Contents
We would like to say a BEEG thank you to the following people for working with us in the making of our March Edition of the Black Apple E-zine:
Christelle (for being our human canvas), Lionel (for your patience), Emperium (for the awesome gig at Zeplins), Junkyard Lipstick (for being wicked awesome - we hope to see you in JHB soon!!), Nyx (for being our crazy journo), Tam (and your posh accent), Mizera (your bio makes us smile!), The Edge of Collapse (Good luck for the future), The Russian Nightclub (Keep metal Alive!!), Caroline (for being you and sponsoring the launch) If you would like to be involved in the next E-zine, either as a writer, photographer or have yourself featured … don’t be scared, drop us an email on info@blackappleproductions.co.za and say hi. Don’t worry, we don’t bite, we had our black apple this morning!
Emperium started as ARCANUM in 1996, as a two-man instrumental alternative/punk band (Enrico Rausa on drums and Stan Vagionakis on guitars) and played their first gig at Lollapalooza in Rustenburg. The following year Quintin Klemente and Chris Diederichs join the band as dual vocalists, changing the style to a black metal/thrash punk hybrid. Gregg van der Westhuizen later joined on bass, completing Arcanum as a band. They played their first show as a full band that same year with FLAKE, INDIAN GOD LOTION and MILK. They blew two amps and were consulted by the local Methodist church for "worrying behaviour". They later received tutoring from Fungus, who helped them with sound equipment, basic song composition, drums and a place to practice. In 1998 they played by invite only - birthday parties and the like putting a lot of emphasis on stage design, (Including tombstones, black candles, dry ice and other such paraphernalia), and then disbanded, as the members matriculated. In 2000, the band reformed, this time under the moniker Emperium Abrubtus, re-emerging with a new black metal sound, and a new vocalist - Jacques Mynhardt. They played their debut show at Grasdak in Rustenburg with CHEMICAL-X, SCREAMING DAISIES‌all went well. Later that year they played at Millennium a couple of times, including a memorable Halloween show. By this time, Gregg had left the band, leaving the group a 3-piece band. Alistair Venter joined as second guitarist in 2002 and Gert van Rooyen took over bass duties. They played a series of shows following the line-up change: Bugsy's Beat Bar (with Mesadoth), Club Omega (With Awakening, Dark Templar and Demacretia), the latter at which Jacques sliced his neck open and axed a mannequin on stage, causing enough of a stir to that they were invited to play a festival at Wits (with Not My Dog, Fuzigish ect) Alistair and Gert left in 2002, and in 2003 Ockie van Copenhagen and Dylan Meiring joined the band, on keyboards and bass guitar
Don’t Forget to Vote for EMPERIUM to Play at Oppikoppi Festival 2012
respectively. Emperium Abrubtus played a predominantly punk show at Shingwetzi with Fuzigish and two other punk bands. In 2004, the band decided to record a demo, but due to lack of funds, the quality of said demo was questionable. Later in 2004 Enrico left the band, and Chad de Jager replaced him on drums. A few local gigs were played, culminating with a slot at Fight Club at Horror Café in 2005. Mid-2006, Dylan switched from bass to guitar; and shortly after that Chad left the band. The band went on hiatus for a while in between drummers, during which Dylan started programming drum tracks for use on the drum machine. In July 2007, after a long break, they hosted a leg of the African Chaos tour in Rustenburg, supporting Architecture of Aggression, Wrust (Botswana), Rhutz, and Underbelly with Shingwetzi the venue again…chaos ensued, and the band was banned from setting foot in the venue again. A worthy party was had by all. A couple of weeks later EA played at the Mini B4 festival in Rustenburg, signalling the end of an era. In October/November of the same year, Stan and Dylan moved to Johannesburg. The band, still consisting of just Jacques, Stan and Dylan, and a drum machine, were asked to play at Metal Rights at Zeplins in March, which went well, despite it being at extremely short notice. Justin Nel had already been accepted as bassist at this time, but had not had enough time to learn the songs for the Zeplins show. Later that year, in May, they hosted a show at Café Arc in Pretoria, with Warthane, Selfmoord, and Unknown Awakening. The week-end after that, they played at Grimfest at Tempos. In early June 2008 they played a gig at the Black Dahlia, again at very short notice. Not long after this, in July ‘08, Cameron Zuccarelli joined the band on drums, completing the band for the first time in years. In 2009, Emperium, as the band was now called, again elected to enter the studio, and being older and somewhat wiser, opted for
the abilities of Dylan Ellis at Innerflame Studios. A 5 track demo (lition) ensued, entitled “The Carnage and Creation EP”. Emperium played a few more gigs in 2008, including: DestrucTour, Brothers of Metal, Warthane’s album launch @ Tempos, and Thornfest 3. In January 2009, the band signed with Thornrose Management, shortly after Thornfest 3. Emperium hit the road on a tour to Durban with label mates Deity’s Muse and Only Forever, and were joined on Burn’s stage by local brutality in the form of Theatre Runs Red and Reverend Henry Kane. Early in 2010, after many years, Jacques Mynhardt left Emperium, going on to form the ever-so-brutal Genocidal Dismemberment. After some thought, Ivan Birch joined the band as vocalist. The band was offered an opportunity to record at SABC studios, and naturally they jumped at the chance. A 4 track EP was recorded in the small hours, fuelled by a mix of energy drinks and Southern style deep fried pieces of chicken meat. Early in 2011, Cameron chose to part ways with Emperium in an amicable split, due to a very busy lifestyle and different interests. In March of the same year, Alida Combrink joined the ranks as the new drummer, injecting yet another strain of strange into the already eclectic mix of interests and influences. At the end of 2011, Emperium and vocalist Ivan Birch went their separate ways, and after a few auditions the band found a new spark of insanity in Sean Hendry (ex-Sathern vocalist), thus once again making Emperium a full unit. On Leap Year day of 2012, Emperium had their debut gig with their new frontman, at the new Zeplins…which was a growling success. Many shows await, and Emperium will take them on, axes in hand, spreading the madness gig by gig, and venue by venue… Emperium will be recording a full length album in 2012, as yet untitled, so keep an ear to the ground for that....
