The Gate Music Magazine April 2010 by Colleen Radford

INTERVIEWS 4

Special Ops

Eternal Descent

Heinrich XIII

Silverspork

Ballz Deluxe

MUSIC NEWS 42 44 45

Special Ops Omega Crom Automan

CHAOTIC SHOWCASE 46 46 47 47 47

Krank Silvarose Following Sea Signal 99 Phenium

CD REVIEWS 49 49 49 50 50

One Special Ops Tony Smotherman Chris Wallace Dynahead

Well, it was a sad week in metal with Peter Steele of Type O Negative passing away at the age of 48. Rest in peace brother, the music scene will not be the same without you.

Want your music reviewed or an interview? Send us your CD, press kit/bio, regular email address and other materials to: The Gate Music Magazine Online 722 Ingleside Flint, MI 48507 Or Email us a zip file containing your CD, album art, press kit/bio, and several pictures with a regular email address to contact you to: submitmusic@thegatemusicmagazine.com

The Gate Staff Colleen Radford-Editor, Writer, Graphics & layout colleen@thegatemusicmagazine.com Chris Dumas-Freelance writer & CD reviews dumas@thegatemusicmagazine.com Jennifer Lee-Freelance writer & Research Jennifer@thegatemusicmagazine.com Sick Puppy Beau-Freelance writer & Radio Host sickpuppy@thegatemusicmagazine.com Paul Counelis-Freelance writer unclesteed@thegatemusicmagazine.com

By Jennifer Lee Rocking out of the barracks, Canadian rockers, Special Ops return to the battlefront with a fresh new release dubbed " Through The Heart of The Infidel". In this third album, produced by award winning producer/engineer/mixer Glen Robinson (Voivod, The Ramones, ACDC, Gwar, Queensryche, Nashville Pussy). Special Ops capture 10 jaw dropping tracks that display the creative sound of Akbar Johnson's intricate native Middle Eastern guitar work of finger picking and strumming in monumental riff's and solo's. Completmented with a unique blend of Abe Froman's North American street style lyrics and backed with a well armed rhythm section of bassist's Waldo Thornhill's thumpind acid jazz and drummer Clarence McGillacutty's pounding fury. Special Ops have unleashed a direct hit to follow up to their award nominated "Phase 2:Amidst The Madness" and successful single "Anger is Creeping", which was chosen as the TV theme song for "The Sid Cycle Show" (Global/Spike/Men TV). Jennifer: Tell us, How did "Special Ops" come together?

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Special Ops: Well the band has been around since 2002. It all started at a party one night. Thornhill and Abe were smoking their brains up into flames and talking music. Somehow, one of them had an idea. lol. "Why don't we start a band?" Thornhill said. "I know a great guitar player who lives just down the street." That is when it all began but for some reason no one can remember the exact date. So Abe, (singer) Thornhill (bass) and Akbar (guitar + vocals) started their search for a drummer. They found a few but none of them lasted. Some of them had school and jobs, and some of them flat out sucked. The band I was playing for at the time had played a few shows with Special Ops and we quickly became friends. As soon as their drummer decided to walk, Akbar called me. (I still don't know why they picked me. lol) So this line up has been lasting for almost 5 years now. Jennifer: How did you come up with the band name? Is there any special meaning behind it? Special Ops: Next question please. Jennifer: Could everyone introduce themselves, also could you tell us a little bit about yourselves? Special Ops: Abe Froman is the singer in the band. He went to university for a long long time and walked out with a major in sleeping. He's pretty good at it. Waldo Thornhill was home schooled but he can beat anyone at chess. Also, he can only play his bass while stoned. He's like the Idiot from Shine. Akbar Jonson likes to eat. He is a great cook too. He can whip up a mean salad that will literally blow your socks off. Literally Clarence McGillacutty is just a plain old drunk. On the road he lives off booze, cigarettes, energy drinks, coffee and an occasional salad. Jennifer: As for the band, do you have any main musical interests? Special Ops: Alice in Chains, Metalica, jazz, Incubus, STP, Brittney Spears, Anthrax, Alexisonfire, Guns n' Roses, and the list goes on.

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Jennifer: Is there a favorite band or bands that you have performed with? Special Ops: Hmmm. There are, but nothing beats playing in your home town with your home boys from different bands. Jennifer: Are there any certain bands that you would like to get a chance to perform with? Special Ops: For some reason we have never played with The Brains. We have become friends over the years butnever had the chance to play together. Jennifer: I see that you have won several awards, are there any that you are especially proud of? Special Ops: We have won awards? Jennifer: Do you have a favorite song off of this newest album? Special Ops: Our favorite song has always been the one that the fans prefer the most. In this case, it would be "Pressur e" Jennifer: I absolutely loved the song "Pressure" , could you tell be a little about the song?

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Special Ops: It’s all about stepping up to the plate when its "make it or break it" time. Being a man and rising up to the occasion even when you are not sure if you have the guts. Jennifer: When listening to the album the songs "Amber" and "Monster in me" really caught my attention. Could you tell me a little about them? Special Ops: Monster in me is a pretty dark song. Its all about a dream and the lyrics should not be taken seriously. Its about wanting to kill someone. Amber is about... about... umm. What the hell is Amber about any way? lol I don't know. Jennifer: What are your goals and plans as a band for the upcoming year? Special Ops: Tour the U.S.A., Europe and have U2 open up for us in a huge stadium in Australia. Jennifer: I see that you have a Canadian and North American tour planned. I can’t wait to see you guys when you come to Detroit. Can you tell us about the tour? Special Ops: Well its gonna be a lot of driving. I can tell you that. lol. Its gonna be a huge party on wheels across the States and Canada. Woot Woot! Jennifer: Do you have some new music in the works for the next album? Special Ops: Sorry that's classified. JK. Yes we do but we can't tell you about it. Jennifer: Anything else you guys would like to share with us? Special Ops: Well we are very anxious to hit the road and get back in touch with our fans. If it wasn't for them we couldn’t do this so thanks to all that support the OPS MISSION. Jennifer: Where can we get "Special Ops" music and merchandise? Special Ops: You can get cd's and clothing through our web site. www.opsmission.com And at the shows. Obviously, CD Baby, Itunes, lime wire, no wait scratch that. You can also buy a few songs from our facebook fan page and download a few from our www.myspace.com/opsmission P.S. To all the big shot bands who tour the Americas with no cds to sell at their shows: What the hell is that?

