Firebrand Magazine Issue 3 - December

Magazine Issue 3 • December 2012

The chimpz

A new perception from the concrete jungle

Plus SASS JORDAN Then & Now

free downloads OTHER ARTICLES

Nubian rose | the room | enforcer | MOTORHEAD | PHANTOM X | Eric clapton | vampyre heart | silver dirt | graven image | kiss | eric steckel | alessandro porcella | TOP 5 ALBUMS OF 2012 | THE BIZ ... and more ...

Cover Story 13 The Chimpz A new perception from the concrete jungle

NEWs 4

The Grapevine

Features 14 Sass Jordan

Then & Now

20 Allesandro Porcella

CD REviews

free downloads > collect

6 Motorhead 7 Phantom X 8 KISS 10 Eric Clapton 22 Vampyre Heart 23 Silver Dirt 24 The Room 25 Graven Image 26 Enforcer 27 Nubian Rose 28 Eric Steckel 29 Doc's Top 5 Albums of 2012 30 Jon Seymour's Top 5 Albums of 2012

OP/ED 32 The Biz with Graham Greene

Your Advert Here in Issue #4 To Find Out More, Ring Firebrand Sales on +44(0) 1244 940961 Or email sales@firebrandrockradio.com

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FROM THE EDITOR It’s a strange old world when you spend your time investing every waking moment in developing a business. You lose track of the outside world and become comfortable after a while in what is going on. This month has been a bit of an issue for me - first of all finding out I’m mortal after all (lol) and being forced to slow down on the work side and secondly, that the music industry politics is no better than a 4th grade playground. I have always prided myself on the fact that neither myself or my team are interested in any of that rubbish.

But in the last few days, while learning to relax, not an easy task for this Doc, I started getting out to see live bands again and in particular the legendary Europe up in Manchester - and it reminded why I do what I do in this business. So a very big thanks to Joey and the boys for giving me some perspective back. You certainly rocked my night. Incidentally while on the subject of Europe they played an absolutely stunning show, so if you get the chance, go see them.

Silly season is almost upon us the time where we're all praying in January some fitness guru will come along with a diet that does not require effort - the time of year where we tell ourselves that mince pies are totally calorie free and the time for good will to all.

So I would like, on behalf of my team, to wish you all a wonderful Christmas and thank you for all the continued support you give Firebrand. You guys and gals rock and we never forget that.

Peace and Respect, Doc.

Editor in Chief Rick Palin Senior Media Consultant Donna Greene Reviews Editor Lee Walker Reviews Team Mel Delacroix Jon Seymour Rachel Whiston Contributing Writers Jen Vogel Graham Greene Download Content Team Rick Palin Judith Fisher Content Download submissions@fbrr2010.com Advertising Enquiries pr@fbrr2010.com Contact Telephone +44 (0)1244 940961

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THE GRAPEVINe Roger Waters Returns To The UK

British AOR stalwarts FM release an app!

Roger Waters, co-founder of the legendary prog band Pink Floyd will return to London’s Wembley Stadium next September to relive one of the most famous parts of Floyd’s career by show casing his extraordinary aural and visual masterpiece “The Wall”.

FM the UK’s biggest AOR band plan to release their next studio album ‘Rockville’ in March 2013. As part of the promotion leading up to the new album FM launched their very own mobile phone app on Monday 19th November with an exclusive offer; fans will be able to buy the track ‘Shot In The Dark’ one week ahead of the official release of the Only Foolin EP with the same track included. The App will allow fans to view videos, check out dates for live shows, get news from the band, view pictures and chat on a fan wall. The app is available for iphone and android and is available by adding this address bandapp. com/fm in a mobile phone web browser.

More details and a video about the app can be found on the bands official web site www.fmofficial.com or add the app by clicking on www. bandapp.com/fm using your mobile phone.

There will also be 24 additional European dates as well.

Roger stated, “I’m extremely glad to be playing The Wall in Europe again. It’s going to be a lot of fun for all of us. I’ve reworked the show to play outdoors in large stadiums. It’s really good. Even more moving, engaging, dramatic and thrilling than the Arena shows. I’ve had to rethink the whole thing about stadiums. This wide wall stadium show couldn’t have been done 40 years ago. We couldn’t have filled the space in a way that would have been emotionally, musically and theatrically satisfying.

Technology has changed. Now we can.”

Tickets are already on sale thru Livenation or Ticketmaster.

The Last Vegas make a good decision...

American sleaze rockers The Last Vegas have just released their new album through AFM Records. The new album titled “Bad Decisions” is the bands first full album release, and from what we have heard of it up to now is a cracking album as well. Aided in the album by none other than Nikki Sixx you can be sure that this is going to be a first class album.

Onslaught announce Japanese tour and new album in ‘13 Welsh thrash metallers Onslaught at the time of reading this will be in Japan doing 3 shows in Osaka, Saitama and Tokyo before returning to the UK to work on their much anticipated (as yet untitled) new album available in 2013.

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Jeff Scott Soto “Damage Control” in Europe 2013 It doesn’t take too long for news to break in the music business and already the social media is beginning to buzz with details of a forthcoming tour by American melodic Rock Star Jeff Scott Soto – his first full European tour since 2009. Although its been in the planning for months, the singer’s organisation is only now ready to release the outline of what promises to be a stunning road trip right around Europe.

Details of some venues are yet to be announced but what follows is the tour listing (check Jeff’s website [www.jeffscottsoto.com]): 04/04/2013 Thursday UK Belfast ‘The Empire’ (TBC) 05/04/2013 Friday UK Birmingham ‘The Asylum’ 06/07/2013 Saturday UK London ‘Camden Underworld’ 07/04/2013 Sunday UK Rotherham ‘Hard Rock Hell AOR Festival’

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Motörhead

The Complete Early Years review lee walker With a career spanning over 35 years, Motörhead have officially released an early years box set placing all there early releases from the immortal ‘Motorhead’ album that started it all of way back in 1977 through to 1984’s ‘No Remorse’ compilation in one huge collection. Housed in a special Motörhead box you have a feast of Motörhead collectables ranging from 5-inch Japanese miniature wallet versions of the first 8 albums, 7 cd singles, a 7” vinyl single, a collector’s guide to Motörhead book, a limited edition Justin Hampton Motörhead print, concert programmes, and a collection of badges.

In terms of the singles you have a pretty mixed bunch be it with ‘Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers’ (which was essentially an e.p made up of the outtakes from 1977’s Motörhead debut), the ‘St. Valentine’s Day Massacre’ (the collaboration with Girlschool which was originally released under the ‘Headgirl’ moniker) through to the classic ‘head tracks ‘Killed By Death’ or ‘Louie Louie’ or the infamous ‘Stand By Your Man’ single that Lemmy recorded with Wendy O’Williams from The Plasmatics.

Moving over to the albums included with this release, you have a collection of the early releases by Lemmy and co of the albums released from 1977 though to 1984.

Motörhead studio albums were always pretty patchy, which led to them gaining a reputation for producing one or two gems per album with the majority of the tracks on there being average or below par at best. Out of the 8 albums included in this release you have a ‘best of’ (1984’s ‘No Remorse’ which had the distinction of having the classic ‘Killed By Death’ included on it) and a live album (1981’s ‘No Sleep ‘till Hammersmith’ which despite being widely well received at the time has unfortunately always sounded dated to me). Out of the remaining albums you have the classic gems ‘Overkill’, ‘Bomber’, ‘Iron Fist, ‘Motörhead’,’Iron Horse’, ‘Stay Clean’, ‘I got Mine’, ‘(We Are) The Road Crew’ and the original version of the ‘Ace of Spades’ as well as other less played/more obscure tracks.

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With Motörhead’s extensive back catalogue already having been re-published in one format or another over the years, you have to ask yourself is it worth buying and with prices for ‘The Complete Early Years’ weighing in between £239.99 right up to a whopping £299.99 I would be tempted to say ‘No’, and that this release will only appeal to the die hard fans and while it might put everything together in one place in a very cool looking box I don’t think it is worth the asking price.

Highlight of the album: ‘Killed By Death’

Rating: 7/10

Contents Albums Motorhead Overkill Bomber Ace of Spades No Sleep ‘till Hammersmith Iron Fist Another Perfect Day No Remorse

Singles Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers Louie Louie Golden Years EP St. Valentine’s Day Massacre Killed By Death Stand By Your Man Shine

Members Various Additional Information Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Mot%C3%B6rhead/60327070235 Website: www.imotorhead.com Record Label: Sanctuary/UMC Release Date: 3/12/12

PHANTOM X

The Opera Of The Phantom review Si Staples Phantom X are a Power Metal band from Dallas, Texas, USA. They started out as a Ronnie Jame Dio tribute band called Stargaze in 2003 then they embarked on writing their own stuff to which their debut album was born in 2005. ‘The Opera Of The Phantom’ is the bands fourth album.

Phantom X are hugely influenced by classic metal bands such as Maiden, Priest, and Dio. And frontman Kevin Goocher has openly stated they stay true to the classic metal sound.

