lutherion and they definitely are gothic metal/rock now, sounding really heavy, gothic rock-oriented and with an electro touch as well! Most and above all I shouldn’t forget to mention the metal approach of Carl McCoy, first with The Nefilim in the second half of the 90s and recently with the dynamic come back of the Fields Of The Nephilim. “Zoon” of the Nefilim was a brilliant piece of thrash/death metal blended with strong doses of gothic rock in the renowned McCoy n’ Fields vein and “Mourning Sun” of The Fields Of The Nephilim is an album of pure gothic rock/metal, a really strong release to show to the gothic metal scene who can rule the scene in no time. And let’s mention NFD, a The Nefilim oriented project, heavy enough and always gothic rock and another project from members of The Nefilim, Saints Of Eden, gothic rock with heavy doses of metal and electronic/industrial elements, sounding really heavy and definitely really strong!

Now concerning some gothic metal acts I should mention Evereve of their first era with Tom Schedotschenko, heart-rending, twisted, mourning gothic metal from the pits of Hell, utterly desolate and melancholic, with the ideal references! After the suicide of the singer a new singer came on board and they released an easier album, gothic metal still, afterwards they started moving in more electronic soundscapes. Darkseed as well, they definitely had gothic-oriented references in albums like “Diving Into Darkness” and “Give Me Light” etc, a good band definitely. Paradise Lost OF COURSE and no matter how much doomsters hit their asses on the wall and point out that “Gothic” is doom/death metal I will always be there to be a pain in the ass and their closed mind to point out that it is one of the first pure gothic metal releases, not because of the name, “Gothic”, but because of the music. Listen carefully, the gothic rock references on the guitars are too obvious, where Sisters Of Mercy stepped Paradise Lost found water. The orchestrations have a Celtic Frost sense from the “Into The Pandemonium” era and a dark wave aesthetic as well along with the fragile female vocals that seem to have come out of the 80s dark wave scene. Sure, it has a doom sense, but think about it more. Paradise Lost continued as a gothic metal act after “Shades Of God” (which was doom metal at all costs) releasing many fabulous albums like “Draconian times”, “Icon”, “One Second”, “Paradise Lost” etc, one of the best acts of the gothic metal scene. I shouldn’t skip Lacrimosa, one of the most important acts of this very scene; i have heard/read that they are progressive gothic metal, this statement always sounded funny to me from people that really have absolutely nothing to do with the scene. Tilo Wolf is a pure genius, from the gothic-death rock/dark wave oriented first releases of Lacrimosa to the historic moment when Anne Nurmi entered the band and Lacrimosa started becoming metal, gothic metal of course! Because the references remained, the doses of classical music became too obvious and one of the characteristic parts of the sound of the band. Generally they kept the Lacrimosa feeling alive, they just became one of the most quality, recognisable and best acts of the scene. Lacrimas Profundere, from a romantic doom/death metal act they started slowly and steadily incorporating in their sound gothic references reaching nowadays where they are a goth n’ roll act, slightly metal, more of a rock band, gothic rock with a poser attitude. And since I mentioned the poser attitude of Lacrimas Profundere I shouldn’t skip at all to mention The 69 Eyes, a non-metal band, they are goth n’ roll as well, at some times offering more more romantic gothic rock like on “Paris Kills”, at others more hard rock/gothic rock having several references from the 80s/early 90s. Where the Sisters Of Mercy left “Vision Thing” and The Cult left their releases Jyrki, Jussi and their companions stole them and found out many useful things for the now-sound of The 69 Eyes and Jyrki where Ian Astbury and the singer of LA Guns stood proud stole a bit of their pride to form his stage presence. So no, The 69 Eyes are not metal, poser gothic rock or goth n’ roll yes, definitely. A! Beyond Dawn’s “Pity Love” shouldn’t be missing from here as well, an album having the decadence of doom, references from the doom metal scene and of course intense The Sisters Of Mercy passages, both in structure and guitar parts, but always tending to present them through their very own and unique avant-garde prism. I shouldn’t forget to mention, just for the history, that Beyond Dawn during that period were supporting the Sisters Of Mercy at some of their shows, not a coincidence, is it? I shouldn’t skip Tiamat, they had a good course changing their sound from album to album, progressing positively, and as you all noticed they had their gothic rock-driven moments as well. Their latest release to date “Prey” was a metallic gothic rock worship with Edlund’s haunting vocals entrancing the atmosphere, “Skeleton Skeletron” had also a gothic rock air, quite modern in sound, good enough but nothing awesome and “A Deeper Kind Of Slumber” which was a mixture of psychedelic rock with gothic rock and stuff, good work! And some of you that may know, Johan Edlund has a gothic rock oriented band, Lucyfire, good stuff. Also, The Babylon Whores, not many know them, but they are awesome, a metal-driven Christian Death worship band, they know what they are doing, really good act! Another bright example of a band that injected intense 80s gothic/dark elements have to be Portugal’s finest and most known act, Moonspell, with bands like “The Antidote”, “Sin/Pexado” (a very underrated album), “Darkness And Hope” and “Irreligious”, they have to be one of those bands that interpret gothic metal in a really good and personal manner! Also, a new band around that had quite an impressive course so far with their two releases are definitely The Vision Bleak, travelling through the corridors of nightmares, drama, horror and gothic decadence they offer a new and fresh air to the scene! Also, Yearning from Finland are doing a good job with their esoteric and beautifully adorned by sadness and esoteric emotions gothic/doom metal. Last but not least Kreator’s “Endorama” is a thousand times more gothic metal than all those so-called gothic metal bands that are being referred as gothic metal by the silly music press and the audience that knows nothing about what is gothic, doesn’t “Endorama” sound so gothic metal to you? Change scene! It’s so simple!