Warning: This entry documents a highly experimental procedure that should not be emulated. Follow-up entries will document healing and complications — which to be very clear for those considering this, can in theory include permanent blindness! From Toronto to San Francisco and from New York to Colorado the latest trend in changing your appearance is by tattooing your eyes, or the whites of your eyeballs to be specific. When doctors do it, it's called corneal tattooing; but when perfectly healthy people looking who are just looking for another space on the body to pierce, tattoo or scar themselves, it's insane. At prisons in Colorado and across the nation a handful of inmates have joined in the fun and are learning the procedure by practicing on each other. Through trial and error they have helped create the standard protocol in how to do home, business, or prison eyeball tattoo's. Highly illegal within the prison system and in a few state as well, "eyeball tattoo's" have become a growing trend. Dangers of going blind don't seem to deter those who want colored eyes and will endure the pain of 40 or so sticks in the whites of the eyes to get the color result they desire. To tattoo the eyes, they used two different procedures. First they used a traditional needle with ink on it, but when the ink didn't hold, they switched to a syringe that injected ink into the eye. The most recent posts indicate that all was well, with one of the guys saying it felt like he had something in his
eye and it was best described as being "jabbed repeatedly with an ice pick in the eyes. Doctors and Ophthalmologists say that its not a good idea. "Cosmetic tattooing of the cornea can be extremely dangerous," advises Dr. Sandra Belmont, a clinical associate professor of ophthalmology at Weill Cornell Medical CenterNew York Presbyterian Hospital. ."Infection, loss of vision, blindness, perforation and hemorrhage are among the potential complications," she adds. "And its bizarre and creepy to look at too." But as long as their tattooing their eyes it will make it easier to tell us from "them" someday. http://open.salon.com/blog/ kimhartman/2010/03/08/ eyeball_tattoos_are_not_just_for_prison_inmates _anymore
Badass Metal, brewed in Jozi! MiZeRA originated as a college rock band (and a tribute to the thrash-metal titans, Metallica) at Damelin, Bramley in 2009, where misfits Sean Dalton, Courtney Gibson, Jared Fray and Hein van der Merwe were studying a course on Contemporary Music under the tutelage of Connie Bentlage, Graeme Currie, Benjy Mudie, Dio Santos and others. After a short time, the band decided to pursue their passion for metal and rebelled against the set style of the course. MiZeRA wanted to introduce the world to something different, but they were still lacking something. Or was it someone? Hence Callysta van Niekerk was discovered! Being the only member from the College of Performing Arts (COPA) in Kensington, Johannesburg, Callysta brought in a
unique style of playing to the band by adding intensely sweet and melodic guitar solos and power beyond your imagination. After a few months of composing and arguing over time signature changes, MiZeRA were ready for their first gig. At the end of February 2010, MiZeRA made their first appearance as a complete band at Boston Rock Lounge in Edenvale. The band stunned the audience with their outrageous performance, and carried on to play at various venues such as the Black Dahlia, The Roodepoort Civic Theatre, Cool Runnings Fourways and Canimambo Restaurant in Graskop. MiZeRA even wrecked the stages of events such as Winter Jam 2010 and Thornfest 2011. Thornfest did not come without its drama though. After rehearsing long and hard, Hein parted ways with the band within days of the big event. Leaving MiZeRA without a
voicethe band came up with a plan and Callysta quickly called a friend: the semi-Viking, semiRasta, Culan Hinchley. After just one evening of practice Culan was ready to twist some necks. Having Culan at the helm opened the eyes of the other band members as to how heavy MiZeRA’s sound could really be with his distinctive deep growl.
Limbo follows battle-of-the-bands victory MiZeRA went on to win a battle of the bands at Cool Runnings, Fourways. They played a few more gigs with Culan, but then suddenly the unexpected happened... Callysta had to undergo surgery on her wrist and the world of MiZeRA started spinning out of control. Band practice and gigs became less frequent: Courtney had had enough of the city and moved back home to the mountains of Graskop; Jared became immersed in the drug that is jazz guitar; Culan decided that the forced hiatus was not conducive to his progression into metal; and Sean waited in anticipation to see whether the band he had dedicated so much of his time and passion to would be able to bring itself out of limbo. MiZeRA was left with one injured guitarist, one Seanbob guitarist, and a mountain-hippy drummer, but they were not ready to give up yet. While Callysta was recovering, Sean and Courtney started auditioning new members for the band. They searched the oceans far and wide, climbed to the highest cliffs, slaughtered the most disgusting creatures you could ever imagine, went to hell and back and eventually found the missing members right at their front door, literally. Gareth Reed was found in the same house as Sean, in Kensington, just jamming along with his other mind-blowing bands, Riddlebreak and Clockwork Surrender. Martin Dugdale was found at COPA in a dark corner, eating children (When Callysta saw what he was doing, she knew that he would be right for the band). Both of these fine young cannibals were ideal replacements for Culan, since both were capable of matching his aggressive vocal style.
Rock, paper, scissors! After auditioning both vocalists, Sean, Callysta and Courtney couldn’t agree on whom they liked more. The only logical solution: have Gareth and Martin play rock, paper, scissors until death. After 10 hours of tie breakers, the band decided to keep both of them.
MiZeRA now had three members from COPA and two from Damelin, making the sound too incredible for anyone’s ears. The only thing missing was a cute fluffy bassist. Or was it? Even though MiZeRA was missing a bassist, they were lucky enough to have a close friend to step in: Julian Vosloo saved the day. His hands were tied to other bands, so, unfortunately, he could not become a permanent part of the MiZeRA family. He still features every now and then when the need arises. So, once again, MiZeRA launched a fresh search. They travelled through time and space and searched under the scariest place on earth (Sean’s bed). They even went to China Town in the hopes of finding a bassist similar to their previous one (not that Jared Fray is Asian, he just looks it), and they still found nothing.