One of the most enjoyable parts of Phantom X is the irregular vocal talents of Kevin Goocher. His vocal style is a high-pitched, rugged tone, similar to that of David Wayne from Metal Church. Goocher’s vocals are the flagship sound that is Phantom X and essentially carry’s each track. His overall range may not be the greatest in the world but his eccentricity is what makes him special. He has the ability to sing in a low growl as well as melodically.

Guitarist Bill Engfer produces the sound of great Power Metal riffs and superb solos. Strangely though, Engfer guitars are not the backbone of the tracks and are almost a background sound.

All of the power in each track is driven from Goocher’s vocals which to me personally is a bit of a shame. Perhaps another guitarist would give them the power they need to make the step up.

about it. I do think though that 16 tracks on an album was a little too much and I had to listen in instalments. Sorry lads.

Highlight of the album: ‘Holy Hell’ Rating: 6/10

track listing 1. Prelude/Storms of Hell 2. The Rise of the Phantom 3. Discovery 4. The Mask 5. Storm Riders 6. Everspell 7. 13th Hour 8. A Strange World 9. Discovery II 10. Deep Six Down 11. Cloning the Christ 12. Playing God 13. Holy Hell 14. 1000 Quatrains 15. Your Majesty 16. All Hail the Heroes

Phantom X aren’t anything special regards to the contemporary power metal bands in particular and the musicianship is average at best but one thing the band does have are well written pieces.

The songs on ‘The Opera Of The Phantom’ are generally well written. One song that stands out is ‘Holy Hell’ where in parts Kevin’s vocals turn Rob Halfordesque.

Members

‘The Opera Of The Phantom’ in my opinion is only ok at best, there are little sparks that show they have the talent to escalate as a band but unfortunately these are few and far between. The one thing I do like is that the production sounds a little datedbut I would rather that than it be over produced, I like the old feel

Additional Information Facebook: www.facebook.com/PXMetal Website: www.phantom-x.com/fr_home.cfm Record Label: Pure Steel Records Release Date: 31/08/12

Kevin Goocher- Vocals, Keys Bill Engfer - Guitar Glenn Malicki - Bass Reece Stanley – Drums

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CD REVIEW

MONSTER W

ith a career spanning almost 40 years and producing 20 studio albums, Kiss comes back with a strong contender for album of the year with ‘Monster’, producing a worthy successor to their most recent release ‘Sonic Boom’ (2009), with Paul Stanley co-producing and working again with Greg Collins (Conway Studios, Hollywood and ‘The Nook’, Studio City, California).

With no need to change the famous Kiss formulae, simply put - Kiss is Kiss from old, known for the use of mascara, blusher and theatrics. The engine that powers them still purrs and quietly follows the same route, ignoring the trends, offering the fanatics the dose required for their guilty pleasure, (is it to my age...?), this overcharged beast is so familiar that it becomes a royal finery. Kiss is still alive and well!

‘Hell or Hallelujah’ opens up the show with an explosion, wasting no time on a build up. The addition of Tommy Thayer has strongly shaped the dynamics of the group; it’s going to shoot from the hip.

Having a similar feel to ‘Shout Of The Devil’ with it’s basic layout and heavy riffs, the ‘Wall Of Sound’, lifts you as high as Simmons in his boots. ‘Back to the Stone Age’ is written by all members of the motley sect and produces a harmony, the voice of each member offering a unique vocal element merging with the powerful strength of Eric Singer’s drumming. ‘Long Way Down’, is a classic street song and evokes the memories of the glorious seventies with hints of the Beatles and The Who mixed in with the characteristic of Led Zeppelin’s heaviness and automatically becomes a classic added to the long list of timeless songs about men who love women who love men.

‘Eat your Heart Out’ is probably the weakest song on the album, which starts with an animated a cappella piece that quickly wears thin. Simmons is hoarse throughout it, and it never finds the way to my heart.

‘The Devil is Me’ is more threatening and with the legendary aggressiveness of the group taking it over the top, back to the

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review Mel Delacroix

blood-red Kiss era ala ‘Créatures of the Night’ or ‘Revenge’.

This mid-tempo speed of songs suits the band.

‘Outta the World’, makes the most of Tommy Thayer’s vocals, having more lead parts than went into his previous effort on Sonic Boom, which is a bonus as his catchy cadence and it’s playful refrains are the typical eighties psychedelic sound.

Eric Singer’s classic rock style on ‘All For The love Of Rock ‘n Roll’ is a pleasure to hear no more. His rock’n’roll style seems somewhat removed within this album, and comes across as stunted and directed by a more majestic Stanley with his master hand. ‘Take Me Down Below’, on Atomic rhythmic stuns, always such a convincing vocal duo, which should be performed live.

The rock’n’roll style continues with a galloping bass line, causing a tapping of the foot leaving you smiling. ‘Last Chance’ is memorable anthem with a chorus worthy of AC/ DC, and is a perfect future single in short.

Overall the album contains no unpleasant surprises, the elders should not be embarrassed. Their melodic rock and metal always surprises, and it is towards a bright future (and yes, it is still matter of future!) that Kiss seems quietly to head with the osmosis between the members now seemingly complete. 2009 meant a resurrection, and this Monster is the perfect evidence of that. With no symphony orchestra, prepubescent choir or syrupy keyboards, it’s just the rock’n’roll in-your-face!

Kiss are back and larger than life.

Highlight of the album: ‘The Devil Is Me’ Rating: 8/10

track listing 1.

Hell or Hallelujah 2.

Wall of Sound 3. Freak 4.

Back to the Stone Age 5. Shout Mercy 6.

Long Way Down 7. Eat Your Heart Out 8. The Devil Is Me; 9. Outta This World 10.

All for the Love of Rock & Roll 11. Take Me Down Below 12.

Last Chance 13. Right Here Right Now

Members Paul Stanley – Rhythm Guitar, Lead Vocals Gene Simmons – Bass Guitar, Lead Vocals Tommy Thayer – Lead Guitar, Vocals Eric Singer – Drums, Percussion, Vocals;

Additional Information: Facebook: www.facebook.com/KISS Website: www.kissonline.com Record Label: Universal Music Group Release Date: 9/10/12

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Eric Clapton Website: www.ericclapton.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ericclapton

The thing is though, that it’s not something that really excites me. It’s very listenable, inoffensive, and very well put together, but for me it lacks that certain something.

It’s a very good album, but I can’t call it a great one. I guess I may split reader opinions there, but I stand by it anyway. I could resign this album to my “easy listening” category without too much hesitation. That said though, I have a rekindled interest in Eric’s music after listening to this album, so I’m off to search out some more of his back catalogue.

I’m always wary of reviewing “re-issues” especially if they’ve been tinkered with in any way. Some of the so called “re-masters” have detracted from the original, and in doing so have lost some of the polish. The most noticeable one of late was E.L.O’s recent greatest hits compilation. A collection of great songs that needed nothing new, but they added new bits anyway, and in doing so, tarnished them slightly.

Slowhand, is one of the most iconic of Clapton’s albums, and quite rightly so. It’s a great collection of songs, and certainly a showcase for his undoubted musical talent, both as a writer and a musician. That said, I’ve never really been a big fan of Eric. He’s a phenomenal guitarist, but I wasn’t keen on much of the music. Over the last few years though, I’ve developed an admiration for guitarists, and blues, so when the opportunity came up to review this, I thought I’d give it a go, to see if my opinion would be changed in any way.

The first three tracks were known to me anyway, and are among my favourite Clapton tracks, and I’m pleased to say that they’ve not been messed with in any noticeable way. I’m guessing the only thing they’ve done is pass them through a digital sampler to clean them up a bit, but they’ve not added any bells and whistles, which is most definitely a good thing.

It’s when we get into what comes after that though, that I’m taken into unfamiliar territory. You know what though? It’s actually really good. There is a lot to like. It’s not something you can accredit to any particular genre either, which is also a good thing. There’s some funky stuff, some country stuff, some bluesy stuff, and lots more besides. All of this is laid over Clapton’s amazing guitar ability.

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I liked Slowhand a lot more than I thought I would, and that’s always a nice surprise. I doubt that it’s one of his best albums, but I’ll reserve judgement on that until I’ve heard a lot more of them. There are some great songs on it, but there are also some that aren’t so great. It didn’t captivate my interest in the way I like an album to, and I found my mind wandering. That’s a sure sign to me, that it didn’t quite deliver what I’d hoped for, but as a critic, I can’t really find anything wrong with it.

If you’ve not got any Clapton albums, and are looking to get a few, then this should probably be one of the first you’ll hear about, and I’m sure there are people out there that love it. As for me, I just like it. The version for the review was the single CD, the original album, with none of the extra content available on the deluxe editions.

My favourite track on this album is also one of my favourite Clapton tracks ever, namely Cocaine. It’s a cracking song.