The problem with the gothic metal scene doesn’t end here, there are two more problems with the scene except for the female-fronted bands that are mostly being referred by both press and audience as gothic metal and of course i’m referring to part of the Visual Kei scene and the Suomi Metal scene with bands tending to sound romantic, melancholic or suicidal, moving in metal/rock soundscapes with common road on their course being the melancholy factor. Concerning the Visual Kei scene with bands like Moi Dix Mois, Malice Mizer and stuff, they have an intense gothic aesthetic in their appearance, but this is the most gothic part of their existence, their music apart from some keyboard-driven really dark passages has nothing to do with the gothic rock/dark wave scene and the Bauhaus references in those bands that i have read somewhere is definitely non-existent and i know Bauhaus really well to not recognise them in a band. Well, part of the Visual Kei that is being referred as gothic metal could be the Japanese option of gothic metal, somethng different, something “foreign” to the European scene/audience, so I won’t be absolute in this case. I have to admit, anytime with the hand on my heart, that those Visual Kei bands are more gothic than all the other female-fronted or Suomi “we’re supposed to be gothic” metal bands will ever be, both in reality and dreams. And let’s move to the Suomi metal scene, believe me, I used to be a huge fan of this very specifc scene supporting bands like HIM, Entwine, For My Pain, Poisonblack, Charon, Sentenced, Lullacry, To Die For etc, I still support Entwine, HIM and To Die For because all those three are bands that have a lot to offer in my opinion, but really, where did you people find all these gothic elements in their compositions? You can always inform me because I’m craving to know more about gothic music and I would love to find out where all these elements hide and I can’t find them. I had read somewhere that Sentenced were gothic metal and on their latest releases they became gothic rock, HA HA! I mean, how funny is that? Only a metalhead that knows nothing about the gothic scene would ever say that, and a metalhead was indeed the person who said that. Ignorance is bad, definitely bad, and in this case ignorance has caused a lot of harm, something that disgusts me seeing it going on more and more day by day.

Well, I got bored writing and I think you’ll get bored reading too, so I will stop for now, but I will have to warn all of you i-know-it-all metalheads (to avoid misunderstandings, I’m not referring to every single metalhead, but to a specific part of it) that will give my article a shot, “if the truth hurts, prepare for pain”. Kisses!