Andrew Wald joins the fold Finally, the little bright spark Callysta came up with an idea. She gave her pet bug a magical metal potion which spawned him into a bassslapping, monkey-clapping bass guitar genius. Andrew “Bugman” Wald, new born to the world of MiZeRA, jammed such sweet sounds of thunder (and farted so much it caused brain haemorrhaging)! Mmmmmm, beautiful! Band practice moved to a dank, fetid little room at Gareth’s house in Kensington. Despite the cramped, smelly conditions, the reborn MiZeRA discovered their deeper musical passions and hopes. MiZeRA made their comeback on stage in December 2011 at the “Step Up: The Distortion” event in Rustenburg and as the headlining act at the Free Form Festival in Graskop. Both events were a triumphant success, and the dawn of a completely new, reenergised band. MiZeRA draws inspiration from the genres of thrash-, death- and nu-metal. MiZeRA is now complete: uncompromising and unrelenting in its quest for the creation of music worthy of the name “badass South African heavy metal band”.
Contact information Facebook: Mizera-the band Email: mizera.theband@gmail.com courtzgibson@gmail.com callysta604@gmail.com
Byron Horn Bass Guitar Byron Horn is from Edenvale Johannesburg and started his musical career in the year of 2007. He received his first guitar and started playing at the tender age of 13. After many lessons and playing for about a year, the guitar playing seemed to fall away and stopped playing at the age of 14. A few years later a good friend of Byron’s bought himself a set of drums and wanted to start playing. After going with him to buy the kit and helping him set everything up Byron was intrigued and wanted to try, but nothing really came of it and it, as he was going to play drums and Byron tried his hand at bass guitar. Music then sparked up properly again for Byron from skateboarding. As a skateboarder he met other skaters who have become some of his closest friends and also the people that he started making music with. After many years of skating a good friend of Byron’s started playing guitar and started putting a band together. After messing around a bit it and Byron was able to try his skills on the drums, it was clear that Byron could hold a beat from the word go. Byron was then approached and asked if he would be interested in joining him and starting up a band, Byron instantly said yes and that’s where his drumming career began. Byron was one of the founders of the band called “Misguided Souls” in 2007. After some new members joined the band, the name was then changed to “Endless” which was a Grundy/Punk band, which included a good friend of Byron’s who also just started playing guitar at the time. He came along to jam with the band a few times and then later joined the band as our lead guitarist. The band went on to play together for three years, and played gigs at many venues including: Street Café, Boston Rock Lounge, Roxy’s, Black Dahlia, Full Moon Café, Sundowners (Alberton ), 8 Ball Fusion, Green Hills Golf Coarse, Woody’s Bar, Rockabilly’s , Razziolis and Asylum. Misguided Souls also shared the stage and played with bands like: 11th Hour, State Dependency, Dement phobia, Charity for Slaves, Haggis and Bong, Hour Of Blight, Serogaat, Independent State, Legions Ablaze, Namuh, Reason to Appeal, A Fate Like Yours, Closed Eyes For Murder and many more… After three years the band decided to part ways, as Byron left the band to start up a Metal Core band which is his true passion. A very good friend of Byron’s and former bassist of ‘Endless’ then joined him as a rhythm guitarist. The former ‘Endless’ Lead guitarist also joined and were called “Dreamscape”. After jamming for a few months they then met and found the vocalist who joined them, they decided to change the name to “Because Of Betrayal”. The band went on to play 5 gigs which included venues such as: Battle of the Bands (Guest appearance) Woody’s Bar, Black Dahlia , Rockabilly’s and The Keg and Lion- Kempton Park. The band played with bands like: Fragmented Children, LA Cobra and many others… Due to musical genre indifferences, the band decided to part ways as Byron wanted to do something more heavy, and the dream was to start up a Death core Metal band. However no love was lost between members and they are all still very good friends to this day. Byron is now currently playing bass Guitar in an acoustic/reggae band called “Energy Related”. He is also currently playing drums for a Melodic /metal band called ‘Nerve Zero’ which he joined on the 9 November 2011. Byron has been playing drums for nearly 4 years now and it’s his greatest passion in life. He has always loved Metal music and his dream is to play in front of thousands one day as a Metal drummer in a metal band who stands out, he believes that a band should never make YOU, YOU should make the band and that’s why he always pushes himself as far as he can go and play every show and every rehearsal like it’s my last. Drummers that really inspire Byron include: : As Blood Runs Black, Miss May I, All Shall Perish, Joey Jordison (Slipknot) Chris Adler (Lamb Of God), Jason Costa (All That Remains) and many more.
“With belief in self and hard work I know I will be taking this all the way and I will never stop pushing until I’ve reached where I want to go. Dedication, hard work and the love of music will be the key to my success. Stay sick, and keep true to yourself.”
Interview with Byron Horn on his view of
1.
Who are Energy Related and how did it get started?
Energy Related is a bunch of friends that have played together in previous bands, and all came in to session and record songs for the band and then became permanent band members in a later stage 2.
How do you know one another?
Well we have all been friends for many years even long before we started making music.as we all started playing music it was only natural that we would jam together. Storm our drummer we only knew once we started making music 3.
What inspired the name?
It was a name that Donovan came up with meaning all things energy related, music is energy which we all feel and also being one of the most powerful “Energy Related� 4.
What do you aim to accomplish as a band?
To take our music to the world, meaning record albums and play as many shows as possible, letting
people feel the energy of our music and living life to the fullest 5.
What do your lyrics mean to you?
Our lyrics come from everyday life experiences which obviously means a lot in our lives and I think will be relevant to many people out there. Simple yet powerful lyrics 6.
Where do you gig?
We are yet to gig at the present time but will be starting in early March and will be in acoustic venues where our music will be suitable. 7.
Who are your influences?