My rating: 8/10

Release Info ERIC CLAPTON’s “SLOWHAND 35th ANNIVERSARY” comes in five different formats: 1. SUPER DELUXE EDITON – 3 CD / 1 DVD (audio only) / 1 LP

• Slowhand remastered from the original Olympic Studios 1/4” flat analog master tapes, plus four album session outtakes. The unreleased tracks have been newly mixed from the original Olympic Studios 2” analog masters by Kevin Reeves at Sterling Sound.

• Complete Live At Hammersmith Odeon Concert, April 27, 1977 (2CDs, 14 tracks including 10 previously unreleased).

The tracks have been newly mixed from the original 2” analog masters by Kevin Reeves at Sterling Sound.

• Slowhand remastered in 24/96 Hi-Resolution Stereo and 5.1 Surround Sound (audio only DVD) • Slowhand remastered vinyl LP on 180g heavyweight vinyl • Including 3 replica tour programmes from the time & a book featuring a behind-the-scene look at the recording • Packaging replicates the original Fender amplifier tweet used on the recording

Slowhand Remastered review jon seymour 2. DELUXE EDITON – 2 Disc Set

• Slowhand remastered from the original Olympic Studios 1/4” flat analog master tapes, plus four album session outtakes • Live At The Hammersmith Odeon Concert, April 27, 1977 (9 tracks including 5 unreleased)

3. SINGLE CD

• the original album, re-mastered from the original analog masters

4. VINYL LP

• the original album, re-mastered from the original analog masters

5. DIGITAL VERSION

• the original album, re-mastered from the original analogue masters plus four album session outtakes”

TRACK-LISTINGS SUPER DELUXE EDITION DISC ONE: SLOWHAND REMASTERED AND EXPANDED 1 COCAINE 3.42 2 WONDERFUL TONIGHT 3.42 3 LAY DOWN SALLY 3.52 4 NEXT TIME YOU SEE HER 4.02 5 WE’RE ALL THE WAY 2.31 6 THE CORE 8.42 7 MAY YOU NEVER 3.00 8 MEAN OLD FRISCO 4.38 9 PEACHES AND DIESEL 4.50 bonus tracks: 10 LOOKING AT THE RAIN 3.39 * 11 ALBERTA 2.40 12 GREYHOUND BUS 2.57 * 13 STARS, STRAYS AND ASHTRAYS 4.36 * DISC TWO: SLOWHAND: HI-RES STEREO and 5.1 SURROUND SOUND DVD (audio only) 1 COCAINE 3.42 2 WONDERFUL TONIGHT 3.42 3 LAY DOWN SALLY 3.52/4.14 4 NEXT TIME YOU SEE HER 4.02 5 WE’RE ALL THE WAY 2.31 6 THE CORE 8.42 7 MAY YOU NEVER 3.00/3.58 8 MEAN OLD FRISCO 4.38 9 PEACHES AND DIESEL 4.30 DISC THREE: LIVE AT HAMMERSMITH ODEON, April 27, 1977 1 HELLO OLD FRIEND 3.58 * 2 SIGN LANGUAGE 3.58 * 3 ALBERTA 4.06 * 4 TELL THE TRUTH 9.00 5 KNOCKING ON HEAVEN’S DOOR 5.18 6 STEADY ROLLING MAN 6.55 * 7 CAN’T FIND MY WAY HOME 6.06* 8 FURTHER ON UP THE ROAD 6.35 9 STORMY MONDAY 12.42

DISC FOUR: LIVE AT HAMMERSMITH ODEON, April 27, 1977 continued 1 BADGE 8.37 * 2 NOBODY KNOWS YOU WHEN YOU”RE DOWN AND OUT 4.00 * 3 I SHOT THE SHERIFF 14.04 * 4 LAYLA 6.02 * 5 KEY TO THE HIGHWAY 7.28 * DISC FIVE: SLOWHAND VINYL LP SIDE ONE 1 COCAINE 3.42 2 WONDERFUL TONIGHT 3.42 3 LAY DOWN SALLY 3.52 4 NEXT TIME YOU SEE HER 4.02 5 WE’RE ALL THE WAY 2.31 SIDE TWO 1 THE CORE 8.42 2 MAY YOU NEVER 3.00 3 MEAN OLD FRISCO 4.38 4 PEACHES AND DIESEL 4.50 * previously unreleased

DELUXE EDITION DISC ONE: SLOWHAND REMASTERED AND EXPANDED 1 COCAINE 3.42 2 WONDERFUL TONIGHT 3.42 3 LAY DOWN SALLY 3.52 4 NEXT TIME YOU SEE HER 4.02 5 WE’RE ALL THE WAY 2.31 6 THE CORE 8.42 7 MAY YOU NEVER 3.00 8 MEAN OLD FRISCO 4.38 9 PEACHES AND DIESEL 4.50 bonus tracks: 10 LOOKING AT THE RAIN 3.39 * 11 ALBERTA 2.40 12 GREYHOUND BUS 2.57 * 13 STARS, STRAYS AND ASHTRAYS 4.36 * DISC TWO: LIVE AT HAMMERSMITH ODEON, April 27, 1977 1 TELL THE TRUTH 9.00 2 KNOCKING ON HEAVEN’S DOOR 5.18 3 STEADY ROLLING MAN 6.55 * 4 CAN’T FIND MY WAY HOME 6.06* 5 FURTHER ON UP THE ROAD 6.35 6 STORMY MONDAY 12.42 7 BADGE 8.37 * 8 I SHOT THE SHERIFF 14.04 * 9 LAYLA 6.02 * * previously unreleased

Firebrand Magazine • We’re Gonna Rock Your World • 11

cover FEATURE Rick (Doc) Palin

In the early part of 2012 I had the chance to interview The Chimpz for Firebrand Rock Radio. Now to a dedicated hair metal fan like me, back in the day words like rap, were like poison, in the 90s we had bands like Rage Against The Machine, which to be honest did not float my boat either...

Then earlier this year I was sent a track by the strangely named band The Chimpz by my good friend Yvonne Laughlin... and my whole perception of the genre was changed by this one band.

1.

It’s great to be talking to you again guys So how’s life over in the states for The Chimpz?

Thanks Rick, it’s great to be on Firebrand again! Life is pretty good for The Chimpz here. We love our concrete jungle here in Hollywood. Every thing is here. It is the entertainment capitol of the world. Plus we have the great beaches, women, mountains, clubs... oh yeah and traffic! But we also need to keep touring as often as possible and would love to play some shows out of the country as well 2.

The Chimpz is a slightly unusual name, how did that come about?

The Chimpz name came about almost before the band its self.

We would just always refer to each other as chimp. Once the band started taking shape, Art decided to call it The Chimpz, and it seemed like an obvious fit.

3.

I was very surprised one evening to be watching my favourite show Sons of Anarchy on the TV when Mr.44 popped up in one scene, That is quite an achievement to get a track on SOA, bet you guys must be stoked?

Yes, we are very stoked. That is the sec ond time S.O.A. has used one of our tracks for a killer chase scene. Also it has brought a ton of traffic to our pages.

4.

The band has an incredible list of talented members when you look at what Sean, Chuck, Cary, Shawn and of course Artemis have achieved, so how did the idea originate to form The Chimpz?

Well this band wasn’t really formed, it was evolved (no pun intended). We were all just common friends/ musicians before we were even playing in a band together. It started out as just a fun thing, and the more we wrote and played together the more serious we became. Now we push each other pretty damn hard to be the best we can be.

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5.

What is the band’s philosophy?

The bands philosophy is pretty much “HUSTLE”. There is a lot of competition out here. If you aren’t constantly hustling and moving, you will be eaten alive. We aim to blow doors down!

6.

Who Can I Trust is the latest video I have seen flying around the social media world for you guys, and it’s apparent you have a lot of fun making these videos?

Yeah, we are always trying to put something new out to keep people tuned in. If it’s not a CD, it’s a video, a funny skit, photos, DVD, etc. The “Who Can I Trust” video we filmed all around Hollywood and LA. Shawn “Sonic” (Our bass player) almost got arrested at the Occupy movement while we were filming. You should check it out if you haven’t seen it. http://youtube.com/thechimpz

www.thechimpz.com

7.

2012 like I said at the start of the article has been a great year for you? What has been the highlight for you guys?

I think the highlight for all of us is usually being on the road. It is such a blast. You never know what is going to happen. We have this crazy red RV that we travel in with our logos and our sponsors logos all over it, the inside looks like a strip club. It looks pretty much like a mobile party, so you never know what it may attract. Usually it is completely full of people after the shows.

8.

Christmas is coming so what will the guys be doing for that?

Well we are releasing a new video for the song “Victim”.

It’s probably out already by the time you are reading this, so go to our YouTube page and check it out along with all the other great stuff there. Plus we plan to release a DVD

of every thing we have done, live footage, pranks, behind the scenes, random funny stuff, plus all our videos.

9. It has been an absolute pleasure chatting to you guys as per usual.. What can we look forward to in 2013?

Thank you for having us! We have a HUGE announcement coming out around Dec 1st, that is going to propel The Chimpz into 2013. I can hardly contain my self right now!