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ETERNAL DESCENT: MULTIMEDIA EXCITEMENT! By Paul Counelis Llexi Leon is a gifted musician with an incredibly ambitious multimedia based project; “Eternal Descent” marries music and comic books in an inventive and exciting new way. Concept albums and an IDW comic book series are the initial formats, with other possible media configurations on the way, such as an upcoming video game and digital comics. The unique sound of Eternal Descent is particularly intriguing. Combining elements as vast and varied as Industrial overtones, heavy metal, and musical pieces (“The Phantom of the Opera” is actually essayed!), the music is as fascinating as anything going today. The comic book is suitably interesting, boasts some great artwork by top industry talents, and works perfectly with the songs to create a feast for the senses. Paul Counelis: How did you get into music? Llexi Leon: Well, we always had a piano in the house ever since I can remember. I never really took to it growing up mind you, although I did take up piano much later. I had classical guitar les-

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sons at school for a few years when I was around 810 years old that led to me taking up electric guitar in my early teens. The spark probably came from constant exposure to different types of music – around the time I started playing electric guitar I heard a lot of heavy rock music from my older sister; Metallica, Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins and so on. Meanwhile my parents had always played a broad selection of classic 60s/70s rock, along with my Dad’s preference for listening to classical music while driving. Through my guitar teacher, I discovered players like Joe Satriani and Yngwie Malmsteen, which challenged my perception of the instrument and drove me to practice hard and explore all kinds of styles and techniques. For a time I dusted off my classical guitar and started taking flamenco classes! So one passion was guitar, and the other was comics...I had been reading comic books since around the time I started classical guitar in school, so the two became an equally big part of my life as time went by. That combination led to the creation of Eternal Descent, which is really what put me on the course of making music and creating comics full-time. PC: How did your association with legendary producer Eddie Kramer come about? LL: A friend of mine had worked with Eddie Kramer on a couple of sessions and demo’s. He thought my concept for Eternal Descent was something that Eddie would appreciate, and so forwarded a couple of samples along. Shortly after, I got a call from Eddie and things progressed very quickly after that. The record we’re working on together is an immense project, but I’m very excited by the results so far. PC: The music is so varied in style, it seems influenced by a lot of different types of artists. What are your biggest musical influences? LL: The list is fairly endless! I think this particular record we’re working on is inspired by the heavy metal and prog rock of the 70s/80s, along with a broad selection of classical and romantic era composers. The record definitely has a powerful drive to it and a lot of dramatic flair. Bands like UFO and Blue Oyster Cult would be some of the softer influences, with acts like Slayer and Death being some of the more aggressive and progressive. Everything from Anthrax to Beethoven & Chopin to Dio!

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As a guitarist, I’m very inspired by a huge number of players. A few I always come back to are: Jeff Beck, Yngwie Malmsteen, Martin Simpson, George Lynch, Al DiMeola, Eric Johnson, Paul Gilbert and Tony MacAlpine. PC: What types of music are you currently listening to? LL: I’m mostly immersed in soundtracks at the moment. Lots of Vangelis and Howard Shore! PC: When did you realize that you wanted to merge music with comics? LL: The more I created my own music, the more it became apparent that I was more interested in sonic landscapes and creating moods/ambiences/effects than writing traditional songs. I developed my ideas into fusions of electronic music with guitar riffs and orchestral backdrops, then started dropping in sound effects like weather effects or destructive explosive samples. This all hinted at a story or a world which was only being depicted in sound. I tried to harness the ambiences and effects around a traditional song format, for my first album ‘Losing Faith’ The female vocals on that recorded represented narration from Lyra, the main character. It was certainly an interesting project, but it didn’t really convey what I was trying to achieve. I decided that the world of Eternal Descent needed to be fully realized in order for me to properly arrange music and sounds to compliment it.. So I wrote the scripts, designed the characters, created visual concepts for their world... and here we are, one comic series later! PC: What is the concept behind the "Eternal Descent" comic book? LL: The concept of Eternal Descent was to create a platform where the heavy metal genre could exist beyond music and performance. There is so much brilliant imagery and narrative conjured up by the lyrics in Metal music – it often lends itself perfectly to Fantasy plotlines. I wanted to present a world where a band's creative output could become part of reality, where writing a song about the end of the world and performing it to a crowd in the hundreds of thousands could have dire consequences! Of course such a world would need keepers and guardians, else it wouldn’t last very long - that’s where my original characters come in.

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PC: IDW is publishing and distributing the book. How did IDW get involved? LL: Kris Oprisko at IDW publishing saw the potential of the book and understood what I was trying to achieve. He was willing to make the necessary ‘business model’ adjustments to accommodate the title and make the most of all the music industry crossovers and marketing opportunities. It was actually very difficult to find a publisher willing to tackle the logistics of Eternal Descent. Everyone was interested in putting the book on shelves, but no-one wanted to go the extra mile when it came to working with bands for regular interviews, working with instrument manufacturers for regular contests and licensed products, creating audio commentaries featuring orchestral backing with improvised guitars... and so on. Building a bridge between the comic book industry and the Music business was a real challenge, but well worth it! PC: What were/are your favorite books, and who are your favorite writers and artists? LL: I’ll always be a huge Silver Surfer fan. I pick up pretty much every book he appears in and have all of his appearances going back to the early Fantastic Four books. More recently I’ve enjoyed ‘Deadpool’ in all his incarnations – it’s been great fun seeing that character evolve over the last few years. In my teens I really liked SPAWN, I think it was just suitably dark and violent! Hah. These days I just enjoy the character as a visual statement more than keeping up with the narrative.

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I’m really more keen on seeing different interpretations of characters and worlds, than following any particular artist or writer. That said, there are many iconic names which have no doubt shaped my perception of comics and my preferences: Alan Moore, Jim Lee, Stan Lee, Todd MacFarlane, I could list a who’s who of comics really! Robert Kirkman is one of the ‘newer’ writers who’s taken the industry in new directions and done great things. Michael Turner was a brilliant artist whose work I really admired. Whilst Eternal Descent is a highly detailed book, there is something to be said for simple but powerful line art. PC: Do you consider the music a soundtrack for the comic book? LL: The Music and the Comic Book will hopefully do exactly the same thing – Tell the story. The record is not going to be a ‘soundtrack’. It combines elements from Progressive Rock/Metal, an Audio Book style narrative, Cinema style effects and a Soundtrack style ambience. You’ll be able to quickly understand characters and events by listening to the finished album, even without having read the comic books. Of course, if you have read the comics, then it provides a whole new level of depth. Adding Orchestration to visuals, special effects to action sequences, and voices to the characters' key dialogue. PC: Is there anything else about the project that you would like readers to know? LL: If you’ve got this far... Thanks for reading! Find out more about Llexi and Eternal Descent at EternalDescent.com, and check out some of the great music and artwork at the Official Eternal Descent myspace page. You can also get the comic book in digital form through Sony for your PSP at the Playstation Store!