“Lipstick on my cigarette…”    

……..DO YOU GOTH WHAT IT TAKES………………

 

……………….IN GOTH WE TRUST……………………..

 

……………ONLY GOTHIC IS REAL……………………..

 

 

 

NECK-BREAKING NEWS * EVANESCENCE (New York, New York) featuring World-Class Vocalist Amy Lee — Orchestral Reworking Of ‘Bring Me To Life’

THIS NECKBREAKING NEWS FEATURE IS COURTESY OF RoadrunneR/Blabbermouth New Service

 

 

 

EVANESCENCE has released a reworking of its debut single and global hit, “Bring Me To Life”. Taken from the band’s next album, “Synthesis”, which is due in the autumn, the reworked version of the song strips out the big distorted guitars and rock drums, replacing them with full orchestration in a completely synthetic world of beats and sounds, with help from arranger and composer David Campbell.

The original version of “Bring Me to Life” — which featured guest vocals from Paul McCoy of 12 STONES — reached No. 5 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and was EVANESCENCE’s first U.K. No. 1 single. It was taken from EVANESCENCE’s debut album, “Fallen”, which has sold more than seventeen million copies worldwide and was certified seven times platinum in the U.S.

“Synthesis” will feature two new EVANESCENCE songs in addition to fan favorites re-recorded with a live orchestra and electronica.

The “Synthesis Live” tour will launch this fall beginning October 14 on the West Coast. Like the album, “Synthesis Live” will feature a reimagining of some of EVANESCENCE’s best-loved songs with the spotlight on full orchestra, electronics combined with the band and Amy Lee’s virtuoso piano and voice.

“This is a total passion project for me. There are so many layers in our music, underneath the huge drums and guitars,” explained Lee. “I’ve always wanted to shine a light on some of the gorgeous David Campbell arrangements and programming elements in our songs, and that idea snowballed into completely re-doing them with full orchestra, not just strings, elaborate programming and experimentation.

“This will be our first time touring with orchestra and I’m so excited to perform this way-really focus on the vocals, and the emotion and the story we’ve built over the years. I’m also really excited about the new material on the album. Besides the two new songs, there are some really beautiful instrumental in-between moments. The whole thing flows like a big, dynamic soundtrack.”

Lee told Graspop.be about “Synthesis”: “It’s different in a way that it’s still coming from the roots of what EVANESCENCE was conceived to be,. It’s really a beautiful project. A lot of our old songs are getting a whole new life in a way where we’re getting to experience the focus being this beautiful, full orchestra. It’s also a lot of electronic, cool elements — parts that have always been part of our music. It hasn’t been full orchestra before — it’s just been mainly strings — but just taking it to very beautiful, classical and epic and groovy place. Oh, it feels so good. There’s some new stuff on it too, but it’s mostly old stuff [reimagined].”

Lee also talked in more detail about the making of “Synthesis”, explaining: “As far as the conception, basically, you work in demo land first and just create the arrangements of songs. I went through all the master sessions of, say, ‘Bring Me To Life’, and [I would] pull out all the stuff and listen to it and then chop it up and decide, ‘Oh, maybe this part needs to be longer. Maybe this part at the beginning will be just strings and piano.’ Just figure out what you’re gonna do and build a map. And working with David Campbell, who has done all the string arrangements for EVANESCENCE for all three albums now doing full orchestra, just going back and forth with him and our producer Will and then each other, just throwing ideas in a Dropbox and basically just playing tennis back and forth for months. We finally recorded the orchestra. It sounds just gorgeous. I can’t wait to finish the thing.”

Dropbox and basically just playing tennis back and forth for months. We finally recorded the orchestra. It sounds just gorgeous. I can’t wait to finish the thing.”

