Political punk-steppers THE KARMA PARTY to release debut EP and embark on Hit The Floor sponsored UK tour
Tuesday 15th January, 2013
Kicking and sneering from the impoverished, derelict, former holiday mecca of Blackpool, THE KARMA PARTY deliver an unparalleled blend of rousing, socially aware punk and UK dubstep, and are an angry voice from the forgotten people of the UK.
The debut EP, ‘Dark Matters’, to be released on March 11 via Beautiful Life, is five tracks of gritty, catchy and politically charged fury, that combine abrasive guitars, dub, hardcore and D&B grooves, electronica and rapid fire vocals.
Check out the video to the track “This is Britain” here:
Inspired by the struggles of the common person in modern Britain, disillusion of all authority and proving that hard times give rise to great music, the four-piece are proud nemeses of the government, the royal family, celebrity culture, the banking system and the music industry. They will take their sound and message throughout the UK on their Hit The Floor magazine sponsored ‘Dark Matters Tour’ in February:
02 Feb – The Lounge Bar, Alton
05 Feb – The Flapper, Birmingham
06 Feb – TBA
07 Feb – Bournemouth, The Anvil
08 Feb – Norwich, The Karma Cafe
09 Feb – TBA
14 Feb – Newcastle, Trillians
15 Feb – Keighley, Exchange Arts Centre
16 Feb – Blackpool, Blue Room
17 Feb – Preston, 53 Degrees
It’s time to stand up and be counted.
Michigan (US) proggers The Omega Experiment to release debut album on Listenable Records
Friday 4th January, 2013
THE OMEGA EXPERIMENT is the quirky, gritty and epically uplifting prog creation from Muskegon (Michigan, US) duo Dan Wieten and Ryan Aldridge, who are very excited to announce signing to Listenable Records and the release of their self-titled debut album.
Set for release on 25 February 2013, "The Omega Experiment" is a concise yet detailed introduction to their sound; heavy guitars, euphoric synths and richly layered vocals are bound together with adventurous arrangements to create a wall of progressive lushness.
Like many fellow modern prog artists, THE OMEGA EXPERIMENT create a massive sound with home equipment and have no fear of experimentation and rule breaking. Big and technical guitars are coupled with keyboards ranging from atmospheric layers to soaring leads, reminiscent of Dream Theater and Queensryche. The vocals are driven by powerful melodies, big harmonies and demonic screams in the vein of Devin Townsend and Mike Patton. Rounded off with a uniquely heavy and yet positive vibe, and catchy hooks aplenty, the end result is a hugely infectious listen that boldly sticks out from the crowd.
THE OMEGA EXPERIMENT have had their praises sung by many esteemed prog and metal artists, and most notably Devin Townsend, who commented via twitter on the self-released "Karma EP", "listening now...great great work man! Seriously great stuff Dan, I fully back it and appreciate the effort you've invested, I wish all luck!". The EP then went on to receive over 2000 downloads.
The band toured the US a number of times in 2012, as well as landing support slots with the likes of Devin Townsend and Periphery, and quickly gained a great live reputation and recognition as a highly unique and exciting addition to the modern prog ranks.
THE OMEGA EXPERIMENT are expected to hit the European live circuit, making appearances are a number of progressive music festivals in the latter half of 2013.
ODESSA announce new guitarist and release dual play-through of "On The Outside"
Friday 14th December, 2012
Birmingham hardcore metallers ODESSA are very excited to announce that Jamie Wrighton has joined that band on guitar, replacing the recently departed Gary Stephens.
To celebrate, the band have recorded a play-through of current single “On The Outside”, featuring both Jamie and guitarist / vocalist Conor Anthony O'rourke. Check it out here
Highly optimistic about the future and what Jamie will bring to the band, lead vocalist Richard Lardner comments: "We're happy to announce Jamie Wrighton as the latest addition to the Odessa family after Gary Stephens recent departure. Jay knows our sound very well, I'm confident with his ability and know that he will bring something new to the table to help us evolve the sound that we already have."
Equally as excited, Jamie Wrighton comments: “Happy to say that i'm now going to be playing alongside my long time friends in Odessa and taking over where Gary Stephens left off. I'm looking forward to adding a bit of my style to the Odessa sound and seeing what we can accomplish in the future.”