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By: Sick Puppy Beau Well my brothers and sisters, this month is going to be a first, and a very proud one. After broadcasting over the internet, doing FM radio, and now writing, in my 12 plus years of dealing with music and its genre’s, a band found me, we spoke and I am proud to say words I never thought would come together, I am proud to introduce you to Heinrich XIII, a blue grass, outlaw, metal, band from hell itself. Before I even try and serve up what is, Heinrich, I would like to let you read a brief bio, just so you can appreciate even more the musicianship of this band. Then we will come back and have a chat with Mr. Heinrich Steuernagel himself, all the way from Wölfersheim, Germany. HEINRICH XIII AND THE DEVILGRASS PICKERS Straight, True & Hellbound Country Music HEINRICH XIII AND THE DEVILGRASS PICKERS are one of the few German outlaw country bands. We play a mixture of patriarchal country music with bluegrass elements, often paired with the aggressiveness, speed and the ruthless candor of metal, which builds a strong part of our roots. Thereby we join a group of US musicians, who mainly act in the underground. They often come from the metal and punk scene and they are pioneers of the revival and reinvention of real and true country music. Music like it has been played by country legends as Hank Williams, Jimmie Rodgers, Dock Boggs and many other more than 50 years ago: Genuine and free from the dishonest and absolutely fungible Pop Country, like it’s fabricated by a lot of today's "country stars" for example. The root of country music IS NOT a worth million record company, which constructs and produces music just as needed, to let it perform by face painted, solarium tanned crush boys and showpiece sons-in-law who are nothing more than an artificial product of the music industry. The root of real country music IS the country and that just means it is music made by real people and made for real people. straight, true & hellbound HEINRICH XIII “Country music is three chords and the truth.“ Harlan Howard Henric “Heinrich” Steuernagel: vocals & acoustic guitar Christoph Kipper: drums & mandoline Joscha “Puky” Pulkert: upright bass Sergej Köhn: banjo Sascha Malfeld: electric- & slide guitars HEINRICH XIII: The cornerstone for HEINRICH XIII AND THE DEVILGRASS PICKERS was set in the early 80ies. At this time the singer and guitarist of the band, Henric Steuernagel was still in an early age and was deeply influenced by American movies and American music. Back then the first sympathies for country music built up. Continued on page 20

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In the following years, in which also the name "Heinrich" was imposed on him, his way lead to a heavier path. A metallic path to be exact. As singer and guitarist he founded the metal band ESCALATIONUNIT CHAOS ENGINE in 1996, which present members built the scoring of the DEVILGRASS PICKERS almost complete. THE FIRST STEPS: Together with Sven Klaka from ETERNAL PAIN, in 2005 the first tentative steps took place on a softer and also very fertile country ground. A few songs have been written and some cover versions have been given at the domestic rehearsal space. Three years later there was no escape anymore: HEINRICH XIII AND THE DEVILGRASS PICKERS had to be founded. There were enough own songs, musicians with real outlaw country soul and an irrepressible will. THE DEVILGRASS PICKERS: Joscha "Puky" Pulkert, EUCE percussionist and ETERNAL PAIN singer learned to play bass. Christoph Kipper, EUCE drummer and RECKLESS guitarist, took over the drums at the DEVILGRASS PICKERS once again and that's why he's more the DEVILGRASS KICKER of the formation, anyhow he mastered the mandolin play good enough to tune into the softer songs. Sergej Köhn, on his side EUCE percussionist too, assumed one of the hardest tasks and tries to become friends with his banjo since then. Sascha Malfeld, EUCE and RECKLESS guitarist in charge for the melodies of the songs and plays instruments such as electric guitar, dobro and steel guitar. THE RECORDS: “DEVILGRASS COUNTRY” is the unofficial first album. 13 tracks containing demos, live recordings and songs that won’t make it on the successor “THE DARK”, completely home recorded. It came out 2009 and was limited to 1000 physical copies. The second album “THE DARK” will follow 2010. Once more 13 songs about violence, whiskey and women, that are generally a crossbreed between country, bluegrass and a breath of metal feeling. All velocities will be included: from calm ballads to mosh pit suitable antisocial redneck classics. It’s also a home recording project, but it will be mixed and mastered in a professional studio. THE PERFORMANCE: Heinrich XIII and the Devilgrass Pickers became known quick through MySpace, where they count over 30,000 friends already. The growing worldwide connections brought a lot of gig offers with it. Such as shows with Bob Wayne and the Outlaw Carnies, Joe Buck Yourself, the .357 String Band, J.B. Beverley and the Wayward Drifters, the Pine Box Boys and many more. They just finished a short Benelux tour and a two week US tour is being planned right now. Also underground radio stations in different countries started to pay attention and play their music. THE DISCOGRAPHY: 2009 - “PROMO” SPLIT EP 2009 - “DEVILGRASS COUNTRY” FULL ALBUM 2010 - “THE DARK” FULL ALBUM Sick Puppy Beau: So now that you know the band, I offer you the experience, the attitude, and the fucking pure genius that is this band. I am very honored to have the ring leader of this group and would like to welcome Heinrich himself, to The Gate Music Magazine. Heinrich: Hi Beau! I'm very happy about the fact that someone caring about the things we're doing over here in Germany and I'm really looking forward to answer all your questions. Sick Puppy Beau: Brother, I have to tell you something, when you contacted me on MySpace, I at first was a bit taken back, first thought was, “Why The Hell Would a Blue Grass Band Want in on My

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Network?” But when I started looking into the bands tunes, and especially its history, I instantly fell in fucking love with it. A lot of my internet listeners know I have a very eclectic taste for music, and know I am a huge Hank, Waylon, Hank III, ect. Fan and when I started to discover this bands journey into what has become Heinrich XIII, I was blown away. Can you start by telling us about how the band started in its Metal days, and grew into its Blue Grass sound? Heinrich: We started the metal in the mid 90ies. No one of us could play an instrument at this time but we did our best and after 5 years or something, we had created our sound and we were ready to play live. If you'd like to compare us with other metal bands, I would say we would fit to all those late 90iess early 2000 bands like Pantera, Fear Factory, Sepultura, Machine Head... We even had a little success with Escalationunit Chaos Engine and toured the US for a few shows, but the times are changing and you're getting older. I hit the 30 last year and had to take on some personal problems I couldn't handle with my metal band. I didn't want to start whiny metal songs about women. I always hated that gay shit especially in the those metal core and emo times, where they change the whole time between screaming and crying and where every band sounds the same. I also think most of today's metal lost its soul. It's often more a cliché and the only way you get people to turn to your music is a record deal. Almost every metal head has also a metal band here and the own is always the best of course and they only look up the big record deal bands and go to their shows. That's why you play in empty clubs all the time. But I run off the topic... back to our music. So i didn't want to write whiny metal, but i had write about the hard times and stuff and all that women shit. I had to let it out somehow and I was a country music fan since I was a child and I always said I'll start a country band when I'm turning 50. But suddenly there it was. 20 years too early... But I also have to say that all those younger and wilder country guys like Hank III played a part in contributing to start Heinrich XIII as a real live band and not only doing it for myself. Another thing was, that all my friends we're really digging what I started there. Sick Puppy Beau: I totally agree with your thoughts on Metal nowadays, it has gotten corporate, I especially like the comment you made about the “New” country. Something along the lines of tanned, spoiled, made for the mass’s poser type’s, I would love for you to reiterate that comment and explain it, because I truly agree with it. Heinrich: Haha! You mean the sentence with the "face painted, solarium tanned crush boys and showpiece sons-in-law"? It was hard to say that in English, but when you like it, I think I even hit the nail on the head even in English. I just wanted to say with it, that country music is really something straight from the heart. It's not like in many other genres where simple insinuations lyrics satisfy the listener. It's mostly real stories of real people. But even if it is something invented like our song "Something of the Dead", it's still a reflection of writer.