 

Catch EVANESCENCE on “Synthesis Live” in the following cities:

Oct. 14 – Las Vegas, NV – The Pearl Concert Theater (buy tickets)

Oct. 15 – Los Angeles, CA – Greek Theatre (buy tickets)

Oct. 17 – Phoenix, AZ – Comerica Theatre (buy tickets)

Oct. 20 – Houston, TX – Revention Music Center (buy tickets)

Oct. 22 – Irving, TX – The Pavilion at Irving Music Factory (buy tickets)

Oct. 23 – New Orleans, LA – Mahalia Jackson Theater for the Performing Arts (buy tickets)

Oct. 25 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium (buy tickets)

Oct. 27 – Atlanta, GA – Chastain Park Amphitheatre (buy tickets)

Oct. 28 – Charlotte, NC – Ovens Auditorium (buy tickets)

Oct. 30 – Pittsburgh, PA – Heinz Hall for the Performing Arts (buy tickets)

Oct. 31 – Oxon Hill, MD – MGM National Harbor (buy tickets)

Nov. 02 – Upper Darby, PA – Tower Theater (buy tickets)

Nov. 03 – Mashantucket, CT – Foxwoods Resort Casino – Grand Theater (buy tickets)

Nov. 05 – Boston, MA – Orpheum Theatre – Boston (buy tickets)

Nov. 07 – Bethlehem, PA – Sands Bethlehem Event Center (buy tickets)

Nov. 08 – Baltimore, MD – Hippodrome Theatre (buy tickets)

Nov. 10 – Brooklyn, NY – Kings Theatre (buy tickets)

Nov. 30 – Chicago, IL – Chicago Theatre (buy tickets)

Dec. 02 – Carmel, IN – The Palladium (buy tickets)

Dec. 05 – Minneapolis, MN – State Theatre (buy tickets)

Dec. 06 – Madison, WI – Orpheum Theatre (buy tickets)

Dec. 08 – Toronto, ON Canada – Sony Centre for Performing Arts (buy tickets)

Dec. 09 – Windsor, ON Canada – Caesar’s Windsor (buy tickets)

Dec. 11 – Kansas City, MO – Kansas City Music Hall (buy tickets)

Dec. 13 – Denver, CO – Paramount Theatre (buy tickets)

Dec. 15 – Reno, NV – Grand Theatre at The Grand Sierra Resort (buy tickets)

Dec. 16 – San Francisco, CA – Masonic Auditorium (buy tickets)

Dec. 19 – Portland, OR – Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall (buy tickets)

Evanescence’s third album is self titled for a reason: 15 years after its formation, the multi-platinum band has made the most collaborative, united album of it…s career. And it rocks.

“Coming back together is such a beautiful and happy thing,” co-founder and lead singer Amy Lee says of making “Evanescence,” the group’s first album since 2006’s “The Open Door.” “We’d bring a song to the whole band and arrange it in a group. That’s something that really stands out against the other records. There’s a tight band at the center of everything, giving it a very tangible energy.”

The cohesion is evident in every note. The album, produced by Nick Raskulinecz (Alice In Chains, Def Tones), packs a wallop with a unified vision that can only come from a group working together as a creative unit.

Led by Lee’s operatic, passionate vocals, Evanescence has sold close to 25 million albums since its 2003 debut, “Fallen.” The project’s premiere single, “Bring Me To Life,” snagged the band a Grammy for best hard rock performance. Other massive hits followed, including “My Immortal,” “Going Under,” and “Call Me When You’re Sober,” establishing Evanescence as worldwide tour headliners.

After a break following the conclusion of the tremendously successful tour behind “The Open Door,” the band— Lee, guitarists Terry Balsamo and Troy McLawhorn, bassist Tim McCord and drummer Will Hunt— came together to write a number of songs for “Evanescence” before heading to Nashville, where, under Raskulinecz’s tutelage, they penned another six songs.

“We were just sitting on a little stage in a circle with Nick standing there air-shredding on a drumstick. He’d say, ‘Stop. After the bridge, why don’t you do a breakdown and then go into an instrumental thing.’ He directed us,” Lee recalls. “It was really good for us to have that outside perspective.”

The group then retreated to Nashville’s Blackbird Studios to record. “Nick got it. He understood what we were going for,” Lee says. “The thing he was going to amp up was the band side, which was what we wanted to focus on.”