So please follow is on Facebook, Twitter, Reverbnation, and YouTube!

Before we go, we would love to thank our sponsors, Schecter Guitars, Sabian Cymbals, Jegermeister, Coffin Case, Outlaw Threadz, Anarchy Eyewear, Equation Audio, and a special thanks to our beautiful publicist Yvonne Laughlin for connecting us!

Firebrand Magazine • We’re Gonna Rock Your World • 13

sass jordon F

or anyone who’s not heard of Sass Jordan, you’re truly missing out on one of the finest female vocalists ever. She is a real powerhouse, with a soulful blues voice, who could give Janis Joplin a run for her money, I kid you not.

Sass hasn’t been over to the UK as a touring musician for some twenty years or so, and why is something of a mystery really, considering her musical pedigree. I do know that there were some issues between a famous singer and the major record label that Sass was signed to as a solo artist, and consequently, that led to European distribution of her solo albums being nonexistent.

In the past twenty years though, she’s certainly not been inactive. She’s won several music awards, including JUNO, and Billboard, for her musical work. She was also a judge on Canadian Idol for some six years, and she’s portrayed Janis Joplin in a biographical stage production.

Her music has been featured an film and TV, of which the most notable was her duet with Joe Cocker on the soundtrack to The Bodyguard, you know, the one with Kevin Costner, and Whitney Houston. Not a great film, but the soundtrack was pretty good none the less... (in my opinion, obviously).

Now there’s a new project on the go, called Something Unto Nothing, or S.U.N. if you like. It was something that happened quite by accident. I caught up with Sass for a chat about the new music, the new band, and to get the story behind the whole thing but before we get there here is a quick background to the band:

Biography When the band members first got together to work on this project, they decided to go back to basics. Before the digital age, music was pure. There was no auto tune, no wizardry or trickery to make it sound better, and it was exactly as it should be.

They made a conscious decision to do exactly that. They retreated to the mountains, in the middle of nowhere, and booked some recording time, with a view to completing an album in some two weeks. I will add, that nearly all songs for the album had been written by this stage, so it wasn’t something that was rushed by any means.

So who’s in the band then?

Sass Jordan Sass is one of the finest female vocalists I’ve ever heard. Her voice is powerful, pure, and has the ability to move you in many ways, from the spine tingling rock vocal, to the soft soulful blues tones that can make you weep buckets. She has an incredible range, and you just simply need to hear it, because whatever I say here, can do it no justice, no matter how hard I try.

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Then & Now Feature by Jon Seymour

Brian Tichy Brian is someone that Sass has worked with before, but not for some years. That said, when they met up again to record some stuff for Sass’ forthcoming (now shelved) solo album, there was an instant spark, that didn’t take long to become a raging inferno of inspiration. Brian’s pedigree as a musician speaks for its self, having played drums with many great bands. He’s always been a fan of the guitar, and S.U.N. has given him the opportunity to pursue that interest.

Marty O’Brien Marty has been playing bass a long time, and is a member of the band We Are The Fallen. He’s toured with a great many bands on the live circuit as a session musician, and has many album credits to his name too.

With such a huge pedigree, it’s no wonder that he makes a great addition to the band.

Tommy Stewart Although Brian did the drums on the album, it was always going to be difficult to do drums AND guitar at the same time in the live shows. Tommy has joined the band, so that they can go out on the road touring.

Again, Tommy has played with some very influential rock bands, and is now very much a part of the band.

The band was put together with a single goal. That goal is to make music in its purest form, to strip away all of the bullshit and fakery that surrounds the music industry, and expose its very core, and to kick ass and leave a mark. This is rock music dragged kicking and screaming from the 70’s, and given a new lease of life.

Now that you have had chance to digest the background to S.U.N here is my interview with the lady herself...

Firebrand Magazine • We’re Gonna Rock Your World • 15

sass jordon Then & Now

THE INTERVIEW

Jon: So tell us about the new project, how did it all start?

Sass: Well I got in touch with Brian Tichy, to work on some new material for my next solo album. We hadn’t seen, or spoken to each other since like 1994, but when we got together it was like a fire had been lit underneath us. There was just so much creativity flowing from us, new songs emerged, great music, and we really understood each other. We decided that rather than me putting a solo record out, we’d turn this into a project, or concept if you like, get some musicians in to help us out, and create something new.

Jon: So it was completely by accident? Its great when that happens though isn’t it?

Sass: Absolutely, everything was just so spontaneous. We got the album written and recorded in just a few weeks in early 2011, and it’s taken us this long to get the recording done, get the record out, and deal with all of the bollocks that surrounds actually getting your music out to people.

Jon: Yeah I know that can be difficult sometimes. You’ve had some licensing and distribution issues in the past haven’t you?

Sass: Honestly, I don’t really know. I don’t get involved in that side of it, because it’s not my fucking job. We get other people in to handle that sort of thing, and I shouldn’t have to get on their backs all the time to make sure they’re doing what they’re supposed to be. I shouldn’t have to, but I do anyway, otherwise people will just take you for a ride. If you hire someone to do a job, they should just get on and do it. I supply the music, and that’s as far as I want my involvement to go. It doesn’t work out like that though.

Jon: I hear you, there are a lot of people in the music business who talk a big game, but actually know bugger all.

Sass: That’s it. You’ve hit the nail on the head. Unfortunately though, the majority of those are actually musicians.

Jon: Yeah I know, anyone in this line of work has come across their fair share of musicians that are a bit crap. It’s the nature of the business I guess.

Sass: Exactly, so that’s why we hand picked the musicians to help us out with the new album. We chose people that we were friends with, and would know exactly what we wanted from them, and were also able to bring their own ideas to the table.

Jon: You mentioned about the new album being a concept record, does it follow a story, or is it more of a theme?

Sass: We wanted to create something different, and new, but at the same time make it sound like a 70’s rock record. If you listen to it, it sounds as though it could have been written 40 years ago. I think though, that putting a bluesy female vocal over the top of it, turns it on it’s head and gives it something new, because there aren’t many people out there doing this kind of style.

Jon: You’re right, there aren’t. I certainly can’t think of many bands off the top of my head that are doing the same thing.

Sass: Do you know the band Saint Jude? I love the singer in that band. Lynne Jackaman has an amazing voice, and she’s got that blues rock vocal, similar to my own.

Jon: Yeah I know them, I love that band. I’ve been following them for over three years, and like you, I really love her voice.

So how did you hear about them? They’re not too well known outside of the UK just now, but that’s changing of course.

Sass: They actually got a hold of me on Twitter. They Tweet me all the time. That really helps with people finding your music these days. So how did you hear about me?

Jon: There used to be a TV show that went out every week here in the UK at stupid o’clock in the morning called Raw Power. I remember that they had you on as a guest one week, with an interview and a couple of music videos.

Sass: Wow, was that like a remote interview or something? It must have been a long time ago.

16 • Firebrand Magazine • We’re Gonna Rock Your World

Jon: I don’t remember actually. I do know that they played two of your music videos. They were High Road Easy and Pissin’ Down, so it would have been when the Rats album was released.

Sass: Wow a LONG time ago then, that was way back in the nineties.

Jon: Yeah, a long time ago. I remember that I fell in love with your voice. Pissin’ Down is still one of my all time favourite tracks. I’d not heard anything like it before, and honestly, not too much since. The vocal on that song is incredible. The thing is though I’m a great lover of female vocals in the rock world. I think that women in rock over the years have gotten a bad rap, and have had to work really hard to get taken seriously, which is a shame, but that’s the way it is. That’s definitely changing now though, and that’s a really good thing.

Sass: Yeah, the thing is, there haven’t been that many women I’ve been able to listen to for inspiration in the same style that I have, as not many do it. There’s Janis of course, and Maggie Bell and maybe one or two others, but that’s as far as it goes for the white girls. We then have to start looking at Aretha Franklin and people like that, who were the really strong female vocalists.

Jon: So what about the band, have you done many live shows yet?

Sass: No not really, we’ve played a few dates, and the music has really gone down well. We’re hoping to take the show out on the road around the US next year. The thing is though, because it’s taken so long to get the record out, we’ve got almost enough material to make another one, so we’re probably looking to tour and write and record at the same time.

Jon: I guess that makes sense, because if the new record is doing well, and there’s a big buzz surrounding the band, then it would be silly to wait for that to die down before doing something else. Strike while the iron’s hot so to speak, as people are really fickle, and could soon move onto something else in an instant.

Sass: Yeah, just like me. I’m really fickle, so it takes something special to hold my interest. That’s why I have a good feeling about this music. The whole band feels very passionate about it, and it excites us. We just want to get our music out there though. We’re not doing it to make money we just want as many people as possible to hear our music.

Jon: So what about outside of the US? Are there any plans to tour elsewhere in the world?