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This pop country shit and all other pop music across the globe is just an artificial product. Nothing personal left in that. Someone writing what he thinks people would buy, someone else is recording the instruments, and a completely different lineup is playing that crap live. That's definitely not "country". They should call it "masses" or something. Sick Puppy Beau: I will apologize for this next question, but having a feel for your belief, I have to hear your true thoughts on this Miley Cyrus and Dad craze that’s going on here in the states? Has our country gone corporate and tending to teens? Or have people lost there true meaning of Country music? Heinrich: I am always a bit careful talking about country music in the states, 'cause this music is really deep anchored in your land and I'm just a guy from Germany watching from the outside what's going on. But I would say yes to that many people lost the true meaning of country music, but they were forced to it, only because of the abuse of the word "country". There's so much shit out there they call "country" for no reason… But I have to tell you here in Germany most people never knew what real country was all about. We only had bad examples for it. People here think you're playing cowboys and indians when you tell them that you're into country music. But they're all surprised and excited when they see what it's all about on our live shows. Sick Puppy Beau: Are there any plans for a tour in the states coming up? If so, when and where? Heinrich: Yeah, we wanted to come the first two weeks of August this year. We planned to start in Tennessee and go down to Texas, but the booking doesn't work too good, 'cause i don't have the right connections yet. So if anybody reads this and would like to set something up for us, just write an email to symbiont1@googlemail.com Sick Puppy Beau: I will also forward your info to some friends of mine brother, see if we can help. Sick Puppy Beau: So, I have to ask, has the band ever mixed the two sounds of its works at the same show? And, is there any way, I could put in a request for a medley of Escalationunit Chaos Engine and The Devilgrass Pickers, that would be awesome to hear both sides of the band being it is one in the same. Heinrich: No, we didn't mix it yet and we only played with both bands on one show with Bob Wayne last August. But who knows what happens... It would be fun, that's for sure... Sick Puppy Beau: Well brother, I am a true fan, and from the response on The Radiation Sickness Show, you have a fan base growing bigger to add to your already loyal “Branded” members. On the branded thing, would you like to say anything about the freaking insane branding video you have up? That was truly sick man, I LOVED IT!!! Heinrich: You want one? They're for free! That branding shit also started like 10 years or something ago. Our 2nd singer from EUCE Sebastian worked as a steel worker with welding and stuff and one day he was showing up with that branding iron in shape of the EUCE band symbol. Today there are about 40 guys

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wearing the scars of that symbol. Sick Puppy Beau: I want to thank you for friending me man. Your music has broadened my music taste, and I hope I get to tip one with all of you here in the states soon brother. Please, give the readers all your links, so they can experience what is “Heinrich XIII“ Where can people go to listen, see, and most important, BUY Heinrich XIII Merch? Give us all that is H13. Heinrich: I have to thank you man! It's awesome what the internet makes possible for all small bands like us, doing they're job on their own, without a force hungry record company behind 'em. So what do we have here... Here are the two bands: www.heinrich13.com and www.escalationunit.com They share the same start page so it doesn't matter where which url you use. And then there's the MySpace stuff: and www.myspace.com/escalationunitchaosengine And two youtube accounts where you find live stuff and some other things: www.youtube.com/symbiont1 and www.youtube.com/beergrass13 If you search on facebook you'll find my profile Heinrich Steuernagel and a group for Heinrich XIII and the Devilgrass Pickers. You can get merch direct from the www.heinrich13.com. We set up a PayPal shop there and you'll also get our CD "Devilgrass Country" on www.cdbaby.com. Sick Puppy Beau: In closing, I want to thank you for some great music, and a great story brother. As I stated before, my music taste is very eclectic, and you give me both sides all in one band. You can hear Heinrich XIII as well as Escalationunit Chaos Engine on www.live365.com/stations/sickpuppybeau as well as 94.3FM The Butcher Shop and online at www.wkuf.org. And WLVR at 91.3FM www.wlvr.org and Heinrich was kind enough to send us 6 promo CD's to give to people that love all that is attitude, so I ask you to tell the people to send a certain word, that only will be released in this article, and email it to me at sickpuppybeau@thegatemusicmagazine.com and I will send them the CD. So tell them what the password is, and anything else you would like to say my brother say it here. Heinrich: The password... hm... I would like to name 3 words: "STRAIGHT, TRUE & HELLBOUND" 'cause that's what it's all about. Thanks again man! Great to see, that people appreciate the work! And thanks to anybody who's reading this and please excuse my bad backwards English I'm writing sometimes. It just isn't my mother tongue. ps: Beau, correcting the worst mistakes for not letting me look like a complete retard would be nice, haha! Sick Puppy Beau: Brother, it was truly my pleasure. We are all about supporting new talent and great music, and you boy’s well, you have the entire package my friend, I have you on my facebook and myspace pages, and hope we can stay in touch.