My influences in fact come from metal background from bands such as , As Blood Runs Black, Miss May I, and All Shell Perish 8.
If you could perform anywhere in the world, where would it be?
I would love to perform anywhere in the States or in Europe
Follow on Facebook: ENERGY RELATED or visit their website for regular updates!! www.energyrelated.co.za
Byron Horn records with one of our sponsors of the Black Apple Launch:
MAKEMORE RECORDS
BE SURE TO WATCH THEM AT
SPLASHY FEN 8 April 2012 at 14H00 on the Main Stage!
ALSO the
official release date for their EP "Girls on the Rampage" is 21 April 2012.
Junkyard Lipstick is a 5 piece all female band based in Cape Town. Whether you’re a die-hard hippy or an angry punk, we aim to give everyone a tingle up their spine with our music. Our songs are pretty much influenced by anything weird, fascinating or silly that crosses our path. Be it about Paris’ privates, crazy CarBars, deceptive friends, or dodgy fantasies, we will tap the juice out of any situation that makes us feel happy, pissed off or just freaked out. Our music can be described as hard-core hot-rock with a thrash of punk. Starting out in early 2011, Junkyard Lipstick was the brain child of vocalist, Wendy, guitarist Frankie Bangles and our drummer, Lu Villain. Sitting around, admiring our many musician friends, we thought why the hell are we not doing this! LilyLox was recruited during a random night out, Tanya Lasagne was stalked on Facebook. Consisting of contradicting personalities and wonderfully weird senses of style, each member contributes to the look, feel and sound of the band. We have Wendy on vocals with her dark grunge style, and her sexy voice will have you panting and wanting more. Chilled-out Lily-Lox is born to be on the bass with her vintage style and hippy heart. This creative soul has a mystery about her that can lure anyone in. Frankie Bangles, old school rocker, and an insatiable love for all things leopard print. Charming with her clever wordplay, she strums the shiz out of her guitar. Lu Villain is our metalhead and freak drummer. A closet nerd that’s obsessed with CSI and has a serious potty mouth. Tanya Lasagne is the slender-female version of Jack Black, shredder deluxe with a high pitched voice that will make you jump and squeal with excitement. We’ve been gigging for the past few months and we think we’re a force to be reckoned with! We have had the opportunity to play with great bands and we also played the Main Stage at Rock the River 2011/2012 NYE festival with Fokofpolisiekar and Hog Hoggidy Hog. We are also playing Splashy Fen 2012 over Easter weekend.
"Junkyard Lipstick: An all-girl band shows us how it’s done. These punk rocker ladies from Cape Town don't mess around. They say it like it is, and bring us some good 'ol punk." ~Rouche Fleshgod Fouche in June 2011~ GrindCorpse Online magazine
BAND CONTACT INFORMATION: Contact person: Lucinda Villain Tel: 072 175 8165 E-mail: junkyard.lipstick@gmail.com https://www.facebook.com/junkyard.lipstick
The Future of Heavy Metal
In the beginning there was Sabbath … It is often argued where Heavy Metal started and there are many theories and ideas but if you generally believe that it all started with Black Sabbath you aren’t far wrong. Of course it was not known at the time what those first few notes on the song Black Sabbath would create but create it did. Call it calculation by Tony Iommi, call it luck, or divine intervention (having his finger tips chopped off which led to the way he plays guitar) what happened was huge! Through the 70’s the music grew skip 40 years and its now huge with a family tree of thousands of branches and genres that most metallers couldn't name all of. During the 70’s Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Blue Oyster Cult and many more bands kick started the genre, each era has seen its giants dominate the scene. From Kiss in the late 70s Iron Maiden in the early 80’s closely followed by Judas Priest, then there was Van Halen, Ozzy Osbourne, Def Leppard. Moving into the 90’s heavy weights Metallica took up the mantle with a strong support cast. The millennium would not stop the juggernaut as unlikely heroes Slipknot became the biggest metal band of the decade. But who is the next big thing? And where is it coming from? One look at any heavy metal or hard rock festival and the same headliners are seen again and again. The concern is where are the next Iron Maiden and Metallica. Lets not get to worried just yet, as anyone who has seen Iron Maiden recently will have noticed Bruce Dickinson bounding around the stage like a 20 year old, and Metallica these days look and sound better than ever but there will come a time when Papa Hetfield will have to hang up his “Truckster”. Obvious choices would be Slipknot, but with the sad news of the bassist dying and reports of relations between Joey Joridison and Corey Taylor not being the best it’s unlikely that we will see Slipknot being a year in year out band, sporadic appearances being the best we can hope for. Early contenders Linkin Park have gone so far the wrong way in the eyes of the
metal world there announcement as a headliner will bring as many groans as cheers. With an eye on this summer’s two big Metal festivals it’s not hard to see there are future problems. Download announcing System of a Down, Linkin Park and Def Leppard, this isn’t so bad but compare it to last year’s headliners of AC/DC, Aerosmith and Rage Against the Machine you are not getting the same quality of band for your money and it does seem to be confused as to where its target market is. Sonisphere announced Slipknot which was good and then Biffy Clyro which was a disaster but they pulled it around by announcing the Big 4 (Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax). Credit to Sonisphere for trying to introduce a younger more contemporary band and give them their break but most metal/hard rock fans will agree they could have picked a better one. There are hundreds of young metal bands who have lots of potential, look to five years ago and Trivium were the big thing, they went from one unknown album to huge, everybody thought they were it. But they suffered with “Anthraxitis”, released a disappointing follow up to their breakthrough album and fans lost interest. (For note in the 80s when thrash metal came out Anthrax were tipped to become the next big thing. But the follow up to Among the Living didn’t quite live up to expectation and the rest is history, Metallica’s). But they seem to have fizzled out somewhat maybe this year and a new album can put them back on the map as pretenders to the top spot or was it a case of too much attention too young. The media have a big say. You will never hear the younger bands on mainstream radio stations. The BBC shut down Bruce Dickinson’s Friday night rock show a positive outlet showcasing old favourites and also giving new talent airplay they might not get otherwise, this was very disappointing. So for a fan to discover new bands they must rely on other media, magazine, depending on what magazine you read will depend on what is reported on (nothing new there)
