News From The Pit
Greetings to all Pit People! Read on for upcoming shows, news, and a couple of CD reviews.
July 1 - Tek World - "DK Records Showcase,"- featuring C.T.K., 30 Pieces Of Silver, Sen, Incursion and Smack.
July 6 - Tek World - Haste, Minus, Sen, Shun and Spiritfall.
July 6 - "Original Rock Showcase" at Phoenix Hill Tavern - Check out Tha Rukas, Kave Hill, Outspoken and 13 Level. Starts at 9 p.m.
Early notice for the August showcase - "Big Summer Bash," featuring Factor 9, Flaw, Constant, 13A and Element H.
July 8 - The B.R.Y.C.C. House - Check out No Innocent Victim, touring in support of their new record Tipping The Scales.
July 14 - The B.R.Y.C.C. House - Sen, Coronach, Abscise, Nunslaughter (from Cleveland, OH) and Adamah (from Greenville, OH). Doors open at 6 p.m, show starts at 7 p.m. $6 will get ya in.
July 20 - The Crunch Zone - Flaw, 13 Level, Adrenalintake and TBA.
July 27 - Tek World - Tornacade, Downside, Engrind, and 13 Level. Doors open at 7:30p.m. - all ages. $6 gets you in.
Krazy Fest 2001 - July 27-29 - at The Water Tower. For more information go to www.initialrecords.com.
Later this summer, Look for the WLRS "Battle Of The Bands" every weekend at Willow Lake Tavern. All the bands involved will get to play and then a winner will be chosen. The winner will receive free studio time from Chris Cassetta at Falk Recording Studio. This event will be brought to us by Eddy Metal and Xtremekore Productions.
If you are interested in getting your band in on the action, send a CD or music sample to Eddy Metal, 4006 South 5 Street, Louisville, Ky. 40214 or email eddymetal1@aol.com
Get your tickets now for the 15 Annual Milwaukee Metalfest! The fest will happen on August 10 and 11 at The Milwaukee Auditorium. Approximately 150 bands will play the two - day event.
Here is some of the line up - Chaos Theory, The Fallen, Mortician, Immolation, Katatonia, Destroyer 666, Darkane, Pig Destroyer, Myself Am Hell, Crowbar, Soilent Green, Sworn Enemy, The Electric Hellfire Club, Murder Squad, Diesel Machine, D.R.I. and many more.
Tickets are $55 for a two - day pass or $35 for a single day pass. You can buy tickets at www.ticketmaster.com. , Relapse Records 1 - 800 - 303 - 0606 or www.relapse.com
Nightfall Records in Minneapolis - 612-724-8166 or Chicago - 773-725-3530.
For more information - call the Metalfest Hotline - 414-225-9060 or visit www.metalfest.com
News and Tidbits
A bit of morbid news from the ever money-hungry Kiss. The band has yet another piece of merchandise to sell - "The Official Kiss Kasket" is now available! The "kasket' features a specially laminated mural of the current band members (does this mean Eric Singer or Peter Criss?), and the Kiss logo. "Kiss Forever" is also imprinted on the side. The completely waterproof casket can also be used as a giant cooler for soft drinks and beer, according to the Kiss website.
In one press release, Gene Simmons said "I love livin', but this makes the alternative look pretty damn good."? OK!!?
The asking price of the "Kiss Kasket" is around $5000. I love Kiss and have several collectible items, but this is a bit much for me.
I don't know which is more ridiculous, the "kasket" or Eric Singer in Peter Criss' makeup on the final tour! For more info go to www.kissonline.com
The release of Slayer's new record God Hates Us All has been pushed back to an August release. I hope to have a review of this in next month's issue.
Look for a DVD from Corrosion Of Conformity -recorded live in Detroit this year - to be released in August.
Local band Vendetta is looking for a bass player with 2-5 years experience. The band members are between the ages of 16-18 and are looking for someone age 15-19. The band will also be changing the name of the band, as other acts already have the name. For more info, contact Jay at 372-2060 (pager) or email at somethingfalse@aol.com
Keep your ears open for Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters all metal side project Probot. The all star line up will feature Max Cavalera (Soulfly), Lemmy (Motorhead), Tom Araya (Slayer), Phil Anselmo (Pantera), King Diamond, Wino (Spirit Caravan), Snake (Ex - Voivod), Chronos (Venom), Mike Dean (C.O.C.), Lee Dorian (Cathedral) and Eric Wagner (Trouble).
Great read for all fans of heavy music - Motley Crue - The Dirt - Confessions Of The World's Most Notorious Rock Band.
I bought this book a few days after it's release and couldn't put it down! Whether you've grown up with the Crue (like many of us metalheads have) when they first hit the scene or if you've just heard the band mentioned in conversation, this book is for you. The Crue boys have seen and done it all and lived to tell about it. The word "excess" wasn't in their vocabulary.
Prepare to be stunned, disgusted, delighted, and enlightened!
Quickie CD Reviews
Rating scale - 1 - 5 Skulls.
Revolution...Revolucion (Roadrunner Records)
Ill Nino
With bands like Ill Nino, Un Loco, and Nonpoint hitting the scene, the Latin metal force is letting its voice be heard.
All of the above mentioned bands are great additions to the nu-metal movement - but there's not a lot that distinguishes one from the other.
Revolution...Revolucion has all the ingredients that make a metal band good - pounding, crushing, loud music that kicks you in the face, plus a vocalist who can really sing and scream. That's one thing I do like about a lot of the nu-metal bands.
Ill Nino's sound is like Pantera, Soulfly and Sepultura, with a dash of Incubus mixed in. My picks of the bunch are "If You Still Hate Me," "Rumba," "Predisposed" and the angry, intense title track "Revolution/ Revolucion."
As I've said before - Roadrunner knows how to pick `em.
1/2
Adema (Arista Records)
Adema
Adema hails from Bakersfield, California, the land of Korn. Actually, singer Markie Chavez is the half brother of Korn frontman Jonathan Davis. I'd say it's a good guess that the band got just a little bit of help from Korn in getting where they are right now.
Surprisingly, Adema doesn't sound much like Korn, which is a good thing.
Of course, there are songs such as "Do What You Want To Do" which could be on any Korn album. Overall though, Adema pretty much does there own thing.
Their sound is heavy with a bit of an Orgy feel. My picks of the bunch are the CD's crunchy opener "Everyone," "Blow It Away," "Skin" and "Drowning."
Wasted Youth Brew (Victory Records)
Blood For Blood
Blood For Blood's sound is aggressive hardcore metal with a punk attitude. These guys were one of the first. They've been doing their thing since they raged outta Boston back in 1995.
Wasted Youth Brew is a collection of all that is Blood - all the best, some rare stuff and even some live stuff - check out "Bitch Called Hope" - it's insane!
All in all - there are twenty-five tunes to let out your aggression and clear your head to. If you're a long time fan of Blood For Blood - you gotta get this one! Even if you're only vaguely aware of the band, it's worth taking a listen too. Blood For Blood is furious and in your face.
Go get it!
Ok, that's it for me this month.
Next month's column will be my last.
I'll tell ya more about that in the August Pit News.
See ya in the Pit!!