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By Chris Dumas Out of the midwest state of Michigan, comes the band that definitely leaves an impression everywhere they go. Silverspork is absolutely a band that stands out from the crowd with their high energy sets, lead singer Brian all over the stage and out with the audience on the tables, hanging off the amps and kicking out some of the most unique metal music around. The birth of Silverspork came in late 1998/early 1999 with the vision of original members, Brian Gretzinger, lead singer and Carl Abila, guitar and back up vocals. The band was then, rounded out with the awesome find of Mario Salcedo, drums and Jay Burk on bass. The band is complete and the dream of going out and kicking ass began. Silverspork has shared the stage with some awesome bands such as Godsmack, Breaking Benjamin, Anthrax, Alice Cooper, Cold, Taproot, 60 Cycle (Members of Snot) Broadzilla, Dope, Nonpoint, Mushroomhead,

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Puddle Of Mudd, Kittie, Jackyl, Jimmies Chicken Shack, Shat, Grade 8, 2 Live Crew, Battery, Crud, Egypt Central, Pop Evil, and many more. Silverspork has received many awards over the years, won numerous amounts of "Battle of the Bands", and have played countless amounts of show cases and gigs and show no signs of slowing down. They have most recently teamed up with indie record label, The Revolution Music. For Silverspork, 2010 looks pretty promising, with, an upcoming album to be released by spring and a midwest tour in the works, Silverspork seems to be very close to achieving what it was set out to do years ago when they first started...

Chris: Let everyone know who you are and explain your sound. Carl: We are Silverspork from Saginaw, MI. We are an Alternative/Metal band that sounds like a cross between Tool, Faith No More, and System of A Down. We even have a little bit of a Fugazi sound in there as well. Over the years we have been compared to a ton of bands out there which is a good thing. We do not want to be limited in sound or style. Chris: You've had lots of interviews on the net and radio stations. That's gotta feel good for a local band. Carl: Very much. We have accomplished a lot over the years and hopefully it will all payoff soon on a larger scale. We have great people that work around us through our label and awesome PR as well. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re hoping to land some more interviews here in the very near future. Nothing is better than doing an international radio interview! To actually hear spins of a song you created on the other side of the world is pretty amazing. Chris: How does the Saginaw music scene differ from everywhere else? Carl: Well, seeing how Michigan is going through some tough economical times, Saginawâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s scene has faded a little over the last few years. There are so many good bands around here though, so I hope that with all the good talent around, the scene will be back on the map. As a matter of fact, I believe that this summer the music scene is going to be a getting a little more attention than normal. With the other great bands under the label, we should be able to start to generate more of a buzz once festivals, tours, etc. start to really kick off.

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Chris: You are signed to The Revolution Music record label. How is that going for ya? Carl: Very good so far. When ever we need anything, these guys are there. Like I said before, they also have good help backing them as well. We are getting ready to release our new album through Revolution Music this year. Chris: When did Silverspork form? Carl: We began this band in 1998. A long time ago!! I answered an ad in a local music store and it was Brian that was looking for people to jam with. Our original drummer only lasted about 6 months before we found Mario. We have been through a couple of bass players but other than that, it’s been the same 3 for 11 years now. Jay is our newest member and we always seen him in other bands and always wanted to land him. Well, as it worked out, our last bass player (Ryan Phillips) ended up leaving the state and we were fortunate enough to start jamming with Jay. Chris: How did the name come about? Carl: We first started off with just "Spork" but the name was already taken. We didn't really want to lose the name, so we then just added "Silver" to it. We have contemplated changing it for a while now. We still may, you never know. Not that we don’t like it but there are a lot of band names that have the word “Silver” in it and we want something a little different. Chris: How can people get a hold of your music? Carl: Our music can be heard through our myspace site at www.myspace.com/silverspork www.cdbaby.com Once the new album is released, it will be available on itunes, Napster, Rhapsody and others TBA. Chris: What kinda rigs do you all use? Carl: I use a Line 6 Flextone 2 head and run through a line 6 half stack. Mario has a 6 piece pearl set and Jay uses an Ampeg SVT 5 pro. Chris: What would you rather play? A small venue or festivals and why? Carl: We have always liked the dirty small venue style! But I think that we would rather play festivals. I think that there is a bigger audience at most festivals and there are usually more bands to watch as well. Once you have been doing this for a longer period of time, you always

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want more. It has nothing to do with integrity after you have 10 years in. We know what kind of band we are, what kind of people we are, and we know that we want more out of this. As long as you never forget where you came from and still play those “smaller venues”, you should never lose any amount of respect from anybody. There is no reason why you couldn’t have the best of both worlds. Chris: When it comes to writing new material where do ya start? Carl: We just start jamming at the same time. If it clicks, we keep it and work on it. If it doesn't, we toss it. We have material that has not been touched in years. Some ideas good and some ideas not so good! I think that if after a while, those songs that are in the “closet” just become scraps but not always. It also sucks when you have to start completely over with new members! Not only do you have to relearn everything but you also have a new writing curve. Chris: Will there be any upcoming gigs that you’re stoked about? Carl: We are opening up for a Metallica tribute band called "Battery" and it’s usually always a great show. We opened for them before and there was about 1000 people there. We also have a lot of things lined up for the summer if all goes right but I don’t really want to say until it’s actually 100% concrete. Chris: What’s in store for Silverspork in 2010? Carl: A New album followed up by a summer tour. Things are finally looking like they will be happening if we play our cards right. Like I said….just have to wait until it’s 100%!

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By Chris Dumas Chris: So Ballz Deluxe.. What a name, I love it…How ya come up with that one ? BD: It was a pretty spontaneous thing on how the name came about, and alot of people ask us how we came up with it…..The story is, that Rick (lead vocals) and Scott (rhythm guitar) were recording , back when this project first came into existence. After playing back a take, Rick says “Erase that, man. I

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don’t like it.” Scott turns around and says, (referring to the take) “Man, just wait….when I’m done with this, it’s gonna sound Ballz Deluxe!” A light bulb must have went on in Rick’s head after hearing Scott say that……It's an odd name, but it stands out. People remember it. Plus, it fits us and our sound…..Ballz out rock n’ roll to the max. Chris: Give us a brief run down of who Ballz Deluxe is. BD: Front and center, with his mohawk and woolly beard to boot, we've got Rick Drinkard on lead vocals. On stage left, we've got Scott Christy handling rhythm guitars, backing vocals and rock pants. Over on stage right, we've got Chuck Moberg; lead guitar, backing vocals and hypnotist extraordinaire. Next to Chuck, we've got Zuby holding down bass guitar, backing vocals, and his balance onstage when he decides to fight off Rick's push and shove attacks. And behind us on the drums, we've got Justin Richter; this long haired, raging metal drummer who likes to throw sticks and do all this circus shit when he plays. We're an eclectic bunch of characters, for sure. But at the end of the day, we're just 5 guys who love good music, good times and playing good music together. Oh, ....and we like Jagermeister.......alot. Chris: Who does all the song writing? BD: Alot of times, Scott is usually the one that will get something going or will have a general idea of a song, and then we'll add to it. The song writing is fair game and we’re all involved. We’re all songwriters from different musical backgrounds and that makes things pretty unique. Anybody in the band that has an idea can contribute it to the table; whether it’s a guitar riff, a vocal melody or harmony, lyrics, or even, complete songs written entirely by one of us. If it works and feels good to us, we’ll use it or build off of it…..until Rick walks in and goes “THAT SUCKS!” LOL! Chris: You guys blew up very fast. Whats your take on that and hows it feel? BD: It's pretty flattering, really. When we first stepped onto the scene as a full band, back in 2007, we had no idea what was going to happen. The support, recognition and opportunities that we've gotten since then is humbling, sometimes almost surreal. We're pretty thankful for it. It's a matter of getting out there and honestly proving ourselves to achieve all of that. It's still about that with us. We do what we do, and we're fortunate that there's people out there who strongly support what we do.