Sass: We’d love to tour, but we’re in that catch 22 situation. We’ve not got that much experience with touring outside of the US, and not that many people have heard of us. We’re a new band, and as is mostly the case with new bands, no one will buy a ticket. If no one buys the tickets, then we can’t afford to tour, so no one will get to hear us. If that happens we’ll be a new band forever.

Jon: Yeah I know, the logistics of putting a tour together must be a nightmare. Travel for the band and the equipment, venue hire, food, drinks, and lots of other things, and it all adds up.

Sass: Yeah, and then you get people on Facebook and Twitter saying “come to our town” and I’m like “are you going to PAY me to come to your town?” yes we’d love to go to their town, but often we just can’t afford it. If we had the money to play anywhere we wanted, then that would be great, and we’d do that, but we don’t, so we can’t.

Jon: It’s also been quite some time since you’ve done anything outside of the US and Canada, so I guess that must make things a little difficult too?

Sass: Oh yeah. It’s been so long now, that we wouldn’t know where to begin. We don’t know anyone who could help us get a tour together, or to help get our record out. It’s really tough finding people like that. If you know anyone, that would be a great help. Seriously though, the music business has changed so much, and even for a seasoned musician like me, I’m finding it really hard to keep up with everything. Again, it’s not my job to worry about this shit, that’s why we need to hire people, but finding the right people to help you is just so hard. If we find the right people though, then yes we’d really love to take the tour worldwide if we can.

Jon: Thanks for taking the time to chat with me, it’s been really great to speak with you again, and hopefully we’ll see you and the band over here in the UK sometime in the future.

Sass: Yeah, hopefully. We’d love to come and play for you guys, and to say thanks for all the support you’re giving us over there, we really appreciate it, and I will hopefully speak to you again real soon.

NEXT: S.U.N / THE ALBUM REVIEW Firebrand Magazine • We’re Gonna Rock Your World • 17

sass jordon Then & Now

S.U.N REVIEW

So now you know the story behind the album, perhaps you’d like to know what I think about the album it’s self.

If so, then please read on. I made a conscious decision NOT to listen to the album at all, until I’d spoken to Sass, and got the story, and read the press release that came with it. I didn’t want my opinions spilling over into the interview. I was also really interested to see if all of the hype surrounding the record was justified, and if I was in any way disappointed with the album, then again, that would probably have had some reflection on the rest of this article, and the interview.

S.U.N. - Something Unto Nothing The very first thing you hear on the album is Sass’ vocal on the opening track, before the rest of the band kicks in. It sets you up for the rest of the record, and I don’t care who you are, if the hairs on the back of your neck don’t stand up the instant you hear that voice, then you should check that your pulse is still there, as it’s likely you’re a zombie.

Oh my word is this good. This is most definitely a classic rock album on the face of things, but it does go much deeper than that. You can pick up a lot of blues influence, even in the heavier tracks, and there are further variations on that too. I picked up soul funk, some motown elements, and a lot more besides. It’s all built on a solid rock foundation though.

Musically, these guys know exactly what they’re doing. When a relatively new band is able to sound this accomplished, it means they have great chemistry. Brian, although better known for being a drummer, is a great guitarist. This took me a little bit by surprise. I can’t think of many musicians that have moved from one instrument to another and had instant success. Although of course, the most successful drummer to move to guitar has to be Dave Grohl. I never said it couldn’t be done though, I just said it was rare that someone is able to do it well.

Marty too is able to keep things pounding along, and there are some inspired bass lines throughout this record.

Again, this harks back to the 70’s funk sound that was so popular, where the motown greats all had really catchy bass hooks. You can almost hear yourself saying “oh yeah, play that funky music white boy” but again, it’s never one dimensional.

The drumming too, although pretty simple by some of today’s standards, shows that it’s quality, not quantity that matters. It’s so easy to overdo the drums on a record, to the point where everything becomes a big noise. Thankfully, there is nothing like that here. There are no fancy fills or anything along those lines and it gives the album a more focused sound.

Put all of the music together, and already there’s something very special going on. Sass’ vocals are basically the icing on a very big cake. Now I could gush for literally hours on end about how much I love her voice, but that would be completely pointless. You need to hear it yourself to be able to appreciate it fully. I can also understand the reasons for turning this into a project, rather than a solo album, as it really is a bit different to her past records.

It’s a different direction, and it’s something that involves the whole band, so why not give it a new name? There’s been a bit of resurgence in the classic rock genre for a while, and you only have to look back on this year to see that. Two of the biggest albums of this year were Europe’s Bag Of Bones and Black Country Communion’s Afterglow.

Both of these albums go back to the glory days, when rock music was just pure and simple. That’s exactly what S.U.N. have done with this. It’s simple, it’s effective, and what’s more, it’s faultless in execution.

I certainly have nothing negative at all to say about this album. I’ve even TRIED to find something that could have been done better, or even done differently, but I can’t. It’s as accomplished an album as you’re ever likely to hear.

I will admit, that I am more than probably biased, being such a huge admirer, but a review is never going to be anything more than my opinion, and quite honestly, I find the music on this album to be something to get excited 18 • Firebrand Magazine • We’re Gonna Rock Your World

about. It might be classic sounding, but it’s certainly something different and new. Is there such a thing as a ‘perfect’ album? Probably not, but this one is so close, that it’s scary.

I think for me though, the stand out track, is the opener.

Purely because of the way it kicks off the album. It’s not better than any of the other tracks, but it was an inspired choice to put it at the beginning of the album.

My (possibly ever so slightly biased) Rating: 10/10

track listing 1: Burned 2: Crazy Head 3: Nomad 4: Did Me No Good 5: Mobile Again 6: I’m The One 7: If I Was You 8: The Beginning Of The End (Instrumental) 9: Razed 10: Wide Ocean 11: No Way Home 12: S.U.N. 13: Goodbye

Website: www.somethinguntonothing.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/SUN-Something-Unto-Nothing/177605938956922 Record Label: Self Release Release Date:

Digital Download 20th November 2012

Physically early 2013

Firebrand Magazine • We’re Gonna Rock Your World • 19

Alessandro Porcella Composer, Arranger, Publisher, Producer and Live Keyboard Player

Rick: Alessandro, It’s a pleasure to meet you, having read your biography you have an impressive list of working credits, ranging from soundtracks, your own instrumental and rock tracks and of course being an official partner in Video festival Live, sound like a busy life, so tell me how do you find the energy for all this?

1

Alessandro: Hello Rick and so nice to meet you!

In the end all that drives us to do things that we like is the passion, the passion can and should be applied to all jobs, affection and all aspects of our existence. I would hate a life where you get bored without a purpose and without curiosity and ambition to get into the game and always get the best results.

2

Rick: Going back in time to your youth, what influences made you chose the path of a musician as a career?

Alessandro: I started to approach the music from a very young, helped by my music teacher of middle school. I had a hard time when I wanted to stop and focus on something else, but then a spark is kindled, a love so deep for the music and everything that revolves around her, the first concerts, the first dreams, failures , all experiences that have matured in me what I am now. But the road is still long and I do not think will ever have an end, and the best part is just that!

Rick: You have an impressive list of accolades on your bio having worked for some of the biggest names in entertainment in the world 20th Century Fox, BBC, CBS, SKY etc what does it take to get noticed by these organisations?

3

Alessandro: So much and so hard, we must continue to produce new songs to conceive new ideas and try in every way to knock on every door 20 • Firebrand Magazine • We’re Gonna Rock Your World

www.pa74music.it

possible. Talent is not enough to be noticed, you have to get busy and get promotion continuously.

4

Rick: What are your goals for your career?

Alessandro: I’d like to write an entire soundtrack of a film with a good story, working with a major director, I’d write the score of a musical and continue playing and composing music as long as I can do. Living and working with music is already a dream!

Rick: You recently released a track called “Sweet Passion” for a mutual friend of ours Gin, and is featured heavily on the new website she has Regina Swarn World Media.

Tell me how did this come into being?

5

Alessandro: It was a stroke of good fortune to know Gin, its her positive energy I was infected by and it is precisely this “passion” has contributed to the creation of the song, in which I tried to fill what for me is Gin: The gentleness, courage, strength and a gentle passion for her work and for music.

6

Rick: Take us through you song writing process? How do you get your ideas?

Alessandro: I do not think I have a particular way, sometimes I sit at the piano and just try to let go, then register that I have played and if there is anything that I find interesting start to develop it and try to come up with something good.

Sometimes it works, but not always, and when I realize that is not the right time, try to concentrate on other things!

INTERVIEW ... with Rick

Firebrand Magazine • We’re Gonna Rock Your World • 21

Vampyre Heart

The Ghost Of Time

YOUR cd reviews

review Rachel Whiston Vampyre Heart are a three piece gothic rock band from Bournemouth which formed back in 2007. Since then they have released a few songs from the album to tease their fans with a taste of things to come. But they have recently left the studio after finishing the recording their first two disc album ‘The Ghost Of Time’, which is to be released on 11th December 2012 through RavenHeart Music.