“Evanescence” crackles with an urgency that seeps through each of the 12 tracks. Opening slab, the hard-driving “What You Want,” is about Lee’s decision to head back into the fray after the band’s hiatus. “It’s totally about going back to being in Evanescence,” she says. “It’s motivating myself not to be afraid. I’m writing about the chaos of life and that you can’t control all the crazy things that happen to you.”

The stunning video for the single, helmed by award-winning director Meiert Avis from an idea conceived by Lee and her younger sister, Carrie, traces the history of the band combined with gothic imagery of New York. It ends with the group’s members walking into the ocean. “I can’t make a video without some water,” Lee laughs. “It’s either going to rain on me or I’m getting into the water. Here, it represents us moving on into this unknown thing; going into the future.”

The wrenching “Lost In Paradise” opens with Lee’s haunting solo piano before exploding into a sweeping, string-laden tale of torment. “It’s the most intimate song on the album,” Lee says. “This song came out in a moment where I felt lost, I was at war within myself. It’s raw and open.”

“It was Nick’s idea for the band to come in where they do,” Lee says. “I love how big and important it’s become for all of us. It started out as this tiny, raw thing and it’s become one of my favorite songs.”

Heavy, chugging guitars propel “The Other Side,” a story of love that survives whatever tries to destroy it, including death, while the rhythmic, multi-layered “My Heart Is Broken” takes the listener on a journey of escape. “That was inspired by victims of sex trafficking,” Lee reveals. “It’s about trying to find your way out.”

The album closes with a last-minute addition: the dreamy, atmospheric “Swimming Home,” a tune that exposes a side of Evanescence that fans have never seen. “That song is the biggest departure,” Lee says. “It came from a phase when I was making music that was ethereal and programming driven. Thematically, “Swimming” addresses “crossing over into the next life. It’s the bittersweet acceptance.”

The break between “The Open Door” and “Evanescence” provided the band with much-deserved rest, but also some clarity as to how important what they had created meant to them.

“I do have a new perspective and a big part of that for me was being able to step away and knowing for certain that I’m here making this record because I love what I do,” Lee says.

Lee spent her time away from the band with her new husband and learning how to lead a “normal” adult life in her adopted hometown of New York City. “Evanescence is my life’s work. I’ve been working on it since I was a young teenager,” Lee says. “By the time we finishing touring ‘The Open Door,’ I just wanted to nest a little bit… and build a life that didn’t revolve around my being in Evanescence.”

But then the muse came calling and Lee and her bandmates felt an urgent need to express what was building inside of them. “The reason our music is epic and dramatic is because the biggest emotions that I ever feel, the music is the only way to get them out of my heart,” Lee says. “Words alone aren’t enough. It heals my heart to make music.”

Now, Evanescence’s thoughts have turned to returning to the road. “This record is so geared for live shows,” Lee says. “We were thinking about playing live the whole time we were writing it.”

Making the return all the sweeter are the fans. “I can’t describe how great it feels to have their support. I love so much meeting them before and after the show. If feels like they’re growing with us,” says Lee.

Though already superstars, Lee and her bandmates have the enthusiasm of newcomers as they look to a future that is brimming with possibility through “Evanescence.”

“This moment right now between us and the fans, it feels like a celebration, a homecoming, a family reunion,” Lee says. “We’re so happy to be back.”

KILLER CONTACTS

http://www.evanescence.com

https://www.facebook.com/Evanescence

 

 

Giuffria “Giuffira” CD REVEIW 100 out of 100 BLOOD DRIPPING FUCKING SKULLS August 17th, 1984 (C) 1992 (P) CD MVCM 21064

 

Giuffria

Giuffria

August 17th, 1984

THIS VERSION

P & C

1992

1st Pressing MCA/ Japan

MVCM-21064

KICK*ASS*METAL RATING

100 OUT OF 100 BLOOD DRIPPING FUCKING SKULLS

FUCKING ESSENTIAL

 

Whoa….everyone is thinking WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS DOING IS A GOTHIC METAL-age and DEATH METAL-age and AVANT-GARDE METAL-age PUBLICATION.