Chris: So you guys are getting on a lot of big bills. Any certain band you really wanna play with and why? JUSTIN: I think playing with Black Label Society or HellYeah would be a pretty cool show. They're both good bands with alot of groove and power. I really dig Zakk Wylde and BLS. Hell Yeah has a good-time, party vibe to 'em, kind of like us and it'd probably be a blast to hang out with them. Plus, I'm a big fan of Vinnie Paul and alot of the stuff he's done. CHUCK: Prong, Clutch, Black Label Society, Faith No More, Jam Samich..... SCOTT: Kiss! Or any legend of hard rock: Angus Young, Eddie Van Halen, Slash etc. ZUBY: Alice in Chains because they're a band from my teenage years. I was listening to them when they first came out. HellYeah because they seem like a party band. Slipknot because they're pretty groove oriented metal. RICK: Incubus...I like those guys and I'm a big fan of theirs. Also, Three Days Grace because I think our sound would compliment theirs and it'd be a good match.

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Chris: Whats everyones favorite song to play live? JUSTIN: I can't exactly narrow it down to one, but one of my choice songs would be "Rock Bottom", off the first record. It's got a pretty heavy, intense feel in a live setting and we start it out differently than the way it is on the record. CHUCK: "Stand Up and Rage" and "Are You Ready?"....fast riffs and some of my more challenging solos. SCOTT: "Rock Bottom"....I really like singing the harmonies during the verse and I like how the song stops halfway in. (gives us time to do a shot on stage). ZUBY: If I had to pick two, I'd go with "Believe" and "Fall Down on Me." RICK: "Stand Up and Rage".....alot of hype and energy. Chris: Where do ya get all your recording done at? BD: We actually have a full on studio setup where we rehearse. Scott engineers everything. We did all the preproduction, tracking and mixing there for the first album and then had the tracks mastered at Tempermill Studios in Ferndale, MI. Chris: Where do you guys see yourselves in 5 years? BD: Anything can happen in the course of 5 years and let's hope that whatever happens, is good. We want to build off of the momentum we already have and see how much farther we can go, while making smart decisions along the way. Let's take over the world, melting one face at a time along the way, ya know? Hopefully we'll still be making music in 5 years, and getting somewhere with it. Chris: How did you guys all form and get together to form Ballz Deluxe? BD: It was a matter of networking and most of us being acquainted with each other in some form before this band was even an idea. Scott and Rick used to write and record together in a project called "Rare Form", which was basically hip hop with rock styled choruses. Chuck had done some open mic nights with Rick in the past, and that's how Chuck came into the fold. After writing the groundwork of the first album, Chuck brought Zuby into the mix, having played with him in the past. Justin was plucked off of Myspace, of all places, sometime in September/October 2007 after the band parted ways with their first drummer. Our goal was basically "Write some good tunes, play some shows, have some fun, and see how far we can run with this." This band was essentially started sometime in 2006, but didn't become a full, functioning group with a full lineup until 2007. Chris: Who does all your booking and promoting? BD: We do it all ourselves. Justin, being the graphic artist/geek in the band, maintains our online social networking pages and handles most of the online promoting with the flyers, blogs and etc. As far as book-

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ing goes; any one of us tend to handle that aspect at any given time. It's who ever wants to step forward and handle it. Chris: What was your favorite gig to date? JUSTIN: It's hard to pick just one. One of my favorites was when we opened for Tantric, back in July 2008 up at the Machine Shop in Flint, MI. That was a really fun show. Later that night, Tony LaBrie, of Banana 101.5, (Flint's rock radio station) invited us back to his house to hang out after the show, and Zuby ended up passing out in a lawn chair on Tony's back patio. Epic......haha. Tony got a kick out of it. CHUCK: The Tantric show we did at the Machine Shop is up there, and also the WASP show in March 2008. Those were the first two shows where we performed for a packed house and got to play off that energy. SCOTT: When we played with Saliva at Harpos in Detroit. I was hanging out with Saliva's guitar player afterward and he really dug my rock pants. I bought them from Matt Sorum (Velvet Revolver/Guns N' Roses) after he opened his rock clothing store. They were custom made just for my ballz (and ass)! ZUBY: It's a tossup between when we opened for Flaw in January 2010, and Hurt in May 2009...both at the Machine Shop. RICK: The show with WASP is one of my favorites because it was a packed house and was a lot of fun playing to a big crowd like that.

Chris: Let everyone know what to expect when they see Ballz live. BD: It's pretty no-holds-barred and raw. There's alot of energy, personality, and fun. It's definitely a good time, almost like a party vibe, ya know? We're up there onstage enjoying ourselves, having fun and it shows. People get into our live show. We're very animated with our performance and we each have unique personalities on stage. It's all about delivering the goods and putting on a good show. Chris: Where can we all go and get your merch and CD? BD: As of right now, we're out of stock on merch. Fear not though...We'll have new merch when our second album is released. You can still visit our merch table at any of our shows and pick up the first album. Or you can get it online through iTunes or CD Baby. Chris: Who or what inspired all of you to start playing music?

Continued on page 36in-

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JUSTIN: My dad's a musician, and he brought me up on alot of cool music, mainly metal. We jammed together