Then there is the internet, trawling through YouTube and best of all is talk to other fans, read message boards etc. A wave of bands have achieved a lot in metal and recorded some great albums, Mastodon, Lamb of God, Chimaira but they haven’t reached the sort of album sales their talent deserves. This is because there are just too many genres of metal now. This is a good and a bad thing. Go back to the mid 80s and there were only 2 or 3 genres. There was Traditional Heavy Metal (Iron Maiden, Judas Preist etc etc) and the New Wave Metal, Trash ( Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax, Exodus etc etc) Now when you meet a fellow Metaller you will argue about which genre is better, Melodic Death Metal or Symphonic Black Metal, Hardcore or Metalcore. And here in lies the strength, a tree is only as strong as its roots. This being true Metal has hundreds of roots with so many different genres. What is important is that an individual support the bands they like, buy the CD’s (download the MP3 if that’s what the kids do these days) wear a t-shirt and most importantly go and see them live! No one could have predicted in 1990 that Metallica would be the biggest band in the world some day (maybe Lars Ulrich) but that they are and that is because 21 million people bought the Black Album and millions of people around the world go and see them live. There will probably never be a band of that magnitude but what gives hope is that a niche band like Opeth (a band from Sweden specializing in Progressive Death Metal, if you must label things) can play the Royal Albert Hall. Basically Metal is being made for Metallers if you like Alternative Viking Gypsy Metal it’s there for you. The fact here may never be a huge band is not such a bad thing, Metal lives very healthily with no outside support it will be upon you young Metal fan to get behind their favourite acts. So long as our gigs and festivals are well attended I have no doubt a band will break out of the arena and into the stadium, the headliners will out!
http://2minutestometal.blogspot.com/2011/02/future-of-heavy-metal.html
The Hammer Of Redemption (T.H.O.R.) meets Nyx (The Crazy Black Apple Writer)
WHEN DID YOU GUYS START? We started back in February of 2007. Since then we’ve gone through many changes and have evolved a lot both musically and band member wise, but T.H.O.R. as a band and as a group of musicians have been making music together and promoting our message since 2007. WHAT DO YOU THINK MAKES YOUR SOUND UNIQUE? What we think makes our sound unique is the fact that when we play and write, we do it from the heart and not to satisfy a trend. When we write music we sit down and write, whatever comes out of us comes out that way, we don’t have a pre-conceived idea of how it should sound or how other people think we should sound, we write what comes from the heart and what makes us feel something. We write what we want to hear and don’t play what other people expect to hear and have us play. Obviously we have many many different influences as a band and as individual musicians that we are inspired by and draw inspiration from, for example our guitarists Brandon and Julian both use 7 string guitars which is very much a Korn influenced approach but we never come into writing or playing saying, “lets write a song like this band or a song like that band or a song in this style or this genre”, we strive to sound original and be ourselves musically. WHAT GOT YOU INTO METAL? Well music is something that has always run in the blood of T.H.O.R.’s members, from the days where we would sit in our backyards banging on buckets and spending all day building guitars out of cans and wire pretending we were rock stars, so the love and passion for music as a whole has always been there. When metal came into the equation is hard to say because music as a whole has always been apart of us so getting into metal was just something
very natural for us and struck a chord with us emotionally, but we try not to think of things in a very closed minded kind of way musically so even though we are a metal band and love metal we also love many other genre’s of music ranging from the softest of classical to noisiest and most brutal of black metal and more, because we love and view music as a whole not a as bunch of genres or styles, so when did we get into metal?, the day we realized music was in our blood! WHAT WAS THE FIRST ALBUM (METAL OR OTHERWISE) THAT YOU BOUGHT? Most of us are Children of the Nu-metal age of the 90’s and early 2000’s so most of our first Album’s were from bands like Linkin Park, Korn, Slipknot, Nickleback, Disturbed, Drowning Pool and Chivelle as well as groups like Gorillaz and even Eminem! WHAT WERE YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGES IN BREAKING INTO THE MUSIC SCENE? The biggest challenge we had breaking into the scene (and we’re sure the biggest challenge a lot of South African bands have breaking into the scene) is the fact the music scene in South Africa is run by Cliques, only certain bands play with certain bands, only certain styles play with certain styles and if you don’t dress a certain way, act a certain way, sound a certain way then you have got very little or no chance that certain bands or industry people such as promoters, sponsors etc, will want to get involved with you. We’ve always been the under dogs with this because we’ve never wanted to become or attempted to try to become part of a clique and quite frankly don’t believe in it, and we also don’t pay much mind to trends or change our music or style to fit trends. We play music because we love it and it is an extension of who we are. We’re the kind of band that believes that music is an amazing
“We play music because we love it and it is an extension of who we are.” universal language that should be shared, enjoyed and appreciated by everyone not because you’re a certain style or you look or act a certain way. We see nothing wrong with mixing genre’s, mixing styles, mixing people, there is nothing wrong with having, for example, a reggae band share the stage with a death metal band and by that same token nothing wrong with a band being different to the others around them as people and as musicians. We’ve always believed that the South African music industry as a whole needs to unite and grow together as one big family regardless of style - that’s the only way this scene is going to improve and become bigger and better than ever!
Music Magazines, online E-zines, TV shows such as MK Ondergrond are all contributing to the growth in our scene. Of course though as something gets bigger and better, often while positive attention grows so does negative attention as seen by how so many alternative music clubs have closed recently and the negative attention the alternative scene often receives in commercial media, but any publicity is good publicity including bad publicity, the fact that we so often get negative attention means people are taking note of our movement and scene and word of it is reaching people who would never have previously heard of it, which is a good thing!! But there is still a lot of room for improvement and growth.
HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU GUYS SPEND PRACTISING? We spend plenty time practicing as a band and as musicians. When it comes to music, practice is an incredibly vital part of it!! But as just about any musician or band will tell you, even with all the practicing we do, we still don’t feel we practice enough because with music you are always on a journey of discovery, there will always be something to improve on and get better at, always something to feel or play in a different way and always new amazing things to learn so one can never actually practice enough and that’s one of the beautiful amazing things about music is that it is a life long adventure!
One thing we would like to see change and improve in the South African Music industry is that our industry needs to become more united, everybody needs to help everybody and be there for everybody, gone are the days where its every band for themselves we need to help each other and work together because it is the only way our scene will grow and get bigger and better! But if there’s one thing our South African music scene proves time and time again, it is that we have an incredible amount of talent and potential! We cannot wait to see where its going to go from here!!
WHAT ARE YOUR INFLUENCES? (band sound and instrument playing / vocal style) To ask about our influences is a big question, because we honestly have so many! We are honestly influenced by everything because everything in life influences your music, from the bands you listen to and enjoy; to the jingle you heard being played on the radio to the way you like to eat your cereal! It’s the experiences you have in life, the different people you meet, the different places you’ve been too, the different things you hear, see and feel that influence your music, if we had to list the bands we enjoy and love to listen to and that all in their own small way have influenced of our large body of musical influences and approach we would have a never ending list! One of our biggest influences from a musical point of view and from a personal point of view is our Belief in Jesus Christ and our belief in positivity and love! Without that we would be a completely different group of people and band! HAVE YOU SEEN ANY CHANGES IN THE SA MUSIC SCENE SINCE YOU STARTED OUT? (Do you think it has it gotten bigger, etc) The South African music scene has definitely grown, changed and gotten bigger in certain areas of our scene since we started out! Specifically in the Alternative/Metal Scene, more and more often you hear of shows happening in places you would have never previously expected as well as more and more S.A. bands are touring overseas, releasing Albums, Releasing video’s, being Signed by International labels and touring S.A. So even if people argue about whether or not our scene has grown it certainly has for the most part matured! Another amazing sign of growth is the fact that more and more International bands are visiting our shores and taking interest in our country and our ever growing Metal/Alternative Scene. Also Promoters and Production companies are showing up every where which is awesome because they are helping to improve and extend our scene to bigger and wider audiences than before, as well as the improvement in music production and the media coverage such as
IF YOU COULD OPEN FOR ANY INTERNATIONAL ACT, WHO WOULD IT BE? How can we name only one band? There are so many we would Love to support!! To name a few As I lay Dying, Periphery, Meshuggah, Machine Head, SlipKnoT, Korn, The Devil wears Prada, Devin Townsend, Oh, Sleeper, Demon Hunter, Metallica, In Flames, Impending Doom, Killswitch Engage, War of Ages and the list goes on and on and on!! ANY THOUGHTS ON THE AMOUNT OF VENUES THAT HAVE CLOSED RECENTLY? We find all the venues closing down to be extremely sad but at the same time it is also a very exciting time, because everything happens in stages in the South African metal/alternative scene there are times when it is pumping and shows are packing out and bands are showing up everywhere and then there’s times where things go wrong and things are quiet like with what’s happened with the venues closing down recently. But the metal/alternative scene in S.A. will never die, it will always be constant, it is never in fashion and it is never out of fashion, and has proven time and time again that the music and the scene aren’t going to go anywhere! It’s the difficult times that make you appreciate the good times! It’s only natural that the scene will go through good and bad times; it’s what you do and how you push through both that’s important. So is it a sad and difficult time, yes, but it is also an exciting and promising time for the S.A. Alternative/ Metal scene because who knows where it will go from here and it what ways it will grow!! ANY RECORDING OF ALBUMS IN THE PIPELINES? Yes Definitely, we are currently in studio recording our Debut Album with Clint Watts of Watts productions, we have got two songs down and currently being mixed which will be released very soon as a little taste test of what’s next to come!! We’ve also got a new line of merchandise, a music video and a nation wide tour coming up!! So stay tuned! We have a lot of Great things coming just on the horizon!
On Your Feet or on Your Knees By Tasty Tam
Leap-night, the Black Apples and I drove their Christian car to the woolly north: Zeplins in Pretoria. Taking a look around, the stage seemed small, but well placed, with the balcony opposite providing the perfect place to watch without potentially being pummelled by more brutal fans. First band up was Killatoria and whilst the first song lacked a little energy, their cover of For Whom The Bell Tolls was hands down awesome. Making it their own, the band crashed through the song with all the power of Metallica themselves. Hat’s off to ya, boys. Maybe it was just because the crowd was still drinking beer outside, but the first half of the set was marred by a lack of people to play to. Also, I’m not a drummer, but I’m pretty sure my cat has more imagination when it comes to percussion. This is gonna sound mean (‘cause it kinda is), but I felt there needed to be more variety concerning rhythm. Overall, the set was a solid one, but the fatigue of the crowd could be felt through the band by the closing song. Next: In Dreams, managed by Abel Scholtz. The guys took to the stage with a better reception than Killatoria, not just because their fan base was a little bigger, but because of their more relaxed vibe. I found the technicality of the musicians to be impressive and their songs to be rather reminiscent of old-school Metallica. At times the stage seemed a little difficult to navigate, but presented no real obstacle to Dirky Kalifornia (vocals), who gave the impression he’d played a gig or two. The variety of the songs coming from these guys was great, giving a much more rounded set than the previous band. Nice job, guys. “Anything but Tranquil” seems to describe these guys pretty well. The set was a full on, face-melting dive into the depths of metal, however, people watching were few and far between. Unfazed, the band seemed to pick up as the set progressed, with ‘Revolution’ as the highlight for me. Tranquil seemed to lack the cohesion amongst themselves that I’d seen from the other bands, but closer to the end of the set, the more they seemed to be enjoying themselves, the more they seemed to work as a team. The songs were kinda same-y, although solidly put together. Perhaps after the variety of music from In Dreams, it was just an adjustment. Great technicality though and an overall good performance. Finally, Emperium graced the stage with their presence and brought with them the horde from outside, obviously waiting for the right moment. Crowd connection was brilliant and song after song pounded right to the very pit of my black little heart. The character of the band combined with their well-practiced set, gave for a rock-hard show. Sean Hendry (vocals) looked like he loved every minute of it, as did the rest of the band, lending energy to a room that desperately needed it. All in all, I had a damn good time … … those 3 for 1 shooters may have helped a little.