Well quite honestly, I love all things KEYBOARDS IN HARD ROCK AND HEAVY METAL….and this album is pure addiction. as a metal fan since 1978 and I switched from VINYL  and the heavy metal underground/ international tape trading cassettes to CDs in July 27th, 1997….The offer was simple a trade of my vinyl and cassettes for CDs in a 1 to 1 trade. I average from 1982 to 1997 every week $800 vinyl binges, since both paychecks were $1,600 combined weekly, and average pocket-money was 100 $100 bills…..so this trade was with a record store owner….!!! So I brought in my tens of thousands metal albums, and I got his CD collection, and the difference was made up in store credit, I could get any and every CD, unit the trade was a 1 to 1 fair trade….. He got tons of traditional metal and tons of hair metal, which is what he wanted, as we was giving up on the DEATH METAL-era of heavy metal which is the age of this publication to this day, alongside GOTHIC METAL and AVANT-GARDE METAL…..When I would go to my new collection, and look for my favorite albums from August 1st, 1981 to October 31st, 1986….aka the GOLDEN AGE OF HEAVY METAL , I simply had to live on major and major metal label cassettes…!! Since the vinyl were gone. I never go one eBay, because it simply did not exist, my generations version was the Record Collector magazine. I never go on eBay, since that place has been over-flooded since say May 1st, 2000 or so. I still get tons of stuff, from record shoppes, and buying friends record collections out-right!!!!

So I saw this CD last week getting my DORO concert ticket for the September 12th, 2017 Triumph and Agony 30th year anniversary ….!!!! So I thought this week this would be gone….!!! But total serendipity, for me, It was still in the record shoppe !!!!!!!!!!! This time I had the money saved….!!! To have tons of money for record collecting, I always pay my bills ahead 6 months in advance, and have 6 months bills in the bank, and I never touch that money !!!! $7,000 is needed in savings in the event you lose your career or job!!!  I never ever seen this CD in the 123 times a year I got to the record store, I go 3 to 4 times a week!!! Not for restocks but for the USED/ Second hand stores….!!!! I realized after listening to this. This CD was put in the racks from the Record Store Owner, from his personal collection!!!! I can tell he was bummed I bought it and psyche out of my mind for this !!!!

 

I did check out the record collectors discography services….and I found a killer version of this album but is NOT a first pressing, is the MCA/UK — DMCL 1844 pressing, but it looks like one so that is all that really matters….a record collection looks to “bought on eBay” if everything is 1st pressings, most first pressings on CD suck beyond belief in the first place, stuff like RoadrunneR Slim-line Series in 1985 and the 1990 budget CD’s called Price Killers….legendary albums in a budget series whoa!!!!!! crazy !! I have yet to see this on the KICK ASS and LEGENDARY ReIssue label Rock Candy Records…they usually do a steallar job as re-Editions!!! But who knows!!!!! If there is a $800 CD for the golden age of heavy metal, August 1st, 1981 to October 31st, 1986  and I still see it for sale new/sealed for the price of $3.97 I will get that until that $800 CD ends up in the second-hand store for &6.97, is where those CD’s always ends up, because when doing return for store credit, some clerks do not do price checks, on each CD, so stuff like Metallica “Kill ’em All” Megaforce/ Important Records, is always in those second-hand store CD racks…which is why I make 123 trips a year to the record shoppes, since I got the Metallic addiction on October 1st, 1982, when I started going to a METAL ONLY record shoppe !!!!!