alot too when I was a kid and he'd take me with him to his band rehearsals. All of that inspired me to get into music. Lars Ulrich from Metallica was the inspiration behind why I actually started playing drums when I was 3 years old. I've been a huge Metallica fan since I was a kid. They were my first musical love. When I saw Lars play, my mindset at that age was; "I want to do what Lars does." and it took off from there. The guy is my hero to this day, for that reason. CHUCK: I started playing guitar at age 12 and quickly discovered my guitar heroes. They were Slash, Mick Mars, C.C.DeVille, Steve Vai, Eddie Van Halen, and Jimi Hendrix. As time went on my influences changed into more "metal" players like Dimebag Darrell, Zakk Wylde, Dino Cazares, Dave Mustaine, James Hetfield, and Marty Friedman. Some time in my early 20's I discovered Johnny Cash, and realized it's not how fast you play, or even how good your voice is... it's about being honest and expressing yourself through whatever it is you enjoy doing... I'll jam with anyone, in any genre of music now, and am glad I learned the language of music. SCOTT: My dad. He was a radio guy so I grew up listening to top 40 radio my whole life. ( I think that's where I subconsciously learned about pop song structures). He used to take me back stage at a lot of concerts also. When I saw and met Kiss for the first time, that was it. I bought a guitar the next day and started a band even though I didn't know how to play... The rest is "Kisstory". ZUBY: My mom had a big Beatles record collection, so I grew up listening to alot of Beatles....and Neil Diamond. Music always around when I was growing up. Also, my sister was into all the 80's rock....Def Leppard, Motley Crue, etc. She took me to go see Def Leppard, which was my first rock concert, and I thought that was so cool. RICK: Music is in my blood......My real father was a country musician, so I've got some country blood in me. My step-father had alot of 70's rock records....him and my mom used to listen to those all the time. Michael Jackson inspired me too. Chris: Any sign of a record contract coming your way soon? BD: We've had some A&R people and others in the industry take interest in us and that's not a bad thing. We're taking it one step at a time. We've seen, so far, that this band has potential, and we'd like to take steps towards bigger things. With that, we'd be interested in the idea of getting the attention of a record label who can do something for us. We've already gotten the attention of alot of people around metro-Detroit, and we'd like to take that further. Chris: Is there one venue that you love playing at? And why? JUSTIN: I love playing the Crofoot Ballroom in downtown Pontiac, MI. That place is amazing. The sound, the stage and the lighting is incredible. Very nice venue. And we get our own dressing room downstairs underneath the stage. Which is a plus.... CHUCK: The Machine Shop in Flint is the best "Rock/Metal" supporting club in Michigan, if you ask me. The bar staff are friendly, the sound guys are top notch, the stage is great, and the people that go there just want to get their face rocked. Flint is a tough crowd. They either love you, or they'll let you know that you suck. Luckily for us, they love Ballz Deluxe! It's also my favorite venue to see a touring band at. The sound is incredible. SCOTT: The Machine Shop in Flint, MI. I wish someone would open a club like that near our home base (Clarkston). I'm with Justin on the Crofoot as well...... We tear that place up when we play there. I love the downstairs dressing rooms. When we opened for the Dirty Americans there one time, we accidentally took over their dressing room and proceeded to polish off their complimentary case of beer

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and bottle of Jack Daniels. They weren't too happy.....sorry guys! ZUBY: I've played alot of cool places over the years but I'll go with The Machine Shop. They treat it like real concert venue and they treat the musicians with respect. That place has a vibe that's cool, and it feels like the real deal, for lack of better words. RICK: It's a tough call between the Crofoot and Machine Shop. But the Shop is where my heart is, because of the love they have for rock n' roll. BALLZ DELUXE "PURE DETROIT ROCK N' ROLL" WWW.MYSPACE.COM/BALLZDELUXE

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Beauty & The Beast Promotions are proud to represent each and every client whether or not the act has a big name in the industry or that of the starting artist. We work hand in hand with our media associates and partners to give the best service possible. We are proud to represent the following labels, management and individuals in presenting publicity around the world. In arranging interviews an having contacts to have their music distributed to the media. The Revolution Music Label Hakori Tension Head Publik Parking The Round Milligram Smile Silverspork Burn Around Unkle Dunk Records Automan Darrell "Dwarf" Millar formerly of Killer Dwarfs, Laidlaw Elfinstone Music Division of Amberinteractive Kick Axe Official Publicity Staff for Al Atkins (Founding vocalist of Judas Priest) Holy Rage Publicist for Global Thunda Network Providing Publicity for Pamela Moore Randy Black Marija James Duncan (Divinity) Warmachine Exciter Barbara Schenker Seventh Rize And Many More ... Find us at www.beautyandthebeastpr.com and at www.myspace.com/revaloutin4all 41

MUSIC NEWS FROM AROUND THE NEWS RELEASE Montreal, QC - April 8th, 2010 Special Ops Invade "Through The Heart of The Infidel" Canada & US Tour Dates Presented by RockstarWeekly.com

Releasing their third studio album "Through The Heart of The Infidel" via Vancouver label Thorny Bleeder Records (digitally April 27th and CD in stores on May 25th). Montreal rockers Special Ops are proud to announce their Canada & US "Through The Heart of The Infidel Tour" presented by RockstarWeekly.com. The tour will kick off in Toronto on April 28th and see the infantry invade 60 plus dates to support their latest release. "We're really looking forward to performing for all the fans across Canada & the US, and now with our recent signing to the Thorny Bleeder Records family, we are really excited to hit the road and promote "TTHOTI"." commented guitarist Akbar Johnson. May 27, 2010

San Francisco, CA

July 5, 2010

Buffalo, NY

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NEWS RELEASE Montreal, QC - April 1, 2010 Exclusive Full Album Stream of Omega Crom's - Blood, Steel & Fire on TheNewReview.net Releasing their debut album Blood, Steel & Fire on April 5th via Reversed Records, Vancouver's ripping metal juggernauts Omega Crom are exclusively streaming their full album on TheNewReview.net All Access section. - http://fburls.com/57-199XE4r6/t/ cid/611017/sid/117438481 and can be seen in the following cities. Upcoming Tour Dates: April 3, 2010 - Montreal, QC - Club Saphir April 7, 2010 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Thunder Bay, ON - Kilroys April 8, 2010 - Winnipeg MB - The Zoo April 10, 2010 - Regina SK - The Gaslight Saloon April 17, 2010 - Kelowna, BC - The Well

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

AUTOMAN.ca to open for IRON MAIDEN in Winnipeg Wednesday June 30 2010 Formed in 2002 by writing partners Darrell "DWaRf" Millar (vocals) and Carleton Lockhart (guitar) Automan.ca is a genuinely pure, 70's/80's influenced kick-ass 'rawk' band. Their distinctive, upbeat brand of modern classic rock can best be described as coming straight out of a music time capsule, yet it's altogether fresh, current and timeless. “It is far and in between that an up and coming Canadian band would land the opening slot for a monster touring act like Iron Maiden.” Says lead singer Darrell “DWaRf” Millar, “Automan.ca are very grateful to Steve Harris and the Iron Maiden organization, and Live Nation Canada for this fantastic opportunity.” Darrell -- a lifelong professional musician -- is internationally known as the former drummer for the multi-million selling hard rock act KILLER DWARFS, as well as for Nikki Sixx produced southern rock act LAIDLAW. As one of the most high-profile and well-travelled drummers of the 80s-90s hard rock era, he's shared concert stages worldwide with the likes of Iron Maiden, Motley Crue, ZZTop, Pantera, Lynyrd Skynyrd and several others. In formulating AUTOMAN, he vacated the drums for frontman duties, and it's his high-energy, 'welcome-to-the-party!' persona that fuels AUTOMAN's performances both live and on record. Automan’s newest release “Pocket Change” is distributed throughout North America by Megaforce/Sony. “Automan may be borderline Metal to some but they kick more ass than most. One of the best albums you can have in your collection to rock out with”. - Metal Rules Magazine “punchy, hard-edged, no nonsense Rock 'n' Roll record” - Metal Express Radio “Automan manage to thrive on the simplicity of their music rather than be limited by it, the end result is a very decent album.” - Heavy Metal Time Machine