Christelle Jeanine Jenkin Age: 23 Location: Johannesburg Occupation: General Admin
The Russian Nightclub The Russian Nightclub in Durbanville had its doors opened during September 2011 by Zardoz a man also known as “The Russian”. The Russian Nightclub provides bands and musicians with the venue to use as a practise space for free during the week and on Saturdays gives them a chance to showcase their skills. The Russian Nightclub gives bands the opportunity to be able to rehearse on a proper stage with lighting and sound technicians. The upliftment of musicians in the area as well as to run workshops that aid musical development is Zardoz goal and this is what he would like to see the Russian achieve. On weekends, The Russian is home to “The Battle of the Bands Beat Downs” every Saturday. This is a well-known event and show cases many South African musical talents. It is here that artists can win a recording of their performances among other prizes. The Russian does extensive National and International marketing for all the bands participating in these events for free and offers a platform to get noticed by other artists and media. Zardoz wishes to see The Russian Nightclub as a gathering place where artists, musicians and bands can meet, interact and perform, where people can come together and celebrate amazing talent. The Russian Nightclub has been so well received that a recording studio was born and now offers musicians workshops as well as pre and live stage recordings. The Russian Records production club supports South African musicians and offer a development program to the youth and inspiring musical talent. The Russian management team are dedicated members that work with each artist on managing their careers and job creation through inner self talent development. The Russian club offers special events and technical teams are recruited via the local community to assist in the hire of local bands and disc jockeys for the special events in support of the related. The Russian also offers the hire of sound, lighting equipment, stage and rigging engineers.
The Russian Records Development Music Production Studio is situated Corner Queen and New Street, Durbanville, Cape Town.
We were Exploring Cape Town, and we found The Russian! By Laken Jade
Having recently moved to Cape Town, and being out of the metal scene for quite some time, it was completely refreshing to hear new bands and experience a new venue for a change. The Russian, situated in Durbanville, is a small venue that offers bands a practice space during the week as well as a stage to perform on over weekends, and for R20.00, I would say that it was a night of musical fun. Gabi and I headed out that way on the 18th of February, to a small red Russian themed building where the night started off with an Afrikaans four piece indie band called Tripjas, who have a set that’s very much like a get-up-and-dance vibe sound and were a great start to a party evening. The next band to follow up were a five piece band called Some Day Rush with a female vocalist that had something of a Nightwish sound to them and they managed to draw quite a crowd. Although none of the bands were without a crowd, I cannot say that it felt anything like the gigs we’d have back in Johannesburg. There had been a few problems with sound checks, but that is generally normal in some cases when you go to gigs. My favourite band from the evening would have to be The Edge of Collapse, a five piece screamo metal band with a vocalist, whom as he opened his mouth, one could imagine Satan coming forth from his small body. I would say they were, by far, the band of the evening that would’ve won the crowd over. Unfortunately they didn’t play a full set but were still worth watching and head banging to. AR FM, which I have no idea what their acronym stands for (possibly A Rabbit Fucked Me) is a four piece punk metal band, who ended of the night with their rather distasteful behaviour and crudeness but were rather funny to watch as there was a problem with one of their guitars and begged the other bands to help them out. Ed Hardy energy drinks were on special, for R35 and possibly will be on sale until the end of the year. If you’re in the Cape Town region, more specifically, in Durbanville, be sure not to miss a battle of the bands, as they happen every weekend and will end sometime at the end of the year.
Catch the next leg of battle of the bands at The Russian on Saturday, 17th March, cover charge R20.00.
MEET LAKEN JADE Me name is Laken Jade, and I’m 24 years old. I'm a Taurus - although I don't believe in the signs … ...oh what's that shiny thing over there? I guess some attributes shine through. I love all kinds of music, love meeting new people, spending hours on the beach and my favourite flavour ice cream would have to be anything chocolate … hmmmm
The Edge of Collapse are: Paulo White (Bassist) Francois Laubscher (Guitar) Alex Lombard (Guitar) Teagen Parfitt (Vocals) Aidan Kruger (Drums) Around the beginning of November 2011, Aidan Kruger (Drums) and Paulo White (Bass) put up an ad on Gumtree saying that they were looking for guitarists to start a band, Francois Laubscher (Lead Guitarist) contacted them asking if there is still a spot open for a lead guitarist, they gladly took him in and he brought along Alex Lombard (Rhythm Guitarist). In January 2012, The Edge of Collapse started looking around for a vocalist and found Teagen Parfitt (Vocals), around the same time Megan Woolley became our lyricist. The band practiced hard for a month after that and played their first gig on the 18th of February 2012, they got an amazing response from the crowd and Teagen Parfitt won a prize for best vocals of the night. This band is totally different to most Metal bands, no generic riffs and simple stuff. They are a bunch of guys who just love to make music.