 

I got into AOR in the Summer of 1978, August 1st, 1978. Andd with the release of Nirvana’s “Nevermind” on September 24th, 1991, the dude who got me in to thrash metal in 1980, became a glam metal fan on August 23rd, 1983 with the release of Ratt “Ratt”, and sold his Hard Rock/ Heavy Metal collection on September 24th, 1991, and once again I became a fan of Stellar World-Class Vocals, killer song hooks, and top-notch peerless guitar hero expertise at the world-class level. Once I started to become a fan of Grunge music, I need a counter-foil and for that was Hard Rock/ Heavy Metal. I have no problem digging out Nirvana “Nevermind”, Metallica’s “Ride the Lightning” and Giuffira “Giuffria” on the same binge…..I never fell for that “TRUE METAL” bull-shit story….when you think of the promoters of that idea and how they all sold-out,

it just made that cringe-worthy attitude, just even more uncredible and ridiculous…to the point of laughing stock!!! I do love my heavy metal traditional and pure, but I also love each and every style of music this way also, except for the avant-garde…because there will be another 4,000 albums in the next 15 years, where new ground is BROKEN…11 on the Richter Scale.

Øyvind Svele (Stavanger, Norway) – I´ll Get You Down – Live At Cementen, Stavanger, Norway

Øyvind Svele

I’ll Get You Down Video Premier

August 17th, 2017 VIDEO PREMIER !!!!

Here is a cool Øyvind Svele  interview that we will put in this video premiere …..!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.remfan.it/News.aspx?NewsID=92

 

If you received the first Fanclub Newsletter of 2011, you certainly noticed a special mention to the exposition of two R.E.M. Lithographs bought for permanent display by Georgia Music Hall of Fame.
These amazing photographs, named “The Stand” and “Leaving New York” are part of “The R.E.M. Stavanger Photographs”, a series taken during Around the Sun Tour in 2005 at the Viking Stadium show in Stavanger, Norway.
“The Stand” is an iconic image that projects energy and confidence, as well as giving a fascinating portrait of Stipe’s remarkable “storyteller” shoe. “Leaving New York” shows a personal, dynamic and enigmatic side of Michael dancing.
The photographer is a great R.E.M. fan, Øyvind Svele, and we had the chance to get in touch with him some time ago through Remfan group on Facebook.
We thought it could have been interesting to interview him and to know how he combined his work as a photographer and his passion for music and R.E.M., so we asked some questions about it.

R: How does it feel to have your photos chosen to represent permanently your favorite band in the Hall of Fame?

Ø: It feels great! It’s also especially flattering that it’s located in Georgia since it is REM’s home state. Another thing that makes it even all better is when you used such a long time I did to produce the series. Meaning years, I used quite a bit of time just to find the photo paper for the Lithographs, because there is a lot of bad papers out there. Then, I produced the REM series twice (all items) due to the first printer delivered very bad quality and not as agreed. It took quite a time before I then, could re-produce it again due to some other issues with that company. So, when you have used that amount of time and years of your life just to achieve a satisfying end result. Ending up in GHOF is a beautiful bonus and it shows the amount of time used on this REM project is being rewarded.

R: Was it difficult to keep the concentration and work while attending a gig of R.E.M.?

Ø: Not really. I mean, when you’re standing in the front of the stage and so close to the artist. It’s easy to sometime lose concentration and be tempted to take an extra long look when the play. During this specific REM gig. I had a photo press, which means you’re allowed to photograph the 3 first songs only, meaning you have 12 to 15 minutes available. So, then you have to do your job and get the best amount of photos you can get, during that period. When 15 minutes is over – they are gone. And all photographers must leave the area. So, I basically looked through the lenses for 15 minutes straight and focusing/aiming for the perfect shots! That’s the way I work. I never enjoy/watch a concert while photographing a concert. I always watch it through the photo lens. Because that’s where it happens.
I am very disciplined regarding this topic. Cause 15 minutes is 15 minutes, or 90 minutes for that sake. So, I have to use it for all its worth. Meaning being right in the moment and get the most amount of shots available. But, when you photograph, I don’t actually think about these things, you enter a sort of trance-situation in a way and before you know it, it’s over.

R: Michael is always very involved in visual art, he often says that there’s a visual component in all his lyrics and the Collapse Into Now video project shows exactly this process of expressing oneself in different ways. Is it the same for you? What’s the role of music in your life and work? Is it inspiring or just a passion beside the rest?