For more information contact: Double D Management/ David MacMillan dmacmillan@yahoo.ca Double D Management 176 The Esplanade Unit 343 Toronto, Ontario M5A 4H2 http://www.automan.ca/

http://www.myspace.com/automanca

Publicist Willy Forrest - www.beautyandthebeastpr.com

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Artist: Krank Album: Demolition Genre: Hard Rock Location: Calgary, AB, Canada Label: Unsigned Krank is an original hard rock band focusing on playing their original hard rock songs. They will draw you in with their biting lead guitar, catchy hook choruses and vocal melodies. Turning all of those aspects into a real hard rock experience. Krank has recently finished recording in the studio and will be releasing their first full length CD, which will be available soon. So look them up, check them out, and if you are in the Calgary area go catch a show. http://www.myspace.com/kranktunes http://www.krankmusic.com/ http://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/demolition/id355306007

Artist: Silvarose Album: New York City Fame Genre: Rock Location: New York Label: Unsigned Silvarose was a nice little surprise for me. As soon as checked them I knew I liked it. This is an all the way around very good rock band. Excellent vocals, great beats, great guitar, great everything. And my favorite part is the original music. They are trying to sound like anybody but themselves. http://www.myspace.com/silvarose http://www.jango.com/music/silva http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/new-york-city-fame/id348559119

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Artist: Following Sea Album: Retreat Genre: Post-Hardcore/Ambient Location: Bedford, Indiana Label: Unsigned With killer vocals and crunching guitars, you can't go wrong with this 5 piece band from Indiana. The vocals are clear and easy to follow. The guitar is crunching and at the right times ambient. I totally enjoyed listening to this band. They definitely reminded me of one of my favorite bands " Senses Fail". This is a talented group. Check 'em out. http://www.myspace.com/followingseaonline http://www.purevolume.com/FollowingSea16422

Artist: Signal 99 Album: Armed & Dangerous Vol.1 Genre: Metal Location: Farmington,NM Label: Independent Label What can I say? This is one bad ass band through and through. This is like Korn, Coal Chamber and something I can't quite put my finger on all rolled up into one. The vocals are brutal. The music is hardcore but controlled at the same time, and the drum beats hit. Look 'em up , listen and enjoy! http://www.sig99.com/ http://www.myspace.com/signal99 http://cdbaby.com/cd/signal99music http://www.sonicbids.com/signal99

Artist: Phenium Album: IncubHate Genre: Thrash-core Location: Italy Label: Unsigned Hardcore drum beats, thrashing guitars and insane vocals make this band a must listen. It was a different but bad ass as hell. These guys rock it out. Check it out! http://www.sonicbids.com/signal99

To get your band listed here in the Chaotic Showcase and future interviews, please submit your band to us via www.musicsubmit.com/thegate or you can email Jennifer .

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ONE - Dirty Valentine By Chris Dumas

These guys I can't put my finger on yet. The way they laid this CD out is awesome. Their sound is amazing. The clean vocals are out of this world. The arrangements of the music is just genious. I havent found a dull moment on this disc. The guitar solo's are just brutal as ever. I can't get enough! The song I Know is gotta be my favorite. Not to many bands as heavy and bad ass as these guys slow it down. And they did and nailed it. The drums on this CD are just killer. There are lots of great drummers out there and this is one. And the bass is heavy and thundering like a bass should be. Dirty Valentine is a very good CD, one that will be in my library for good.. I lust cant get enough !!

Special Ops - The Heart of the Infidel Special Ops is one of those bands that just grows on ya. And this CD is one of them. You have every element of just plain ass great music on this one. The way the vocals gfo from mellow to hard in your face to clean. What a great vocalist. The guitar is just sick. From the rythm to the solos, there is a moment the guitar will let ya down. The lowend is held down so solid by the bass. And the way I like it, heavy and heart pounding. It's just in time with the drums. The two parts of the music I listen to the most. The heart beat of a band and these 2 have it down pat.Like I said Special Ops is a band that keeps you on your toes and wondering whats next. My horns are up in the air for these guys no doubt !!

Tony Smotherman Wow, totaly instrumental. Had me from the start. It's heavy, then it's mellow, thens it's just plain badass !! I'm normally not into just instrumental.. Gotta have some lyrics.. But the way the guitar just sings on this album is genius.. Every bit of this CD is perfect. Amazing amazing musicianship on this album.. Never a dull moment at all.. Just keeps coming at you with something new thru out the whole song and CD.. The speed and timeing of the drums and guitar will blow your mind.. Been pumpin my fist in the air to this one and will; be for a very long long time !!

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Tony Smotherman Wow, totally instrumental. Had me from the start. It's heavy, then it's mellow, then it's just plain badass !! I'm normally not into just instrumental.. Gotta have some lyrics.. But the way the guitar just sings on this album is genius.. Every bit of this CD is perfect. Amazing, amazing musicianship on this album.. Never a dull moment at all.. Just keeps coming at you with something new thru out the whole song and CD.. The speed and timing of the drums and guitar will blow your mind.. Been pumpin my fist in the air to this one and will; be for a very long long time !!

Chris Walker Once again another all instrumental CD. And yet another great one at that. I never thought I'd listen to instrumental over and over again, but I have and will keep doing it !! I have nothing but good stuff to say about this album. Just plain ass bad ass !! One of those CD's that you were glad you heard and will share with ever one you know so they can go out and buy it !! I'm a strong believer in good albums with out vocals now.. Kinda nice to get a break from all the screaming, growling what ever, you know what I mean !! A must by people..

Dynahead Fast in your face, then bam, slow down to some great music. I love it when a band uses a pause in their songs. From the vocals to the drums. This band is a stellar bunch of guys. They know what we wanna hear and the write and record it for us to jam too.. This is a metal heads dream CD. It's got it all.. From plain brutal ear piercing solos, to blow your heart up bass. And the drums will just make your teeth rattle. The vocals have so much range and that rare out of a lot of bands.. Something I wish there was more of. I was glad to get my hands on this CD. Was not a disappointment by any means.. Top notch top notch !!!

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