Find The Edge of Collapse at:
Professional burlesque, gothic, alternative stylist and art director, fashion designer and local fashion design promoter, local music merchandise, jewellery, hats, display weaponry and other accessories. Follow on Facebook
A word from Roselle, Editor for Up Rise Magazine In all my endeavours in the past from modelling agencies to band management , I have never had a passion as great as the one I have developed for Up Rise Magazine. Even with only one issue out I have learned so much and had so much fun doing it. I got an amazing response to the first issue and I have decided to go with a whole different style to the magazine. Up Rise is and always will be a place for our local talent to gain exposure and experience, targeting the mainstream and the underground scene alike. With the content including gorgeous girls, tattoo artists and musicians . also some really awesome writers such as Marleen Swanepoel who reviews some of our gigs and The Henkie who writes our sex section with a twist. I want to build this magazine to a point where I can live off it, I want to do what I love and do my part for the alternative scene but get my part out of it as well. I work hard to promote our local talent and I am dedicated to broaden our horizons with new ideas and concepts, we have fallen into a rut and I want to do my part to spice it all up again. We have such talent and such amazing people in the industry and I want to do my part for the industry. I have an amazing visual artist helping me out with the design of the magazine, Jerry Ninjaboi Basson , who helped a lot with the march issue and is still doing work for the april issue. I want to do new and exciting things and there are a few more productions coming soon that goes hand in hand with Up Rise Magazine Up Rise Magazine is going to do some really amazing things for our industry in the near future. ,.. We’re gonna cause and up rise!!
http://www.facebook.com/Uprisemagazine
So here's just one more hard-core modification that once again involves implants. You've already seen sub dermal implants, transdermal implants, and eyeball implants. Now, it's time to introduce micro dermal implants.
exit point, and the second method is by using a dermal punch. With either procedure, the hole is made and the micro dermal jewellery anchor is inserted into the hole and coerced into the correct placement.
Micro dermal implants, which is also known as surface anchors have evolved from the techniques of pocketing, dermal anchoring, and transdermal implants. Basically, a micro dermal implant is supposed to look like a transdermal implant, but be a relatively safe procedure, similar to body piercing. The end effect is to give the client the appearance that the jewellery is screwed into the skin.
Some say that the micro dermal implant procedure is no more or less painful than getting a surface piercing. The procedure does not involve using anaesthetics or specialized tools.
Micro dermal Anchors
As for healing a micro dermal implant, the exact aftercare is not pinpointed to a particular technique, as the procedure is still pretty new. But, for the most part, you'll want to make sure to keep the area clean, dry, and free if irritants. Don't use lotions or sprays near the area, and you don't want to go swimming until the implant is healed, which can take 1 to 3 months.
The jewellery used is similar to transdermal anchors, but smaller. The base is flat with holes, which is supposed to aid stabilization of the jewellery. The tissues are meant to grow through and around the base of the jewellery, to increase stabilization and decrease risks of rejection. To minimize long-term risks, you want to make sure that the jewellery is made of titanium rather than a type of steel.
You just want to make sure that you go to a qualified person who is well versed in surface anchoring.
There are generally different styles of micro dermal anchors. Some of them include:
Surprisingly, the difference between micro dermal implants and transdermal implants and surface piercings, is that the rejection rate is much less and the success rate higher.
1. One large hole with an longer, oval base. 2. One medium hole and one small hole on the other side of the screw with a oval base. 3. Two small holes on one side and one small hole on the other side of the screw with a oval shaped base 4. Two small holes on one side and one small hole on the other side of the screw with a curved base.
The related risks that you want to be aware of include: Inward Travelling Infection Deep Micro dermal Placement Rejection Keloids Hypertrophic Scarring Bruising (temporary usually) Implant Rejection
The micro dermal implant procedure is pretty simple. I've seen two different ways to have the implant inserted. The first method is by inserting a bevelled piercing needle at an angle into the entry/
http://www.alternativelook.net/microdermalimplants/
“Freaks are the much needed escape from the humdrum. They are poetry.” ~Albert Perry~ the author of the landmark 1933 book called, Tattoo, Secrets of a Strange Art as Practised by the Natives of the United States.
T-Time
with Tasty Tam
What Your Tattoo Says About You
Ok, so I realise that some people are gonna get a little tetchy when they read this: “Screw that British chick! She doesn’t even have any tattoos!” But hell, that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the art of them. Besides, I’m too transient of a character to get a tattoo – I’ll love the shit out of it for about 6 months, and then get sick of it. And I’m broke. Mostly broke.
THE TRIBAL This either shows that you completely lack imagination when it comes to ink and what you can put on your body, or that you wanna connect with roots (?) that aren’t yours. Usually you only see these on professional douchebags who’ve been to more gyms than they’ve read books. Mostly sported by meatheads with as little body hair as they have brain cells, the tribal tattoo found its way into popular culture somehow. Probably with the help of that guy in high school who insisted you add a ‘z’ to the end of his name.
THE TRAMP STAMP
majority of tramp stamps are simply twirly things, sometimes with letters, dates, etc… as part of the design. Do you really feel that special now you’ve gone and had something put on your lower back that around 99% of stamped girls have done before you? I didn’t think so.
A TEARDROP If I see a guy with a teardrop tattoo, I put on my best shit-eating grin and let him know that his wish is my every damn command. Nice convict…
A DOLPHIN Congratulations! You have joined the ranks of the vast number of 18 – 25 year old women who went and put a dolphin on themselves. We get it. You’re cute and who doesn’t love dolphins right? Lemme tell you, dolphins are actually the assholes of the ocean. Ever hear that line about dolphins being the only other creatures besides humans to have sex for fun? Well they also do something else that humans do for fun too. They kill. And finally, I’m just gonna leave this here…
What a classy lady. Nah – FOREALZ. Chances are you’re blonde, very visibly show off your g-string and chew gum with your mouth open. Personally, I wouldn’t bother with a tattoo that I can’t look at and admire myself, without having to wait ‘til someone catches me bending over and posts a picture on Facebook. I also find that tattoos placed here are kinda generic. For me, a tattoo would symbolise something very personal, or even just be something I find pretty or ‘me’. The
TASTY TAM IS ... Tam Walker is a student at Wits by day, bartender by night. She’s been around the world like your mom’s been around the block. She’s British, so her potty mouth will come as no surprise. She’s from Manchester, but possessing female genetalia presents a major obstacle to her liking the footy. She’s not sorry.
Blogspot: www.tamtufta.blogspot.com