Ø: Well. I have loved music or let me say, been possessed by music, since I was 6 years old, seeing ABBA on Norway TV for the first time. I am also a musician, been writing songs for years (You can check out oyvind songs at myspace.com/oyvindsvele). And, more or less everything I have worked with during my life has concerned music, from being a roadi for Metallica, music journalist or working in a record store and now photographer. So, Music plays a great part in my life. It’s really hard for me to imagine a life without music; it wouldn’t work – the world would be a big black hole without music or art for that sake.
Inspiring? I have never looked at Music that way, it’s just always been there with me and I have never been without it. So, yes it’s inspiring for me without me even noticing it. It’s a part of who you are I think. What can inspire me, let’s say Photo wise? Is, if I have lazy state-of-mind day. I can begin working on a specific photo, music or portrait, it doesn’t matter. The more I work on it, color adjusting, enhancing or decreasing contrast– Creating a creative-expression – That process is very inspiring to me. The actually process of being creating/creative. Or for that sake, photographing a concert is inspiring, but it happens during the process. Another thing which is inspiring for me, is looking at how, artist friends of yours achieve success. I have a friend of mine named Jan Ove in a Norway Band called Kaizers Orchestra (A little bit of promotion here, BUT a Great band by the way! To look at what he have accomplished by believing in his art and his personal “drive” – is something that is creative inspiring for me. Then you also have your own dreams/ideas – which inspires you to create art in the first place, either it s Music, Photo or Video/Film or any other form. So, there are many forms of inspiration.

R: How did you first get in touch with R.E.M. and their music?

Ø: My first meeting with REM was the song “Losing My Religion” from “Out of Time”. I and some friends of mine were at a rock club in Stavanger called Checkpoint Charlie. The DJ played “loosing” and I remember thinking that song was amazing, the hook, the melody, the song rythm, overall how the song captured you, kind of took control over you. I had never heard anything like it! I got the same feeling some years later when I listened to Nirvana’s Smell Like Teen Spirit for the first time. Just totally blown away. Like, What is this? Then as we all know “Losing My Religion” changed the audience for alternative music forever. After that you bought the album and you got into the older stuff, like green and document. “The One I Love” and “Turn You Inside Out” are still 2 of my top 5 REM songs of all time.

Øyvind’s photos and REM series are available directly through REMhq store in different formats and in limited edition. We got the chance to see all five collector items and their just amazing, both for the stunning beauty of the release and for the quality of printing and design, if we had reviewed the series as an album, they would have gained 10 out of 10 stars, so a real must-have for fans and collectors. We’re proud of having had the chance to speak to Øyvind and we thank him again for his willingness to share with us his experience.

If you want, Øyvind’s photos are available in these formats:

	– Lithographs (Now in Georgia Music Hall Of Fame) – (Limited to only 750 prints worldwide for each photo, personally signed and individually numbered): 50 x 75 cm produced with top quality in all links, to ensure optimal fine art production and photographic presentation quality. This includes fade and rub resistant inks and protective water based surface varnish. Printed on premium acid-free 300 g/m IKONO art paper.
	– Photo Print with matboard (Limited to 1000 prints only. Personally signed and individually numbered with a permanent ink pen): 20 x 25 cm framed with an acid-free black archival mat-board, prepared and mounted using acid-free art material, on a premium backing board, presented and protected in a shrink-wrapped clear plastic sleeve. They are produced with top quality in all links, to ensure optimal fine art production and photographic presentation quality. This includes fade and rub resistant inks and protective water based surface varnish. Printed on premium acid-free 300 g/m IKONO art paper.
	– Postcard package (Limited to 2000 prints only, personally signed and individually numbered with a permanent ink pen): 12 x 18 cm. A special collector’s item and a world premiere, since R.E.M. is the first band worldwide to release a limited edition numbered postcard set from one specific tour date. It includes all 6 photographs the band chose to use for the series and features a specially designed R.E.M. front and back cover postcard, exclusive to this set only and inspired by the R.E.M. song “Man On The Moon”. They are produced with top quality in all links to ensure optimal fine art production and photographic presentation quality. This includes fade and rub resistant inks, protective water based surface varnish, printed on acid-free 350 g/m premium board.