Disc One opens with the albums title track ‘The Ghost of Time’ which has a guest collaboration with Finlay (from Gothic rock band ‘Pseudo Philosophers’), who provides the mystifying rhythm guitar work and with lyrics written by Summer herself, this really is the perfect song to introduce the band and what they are all about.

‘The Ghost Of time’ stays true to all things Gothic. With dark and brooding songs really showing the bands passion for the genre as shown perfectly in ‘Hell Asked Why’ or ‘Crypt,’ as well as more upbeat catchy songs like ‘Crazy Maybe’ and better known song ‘Lost Within the Shadows’ showing you the versatility of the musicians.

Disc Two contains Four songs of a different variety. Much slower and more haunting compared to Disc One, but still staying true to the Gothic genre. It really is a contrast of styles, but this is something that Vampyre Heart do very well. Also in my opinion, I think keeping faster and slower songs separate is a good thing. Many times I have listened to an album, really get into it and a then song comes on that’s a different tempo and makes the album seem really disjointed. I like the fact that the listener can choose and neither CD loses its flow.

Throughout this album the love of writing by Summer shines through, and she herself is quoted to say ‘All songs relate directly to the Vampyre Heart story. When writing either the story, poetry or lyrics, I draw on my own feelings and life experiences; it’s where my passion comes from, from the heart!’, this coupled with the truly talented Bass work of Taff and the Guitar and mixing talents of Dsoul,’ The Ghost of Time’ really is a must buy for all lovers of the Gothic music scene.

Highlight of the album: ‘Evil Eyes’

Rating: 9/10

Members Summer – Vocals DSoul – Guitars and Music Taff – Bass Additional Information Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Vampyre-Heart/15878614255 Website: www.vampyreheart.com Record Label: RavenHeart Music Release Date: 11/12/12

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track listing Disc One 1. The Ghost Of Time 2. Devil’s Mercy 3. Hell Asked Why 4. Crazy Maybe 5. Why Did You 6. Lost Within The Shadows 7. She Cried 8. Freak Inside 9. Crypt 10. Evil Eyes

Disc Two 1. Afraid 2. Solitude 3. The Courage In Me 4. Come Love Me Tonight

SILVER DIRT

Payback Time review Lee Walker Not knowing fully what to expect from a band hailing from the land of cuckoo clocks, banking and chocolate, I was somewhat surprised by the polished feel that the album has, having an almost retro feel to it sounding similar to early Brian Adams (thankfully not like his ‘Everything I do’ ballad which still makes me cringe to this day) or a modern day Rick Springfield.

As the album plays through you continue to be impressed by the tight, highly polished guitar playing, balanced perfectly with the feel good style vocals of Steff Perrone, who proves that it is not necessary to hit high pitched symphonic notes to be able to carry a song.

‘Spinning The Wheel’ incorporates sublet hints of Green Day style punk without allowing it to overpower the retro feel good sound that makes Silver Dirt tick, before ‘Place In The Sun’ reverts back to that retro style that they do so well.

‘Here They Come’ and ‘Never Give Up ‘ have a slightly harder, rockier edge to it throwing in subtle hints of classic rock sounds not too dissimilar to AC/DC or Rose Tattoo, before ‘Beautiful Day’ takes the whole ‘feel good’ style to a new height with a sound that could easily have been pulled straight from Rick Springfield’s latest album.

‘R.I.P. (The Earth)’ slips effortlessly back into that classic rock feel which continues throughout the remaining songs, until the ‘Slide Version’ bonus track of ‘Beautiful Day’ plays the album out.

‘Payback Time’ puts Silver Dirt firmly in the spotlight and will hopefully lead to the widespread recognition that they deserve.

Highlight of the album: ‘Beautiful Day’ Rating: 9/10

Members Steff Perrone – Vocals Chris Savourey – Guitars Stéfano ‘’Béorn’’ Ongarello – Bass V.G Richardson – Drums Additional Information Facebook: www.facebook.com/silverdirt Website: www.silverdirt.com Record Label: Brennus Music Release Date: 5/11/12

track listing 1. The Stand 2. Spread Your Wings 3. Spinning The Wheel 4. Place In The Sun 5. Here They Come 6. Never Give Up 7. Beautiful Day 8. R.I.P. (The Earth) 9. No More 10. Mata Kuru Ze 11. Beautiful Day (Slide Version) [Bonus Track]

Firebrand Magazine • We’re Gonna Rock Your World • 23

The Room

Open Fire

more cd reviews

review Jon Seymour I’d not even heard of these guys before volunteering to give this album a review. It’s one thing reviewing things from bands you’ve heard of, heard about, or are already very established, but to take a leap of faith into new territory doesn’t always pay off.

track listing 1.

Flesh & Bones 2.

A Casual Believer 3.

16 Tonnes 4.

Screaming Through The Noise 5.

A Multitude Of Angels 6.

In The Shadows 7.

Behind The Silence 8.

The Spark 9. ICU

Members Vocals: Martin Wilson Guitar: Steve Anderson Keys: Steve Checkley Bass: Andy Rowe Drums: Andrew Rae Additional Information: Website: www.theroom.eu Facebook: www.facebook.com/theroom.eu Release date: 11th December Record label: Melodic Revolution Records

The opening track very much reminded me of a retro style, around the eighties or thereabouts. I also found myself reminded very much of Meatloaf at times. I don’t know whether that’s down to the melodic side, or the music, or the vocal styling, or a combination of those, it’s just a passing reference I guess, but it popped up a lot.

Musically, it’s hard to describe really. Although I would have to say it’s predominantly a prog album. I guess somewhere in between all of them could be as good a guess as I could make. Musically, this is a stunning album. It builds up a huge soundscape with each song, and some of them get to epic proportions, and there are some big productions on here.

The vocalist sounds very familiar, as does the vocal style, but I can’t for the life of me think who he reminds me of. Some of the songs are quite long, and some of the lyrics are quite dark and atmospheric. There are some melancholy moments on it, and they are very emotional.

On the whole, this is an impressive debut album, and there are some great moments on it. I’m not that much of a lover of prog rock to be honest. I know there are those that love it, and there are those that hate it, but I’m neither of those, so perhaps this album was already on an uphill struggle to win me over, but win me over it did. I personally couldn’t find anything to positively gush about, but there is a lot on here to like.

Fans of Yes, ELP, Asia and others of that ilk, are going to lap this up. It does put a modern twist on things though, and although sometimes it sounds quite retro, it doesn’t ever sound dated. The thing is though, is that there aren’t that many bands out there doing prog in the traditional sense of the word, so this album is quite different to a lot of new stuff, and it’s most definitely worth checking out.

My favourite track is Behind The Silence, which is an emotional ballad, and it really made me think.

My rating: 8.5/10

24 • Firebrand Magazine • We’re Gonna Rock Your World

Graven Image

The Future Started Yesterday review jon seymour This band was introduced to me by a colleague here at Firebrand, who asked if I would like to review it. Being the very obliging person that I am, I naturally said yes, only then thinking to myself “what happens if I don’t like it?” but by then it was too late….

I needn’t have worried at all though, because as it turns out, this album is pretty damned good. As is most often the case with ‘new’ bands, I usually approach my review by doing absolutely no research, and so being completely in the dark as to what I can expect. The reason for this, is that bands often big themselves up, being over enthusiastic in their description, and after reading it, you’re expecting something as brilliant as they tell you it is. More often than not, this is sadly not the case.

The first thing that struck me about Graven Image, is the vocalist. He wouldn’t sound out of place on a Priest album, and could certainly give Mr Halford a run for his money. There’s some serious power in that set of pipes. The music can only be described as traditional heavy rock. It’s in your face, it has no gimmicks or digital trickery, it’s simply straight up pure rock and roll, and it’s loud.

This is metal in the traditional sense, harking back to the old school bands. There’s nothing wrong with that either, I might add.

I have absolutely no problem with bands doing things that have been done before, as long as they do it well, and it’s what they want to do. Oh yes, I like this a lot. What’s more, there’s more than one style of metal on show. There are some really heavy thrash tracks, a few power metal songs, and even some melodic moments. It’s an album of great diversity and versatility.

This album would easily stand up to many great albums from the past few decades, and would not look out of place side by side with them. For a debut album, it’s very impressive, and shows a maturity that far belies the age of the band. As an album on the whole, it’s equally impressive, and personally, I really like it, a lot. It’s exciting, and captivating, and it will certainly make you bang your head until your neck snaps. I really would love to see these guys live, because this album can barely contain the energy that lies within.

My favourite track on the album is World Of Decay. It’s a slow song to start with, but when it opens up, all hell breaks loose.

My rating: 9/10

track listing

Members

1.

One Mistake

Paul Coleman - Guitars

2.

Far Away

Phil Michalak - Drums

3.

No Atheist In A Foxhole

Andrew Purchia - Bass

4.

Twisted & Broken

Martin O'Brien - Vocals

5. Demons 6.

The Other Side

7.

1600 Deception Avenue

8.

World Of Decay

9.