Basick Records announce new signing: ALAYA - video preview inside
Wednesday 12th December, 2012
"Once in a blue moon a band comes along that defies description and hits the spot so hard that you're left breathless and bewildered. Alaya are all that and more. They're progressive, wildly inventive and authentically epic, but they also have an air of otherworldly magic about them. This is how you combine melody and complexity with results that put goosebumps on your goosebumps. This is how you push metal into the future. Alaya are bringing the next level of crushing, intricate and thrillingly soulful metal fusion. Transcendental, triumphant, utterly fucking mind-blowing. The game just changed forever." - Dom Lawson, Metal Hammer Magazine, Classic Rock Magazine, Prog Magazine, Total Rock Radio
BASICK RECORDS are ridiculously excited to welcome U.S. band ALAYA to their rapidly growing international roster.
Based in Chicago, ALAYA stands apart from many of today’s artists, fusing punishing technical rhythm with a genre defying soulful, melodic style.
Comments Basick CEO Nathan 'Barley' Phillips, "One of the best things about this job is discovering hidden talent that you know will immediately resonate with open minded music fans worldwide. Alaya are one of the most exciting and forward-thinking bands I've come across, showcasing incredible levels of musicianship and as a team, we're genuinely excited to be bringing you their debut album next year."
Vocalist/Guitarist Evan Graham Dunn adds, "It's surreal - signing to a label that supports bands I've been a fan of for some time. Uneven Structure especially has been in my deck since "8" was released. As a band, we've waited for our entire career for someone to give us this chance, and we're going to do everything we can to make the most of it. We can't wait to hit the ground running and continue to work our collective asses off knowing now that Basick Records has got our back."
Alongside the announcement, the band and label today released a video for their stunning track, ‘Inside’, destined to be the opening track on ALAYA’S forthcoming debut album, 'Thrones',scheduled for release via Basick Records in 2013.
ALAYA are Evan Graham Dunn (Vocals/Guitar), David Jacob Robison (Drums), Michael Brandt Rinkenberger (Bass/Vocals).
Michael Brandt Rinkenberger, ALAYA's Bass Player/Vocalist added, "For the 'Inside' video we decided to work again with accredited producer and our long time friend, Bob Packo. We started with the concept of a play through but chose to approach it in a different way. The camera angles, lighting and focus are not typical of a play through video and create a unique experience for the viewer that fits well with the energy conveyed by the music. We shot the video DIY style at our rehearsal space. Bob brought a crew in and we cleared the space, hung back drops, set up lighting and camera rigs and spent a full day shooting.....shooting, eating crappy pizza and drinking craft beers. We got some great footage and had a blast putting the whole thing together. Bob and his team edited and wrapped everything up for us in a few days and we're excited about how it turned out!"
The Elijah to release ‘Live at the Underworld’ with Niche - The London String Quartet DVD
Wednesday 28th November, 2012
On 16 November 2012, a packed Camden Underworld witnessed a truly unique and breathtaking show, when transcendental rockers THE ELIJAH took to the Stage with Niche - The London String Quartet.
Nearly 500 music fans watched in awe as the band and string players performed an immensely powerful rendition their debut album ‘I Loved I Hated I Destroyed I Created’ in its entirety, and the experience can soon be relived on DVD.
Guitarist and orchestration composer Sean Harrison explains how the idea came about: “The string and orchestral elements we created on our album using software became a big part of the sound, but even though we created realistic sounding performances, we always wished we had the budget to use real musicians. This inspired the idea for the show, so we emailed around for musicians and the Niche Quartet were really into the idea, and coupled with an enthusiastic promoter on board as well as support from Prog magazine, the show became a reality. When we put the idea out there, the fans responded more than we ever expected which was awesome, but we knew that it would only happen once, so we had it filmed and recorded.”
The bonus features include a behind the scenes look at how it all came together, providing a personal insight into this unique project. Sean continues “We also wanted to show behind the scenes of what went into making the show happen. Having no real music theory knowledge, i basically had to have a crash course in sheet music to create the parts for the quartet.”
The fans were also treated so some previously unperformed material. Sean concludes: “Playing songs like In Misery and I created live was great, as these tracks are very much about the strings, so they wouldn't normally end up in a live set
From 1 December 2012 “The Elijah - Live At The Underworld CD/DVD” and limited edition bundle packs will be available to preorder exclusively from Small Town Records and the audio will be available from major digital retailers worldwide. In addition to the entire live performance, the DVD will feature some great bonus material including The Elijah documentary, all the band’s music videos to date, exclusive interviews and more.