The Future Started Yesterday

Scott Williams - Guitars ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Facebook: www.facebook.com/gravin.image Release date: 15th December 2012 Record Label: Self release

Firebrand Magazine • We’re Gonna Rock Your World • 25

Enforcer

Into The Night

more cd reviews

review Lee Walker Enforcer formed in Arvika, Sweden in 2004 and wear the influence of the nwobhm movement with pride, sounding similar to older speed metal bands like Agent Steel, Exciter and early Judas Priest. When the Sweden Rock Magazine asked them about playing ‘old school’, they answered that heavy metal is not old school, it is timeless.

‘Black Angel’ kicks the album off and marks the first Earache reissue, since its acquisition of the cult underground heavy metal label Heavy Artillery, with a fist pumping, heart pounding, adrenalin forming, flurry of guitars.

The album quickly flies by propelled by the traditional nwobhm style twin guitar attack and old school Judas Priest style vocals invoking memories of a time back when the music industry was not saturated by the mass produced, commercial rubbish that is currently being spewed out thanks largely to the ‘success’ (if you can call it that) of the talent show programs such as the ‘X-Factor’.

‘City Lights’ pauses the album slightly with it’s purely instrumental workings, sounding similar to Iron Maidens classic ‘The Ides of March’, before ‘Scream Of The Savage’ returns the album back to its full on guitar driven rock attack.

Where the album does fall down slightly is with its mixing, as at times the bass seems far too prominent and comes across as being twangy, but that fault aside ‘Into The Night’ is still a cracking album and is guaranteed to have a new lease of life, especially with the continued resurgence in the popularity of the nwobhm movement and the rise of the ‘Second Wave’.

Highlight of the album: ‘On The Loose’ Rating: 8/10

Members Olof Wikstrand - Vocals/Guitars Jonas Wikstrand – Drums Joseph Tholl – Guitars Tobias Lindkvist – Bass Additional Information Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Enforcer/65508702824 Website: www.enforcer.se Record Label: Earache Records Release Date: 12/11/12

26 • Firebrand Magazine • We’re Gonna Rock Your World

track listing 1. Black Angel 2. Mistress From Hell 3. Into The Night 4. Speed Queen 5. On The Loose 6. City Lights 7. Scream Of The Savage 9. Curse The Light 9. Evil Attacker

Nubian Rose

Mountain review lee walker Nubian Rose is a Swedish band built around the fantastic voice of the charismatic Sofia Lilja. With roots in the melodic hard rock of the 80’s, they blend powerful riffs with great melodies. The debut album, Mountain, was released in Sweden in the end of June. The reputation of the album reached way outside of the Swedish borders just within weeks.

Northern Europe seems to be producing a huge amount of talent lately with bands such as Wolf, Bonafide, Marya Roxx etc all bursting through from there in recent years. Nubian Rose are another band to add to that growing list, having recently been added to the lineup of the inaugural Hard Rock Hell AOR festival which is to be held in Magna, Rohterham, next April I thought I should check them out.

I’m glad I did. With Sofia Lilja Åkerlund, they have a powerful, dynamic singer who clearly puts her heart and soul into every song.

From the opening chords of ‘Ever See Your Face‘ you are subjected to breath taking guitar work, with stunning solo pieces, coupled with strong, blues ridden vocals merging together seamlessly to provide a full on, energy packed atmosphere.

‘Mountain’ and ‘Living For Tomorrow’ power on, adding a hint of power metal into the mix while producing catchy choruses reminiscent of the legendary Ronnie James Dio (RIP).

‘How Am I’ slows the pace down becoming an full on power ballad, before ‘Get Ready’ cranks the pace back up into rock overdrive mode ~ a speed which continues for the remainder of the album, which stutters only at the cover version of ‘Close My Eyes Forever’.

Overall ‘Mountain’ is a great debut album and shows a lot of promise for this fledgling band.

Highlight of the album: ‘Mountain’ Rating: 9/10

Members Sofia Lilja Åkerlund – Vocals Thomas Lindgren – Lead Guitar Christer Åkerlund – Lead Guitar Henric Uhrbom – Bass Fredrik Åkerlund – Keyboards David Algesten – Drums Additional Information Additional Information: Facebook: www.facebook.com/NubianRoseTheBand Website: www.nubianrose.com Record Label: Funklord Dynasty Release Date: 26/10/12

track listing 1. Ever See Your Face 2. Mountain 3. Living For Tomorrow 4. How Am I 5. Get Ready 6. Your Love 7. Once Bitten 8. Reckless 9. Close My Eyes Forever 10. Sisters

Firebrand Magazine • We’re Gonna Rock Your World • 27

eric steckel

dismantle the sun

more cd reviews

review jon seymour So this wasn’t a case of me stumbling across Eric, it was a case of Eric finding me. I got a friend request from him on Facebook, and being the nosy git that I am, checked out his profile, and from there went on to listen to his music.

Eric is a stunningly good guitar player. The style is predominantly blues, but occasionally it has a slightly harder edge. This album is a showcase of just how beautiful guitar music can be, and the vocals too are full of soul. There are a wealth of young guitar players emerging right now, and a lot of them in the blues genre. This is a good thing though, because there’s not much in my opinion, that will top a full on blues guitar solo.

This guy has been on the scene for quite some time in the US, but it was quite by accident that I came across him, so it’s more than likely he’s not that well known in other parts of the world. This is a shame, because I have no doubt that he’s one of the finest guitar players around right now. Not only that, his song writing ability is also right up there with the best.

I like albums like this, where the music it’s self can tell the story, and the vocals are just there to help the message get where it’s intended. This album isn’t a “pure” blues album, but I don’t care about that.

I’m not one of these people who is going to slag someone off for not playing “proper” blues. Music is open to interpretation, and as long as it’s good, who cares what genre it is? I really don’t like the purists who don’t like something unless they can pigeonhole it. What it is, is a collection of songs that are just a pleasure to listen to.

You can lose yourself in this album, letting it’s melodies wash over you, and taking you off on a musical journey, all accompanied by some astounding musicianship. I’ve spoken a lot about the guitar, and while this features quite heavily, the rest of the band are equally good. There’s some incredible keyboard work on the album, and the rhythm section just drives everything from the back. It’s tight, and it’s effective.

I am extremely impressed with this album, and would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of the guitar in general. Eric could play alongside any of the guitar greats, and hold his own without too much effort on his part, of that I’m sure.

My favourite track on the album is Found Out The Hard Way, which is a groovy tune, with a great bass line, and contains both guitar and keyboard solos, it has everything.

My rating: 10/10 Website: www.ericsteckel.com Release date: 26th November 2012 28 • Firebrand Magazine • We’re Gonna Rock Your World

track listing 1. Mississippi River 2. Day Drinkin’ 3. Empty Promises 4. Love Me Or Leave Me 5. Last Night 6. Outlaw 7. Highway Bound 8. Found Out The Hard Way 9. Sugar Sweet 10. From Your Blue Eyes To Mine

My Top 5 Albums of 2012 doc

My top 5 is an amazingly quirky list, when looking for something to listen to what always catches my ear is originality and passion in the music; I like to hear the music and the musicians having fun creating the sound. So without further ado, my top 5 are as follows:

5

Bangalore Choir – Metaphor

4

I AM I –Event Horizon

3

The Unguided – Hellfrost

2

Jac Dalton – Icarus

1

Doris Brendel - Not Utopia

Metaphor the second release of BC since the revival after 18 or so years is a true masterpiece of melodic rock, and proving that David Reece still has that incredible voice after all this time, stand out track for me has to be “Damage”.

ZP Theart’s new band after leaving Dragonforce, Event Horion is a pure slice of good old fashioned driving Metal, addictive tracks , catchy hooks, this album simply delivers everything in one package.

Now I am not usually a fan of rock bands that insist on growling down a microphone not my cup of tea, however this band really caught my attention when I came across the first single from the album Phoenix Down.....Very catchy, superb use of melodic and growling vocals with superb composition and musicianship making an excellent sound that will deafen the neighbours cat.

A pure masterclass in Aussie Rock, delivered by some of the best aussie musicians in the business. Excellent guitar work from the Satriani of the south, Mr. Graham Greene and Jac’s strange mix of accent [American/Australian] delivers a voice with power and range the equivalent of the great Mr. Coverdale himself. The band are a 7 piece which is a lot for a rock band but the quality of the tracks they deliver is first class and the best part of the delivery of the tracks... you can tell they have fun doing what they do.

It is always a tough decision finding a number one choice, but for me it has to be Not Utopia. Doris has a superb voice and a very unique, writing style. This album is hard to put into a genre as it varies between styles. The best way to describe it is as a musical adventure from the moment you stick the CD in the drive, never knowing where the next track is going to take you. To nick a song title off the Beatles, this album can best be described as a magical mystery tour, so buckle up and fly first class with Doris!

Firebrand Magazine • We’re Gonna Rock Your World • 29

My Top 5 Albums of 2012 jon seymour

1

I AM I – Event Horizon

2

A Sound Of Thunder – Out Of The Darkness

3

Papa Roach – The Connection

4

Europe – Bag Of Bones

5

Halestorm – The Strange Case Of

This was one of those “magical moments” where I was asked to review it, and said “yes” even before I knew anything about the band. What I heard blew me away. I’d always liked ZP’s vocals with D*********e, but with the new musicians, it put him in a different league. The live shows, are even better, go see I AM I as soon as you get the chance.

I stumbled across these guys through a Facebook ad. After checking out their website, then having a root around on Reverbnation, I fell in love with their raw metal sound, and Nina has one of best female metal voices on the planet (imho). These guys are seriously good.

I was asked to review this album, and while I loved Papa Roach’s first album, they kind of fell out of favour with me over the years, and I’d resigned them to the “meh” pile. I really thought I wasn’t going to like this album, and I was right to a point.

I absolutely loved it. It was as much a surprise to me as anyone else, but this is an album full of catchy tunes, and rock anthems. I love it when that happens.

Yes, a Europe album is in my top five albums of the year. Why? Well simply because it’s bloody good. Following up Last Look At Eden was always going to be tough, but they did it, buy going in a completely different direction. Bag Of Bones is as classic an album as anything from the 70’s. It’s raw, unrefined, and a whole lot of fun.

Europe are a rock band again, and a damned good one at that.

Again, I’d not heard any of Halestorm’s stuff before sticking this on to listen to. I fell in love instantly, with Lzzy’s voice, the music, and the whole “split personality” that the album offered. The rock tracks will easily remove your spleen, while the softer tracks provide the anaesthetic. It’s an interesting mix, and these guys put on a great live show. Arejay’s drum solos have to be seen to be believed, he’s just incredible. Their music might not be complex, but it rocks as hard as anything out there.

30 • Firebrand Magazine • We’re Gonna Rock Your World

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the biz

with graham greene Digital vs. Analogue finding the balance

S

ome interesting and valid points have been raised over the years regarding the somewhat ‘sterile’ sound of a lot of today’s modern recordings. The advent of digital equipment has removed a lot of the bugbears of the recording process, while introducing a few unique problems of its own.

First of all, we should consider the human ear, which is far from perfect in its design and function - I mean, if Darwin is right, they may have been gills at one stage. Our perception of sound is quite limited in comparison to that of some creatures further down the food chain. However, they’re all we’ve got to hear with, so I shan’t go on about it. The loudspeaker is another relatively inefficient mode of conducting sound which has yet to be improved upon.

The first thing we noticed about compact discs, upon the advent of the technology, was the absence of extraneous noise on our recordings, such as tape hiss and the crackling of a stylus scraping around on a piece of vinyl. This was hailed as a great breakthrough in music technology, and indeed it was... there was, however, a down side to this new ‘clean’ sound, namely a lack of warmth that could be easily be translated as sounding ‘sterile’ or mechanical.

There is a certain personality to older analogue recordings that is sadly missing from a lot of today’s music, although it is not all because of the digital recording age. When the techno dance craze hit, the majority of this style of music (using the term loosely) was created using sequencers and computers, thus eliminating the human factor. To the trained ear, there is a vast difference between a musician playing a part and the same part being generated by a piece of electronic equipment. In musical parlance, this indefinable human ‘something’ is called feel. There are drummers out there who can play as perfectly in time as any drum machine (Steve Gadd comes to mind), but can alter the beat imperceptibly so as to create feel and mood

32 • Firebrand Magazine • We’re Gonna Rock Your World

within a rhythm. The same applies to other instrumentalists who can create a mood or a feeling with subtle inflections of melody or groove.

The same technological overkill that affected the creation of sounds also affected the way that those sounds were recorded. There is a very important factor that is removed when you plug a box straight into a mixing console and hit ‘record’ - the movement of air. Sound waves create pressure on our eardrums, which then send information to our brain.

The brain makes sense of this data, and tells us what it is we are hearing, and at what volume. Loud noise or music puts more pressure on the eardrum, hence the term Sound Pressure Level (SPL), which is a fancy way of saying ‘volume’.

Normally, when we listen to something, we are not only hearing the sound from the source itself, but the sound reflecting off objects in our immediate surroundings and eventually finding its way to our ears. This, of course, is what happens when we hear an echo. Another factor involved in our normal perception of sound is that we very seldom hear just one thing - there is always background noise, be it obvious or subliminal. This background noise creates ‘colour’ in our perception of sound, and it is this subtle absence of background colour that can create the sterile sound mentioned earlier.

Sir George Martin, one of the greatest record producers of our time, is reputed to have included tracks of random noise (people talking, doors closing, street noise) on some of his later recordings, placed way back in the mix, just to add warmth and colour. You couldn’t hear it, but the effect was to retain a human, organic element in what had become an almost impersonal recording procedure.

While this latter day obsession with ‘clean’ has wound up sacrificing some soul in the process, recording digitally does not necessarily mean that the result is going to sound soulless and sterile. These pieces of gear have a little more

warmth than their solid-state counterparts, and help to retain a bit of personality in a recorded sound. The beauty of recording in the digital domain is that ‘non-musical’ noise is no longer a problem. The art of recording now is to create ‘air’ and ‘movement’ in the sound of a recording, so as to retain a little humanity in the music. This can be achieved with all our new toys and gadgets, but having said that, it is easier said than done. That is why the top producers and engineers get paid so much money!

There is a factor in recording that continues to be a point of contention amongst the audio community – compression. Compression is used in audio recording to limit the transient peaks in a piece of music so as not to damage precious equipment or hearing. It also boosts lower levels in the same recording to achieve a more even response and add perceived loudness to a track. A problem arises when a track is compressed too much, making it sound loud, but without any dynamics. Television and radio stations compress their audio signals to keep all their broadcasts within a specific dynamic range. A trick they often use is to compress their advertisements more heavily, making the sound of the ads jump out and catch the attention of the listener/viewer. This why the volume of TV commercials seems to jump up (sometimes annoyingly) from the level of the actual program we are watching. This marketing ploy has enraged many viewers who have to turn down the volume on their TV when the ads come on because the volume becomes uncomfortable, especially if they are watching a show with the sound up fairly high. It is only recently that legislation has been introduced in some countries to address this discrepancy.

In music recordings, many bands will have their material mastered with a high rate of compression, believing that it will make their music ‘jump out’ from the other offerings on the same program or channel. This practice has led to what has become known as ‘compression wars’, where entire albums are produced at a compression level that seems always on the verge of ‘clipping’, or passing the threshold of distortion.

This threshold is a little bit different between digital and analogue recordings – pushing an analogue sound can result in added warmth, whereas with digital, once you cross the line,

you’re in digital distortion land, where the high frequencies become harsh and unpleasant. The thing that most of these audio ‘rev heads’ seem to forget is that when a piece of music is broadcast, it is compressed by the people doing the broadcasting, so too much compression at the recording stage is only going to make a track sound squashed and small when broadcast – not the optimum result if you want your band to sound bigger than Ben Hur in the marketplace.

One of the worst results of all this over compression is that a piece of music will become devoid of dynamics – the areas of low versus high intensity – and lacking in that all-important ‘feel’ that gives a song personality. This is particularly true of rock and metal acts that want to have everything louder than everything else.

Volume does not always equal power and impact, and there are some very wimpy sounding metal recordings out there as a result of uninformed musicians turning everything up too far.

While there are thousands of pieces of gear that will enhance and effect sounds, the best rule of thumb is still “does it sound good?” This applies to digital and analogue recordings, and always will. There are also thousands of digital plug ins and add ons that can emulate analogue equipment. If the new digital sound was so much better, I doubt if there would be so much emulation going on. When it comes down to it, beauty is in the ear of the beholder – a good sound will still be a good sound, and a good song will still be a good song. If you have a good enough command of digital technology, you will be able to produce a clear, warm and dynamic recording on ProTools or Logic. When it comes to making memorable music, it still – and always will – come down to the Artisan, not his tools.

Graham Greene

Firebrand Magazine • We’re Gonna Rock Your World • 33

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34 • Firebrand Magazine • We’re Gonna Rock Your World

‘NOT UTOPIA’ The brilliant new album from Doris Brendel & Lee Dunham

CD available NOW www.dorisbrendel.com

If you try just one new artist this year, make sure it’s this one!

Also available on iTunes, Amazon and all major download sites.

''Shockingly Awesome'' (Your Music Blog NL)

''..hit the play button at your own peril for infectious melodies are abound and hooks that'll be in your head forevermore.''

(Metal Discovery)

''

Doris Brendel is back and even better than ever..''

(Keep Music Live)

''..another proof of her exceptional talent.''

(Rootstime)

“Not Utopia” makes for Lady Gaga territory armed with the mighty stick of superior talent..''

(Bluesbunny)

New sing Sol le ‘E dM b y se lf ’ o ay (To day ut 3 rd I Feb ruar y.

Firebrand Magazine • We’re Gonna Rock Your World • 35

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