Fear Factory frontman to appear on 3rd Delain album

In September 2011, it was reported that Dutch symphonic metal band Delain were entering the studio to begin work on their third album. With work almost completed, more details about the album have surfaced.

‘We Are The Others’ does not have an official release date just yet, but the cover art can be viewed below.

One of the new songs, ‘Where Is The Blood’ features a guest vocal from Fear Factory & g//z/r man Burton C. Bell.

“We Are The Others” track listing:
01. Mother Machine
02. Electricity
03. We Are The Others
04. Milk And Honey
05. Hit Me With Your Best Shot
06. I Want You
07. Where Is The Blood (feat. Burton C. Bell)
08. Generation Me
09. Babylon
10. Are You Done With Me
11. Get The Devil Out Of Me
12. Not Enough

TICKTOCKMAN – Ticktockman

Seattle band Ticktockman self-released their debut EP ‘Periscope’ in February 2010.  This debut full-length – released a full two years later – was also issued without the backing of a label.  Like most releases, it has its obvious strengths. The first thing that’s striking is the fact that for a DIY project, the production – handled by Derek Moree – is superb.  The second thing that hits the listener is that, in Brock Lowry, this band possesses a terrific drummer.  Within a minute of the opening number ‘Archaic Republic’ he’s attacking his kit in a manner which recalls the mighty Dave Grohl in his youth.  Unfortunately, beyond these two aspects, there’s not much that’s particularly enduring about ‘Archaic Republic’ – the riffs are fine, though rather ordinary and the vocals are a tad lightweight.  Repeated listens help highlight the enjoyable qualities – as does cranking the volume knob – but overall, Ticktockman bring little that’s new to their chosen brand of alt-rock on this opening statement.

In fact, it’s not until track three, ‘The Architect’, where the band steps things up to a level that hints at something potentially special.  Lowry is given ample opportunity to lay down a few interesting drum parts and between the full-on rock moments, he can be heard playing some cool fills interspersed with some off-kilter stops.  Those drums are most effective when combined with Andy Lum’s lead guitar parts – full of overdrive in a Dave Navarro style, combined with what sounds like a touch of wah-wah pedal.  A few of the riffs recall bands like Oceansize, the LOUDquietLOUD technique is in full flow and the vocals are more atmospheric too, subjected to echo and other studio trickery.  With the full on drums balanced by some superb atmospheres and subtle guitar lines towards the end, maybe Ticktockman would have been wiser to use this as their opening number… It certainly showcases a band with a better – and more interesting – musical range.

Also excellent is ‘Jungle Cutter’, with its heartfelt vocal and solid rhythmic base.  Simpler than so much of Ticktockman’s material, and so much the better for it too: in addition to the great features already mentioned you’ll find a lovely bassline and noodling guitar solo to flesh things out even farther.  The first solo kind of ambles, but never in a way which feels like it’s merely playing for time.  It could be said there are slight resemblances to similar approaches employed by John Frusciante, though with fewer sharp edges.  The second solo (presumably played by the other of the band’s two guitarists) is more in keeping with the main riff itself; a touch of wah, a heavy dose of retro feel in the tone and served up with bags of attitude.  Brief and to the point, it’s a decent companion to the song’s main riff, which in terms of swaggering bravado is probably the album’s finest.

The rest of the album isn’t without its enjoyable moments – the riffs come thickly laid throughout, and as already said, Brock Lowry is an excellent drummer – but there’s nothing that’s really on a par with ‘Jungle Cutter’ or ‘The Architect’.  ‘The Mighty Veil’ has another meaty riff, ‘Expose of New Orleans’ possesses a tight rhythmic pattern worthy of Tom Morello jamming with UK metallers Mishkin (as well as a couple of unexpected Mexicana styled moments), or the atmospheric end of ‘Dirty Ole Sunset’ puts a mix of vibrato filled guitars and slightly distorted electric piano motifs to best use – every one of these statements helps paint a picture of Ticktockman’s sound – but none of this technical brilliance distracts from the fact that very little of the material is that memorable in the long term.

In accordance with their self-imposed mission statement of “bringing loud music back to Seattle”, Ticktockman can consider this album a success.  While, on a technical level, there’s really nothing wrong with this record – it’s well played and brilliantly produced, and individually none of the tracks could ever be dislikeable if you like alternative rock served with big riff – there are plenty of times when it could do with a few choruses to help cement the tunes inside your head after they’ve ended.  It’s entirely possible that lots of alt-rock fans will enjoy what’s offered by Ticktockman, but despite some great musical chops their material can feel oddly unsatisfying if you’re looking for something enjoyable in the long term.

February 2012

Veil of Maya: European tour dates

In support of their 2012 album ‘Eclipse’, American tech/math metallers Veil of Maya are embarking on a lengthy tour of Europe; a tour which visits venues in various countries, including two UK shows.

You can catch the band at the following venues in the following cities:

27/04 Munchen (D) Backstage
28/04 Prague (CZ) Rock Cafe
29/04 Stuttgart (D) LKA
30/04 Lindau (D) Vaudeville
01/05 Bochum (D) Matrix
02/05 Reading (UK) Sub89
03/05 Leeds (UK) The Well
04/05 London (UK) Underworld
05/05 Newcastle (UK) O2 Academy2
06/05 Manchester (UK) Moho
07/05 Birmingham (UK) O2 Academy3
08/05 Rotterdam (NL) Baroeg
09/05 Aarschot (B) De Klinker
10/05 Paris (F) Batofar
11/05 Aarau (CH) Kiff
12/05 Roncade (I) New Age Club
13/05 Wien (A) Viper Room
14/05 Budapest (HU) Durer Kert
15/05 Leipzig (D) Conne Island
16/05 Copenhagen (DK) Pumpehuset
17/05 Hamburg (D) Markthalle
18/05 Koblenz (D) Circus Maximus
19/05 St Petersburg (RUS) Arktika
20/05 Moscow (RUS) Plan B

The band’s third album ‘Eclipse’ is released on Sumerian Records on 27th February.

Killing Joke: tracklisting announced for upcoming studio album

The track listing has been announced for Killing Joke’s 2012 studio release, the appropriately titled ‘2012’.

The band’s fifteenth studio album, the following songs have been confirmed to appear:
‘Pole Shift’
‘Fema Camp’
‘Rapture’
‘Colony Collapse’
‘Corporate Elect’
‘In Cythera’
‘Primobile’
‘Glitch’
‘T rance’
‘On All Hallow’s Eve’

In support of the album, the band will also embark on a UK tour, taking in the following venues:
Exeter Lemon Grove (March 4)
O2 Academy Bristol (5)
Norwich Waterfront (6)
London Roundhouse (8)
Sheffield Corporation (9)
Manchester Academy 2 (10)
O2 ABC Glasgow (12)
O2 Academy Newcastle (13)
Wolverhampton Wulfrun Hall (14)
Portsmouth Pyramids Centre (16)
O2 Academy Oxford (17)

The goth/industrial/hard rock outfit has aquired near legendary status after years of hard work and have a legion of famous fans, as well as shared band members with metal band Prong and The Orb. Their debut release is often cited as a major influence and having a pioneering sound. While the cold mechanical feel and influence of 1979’s ‘Killing Joke’ can be heard on hundreds of albums, very few – perhaps none – sounded like it prior to its release.

Clint Boge quits The Butterfly Effect

It has been reported that Australian alternative rock band The Butterfly Effect are to part ways with their lead vocalist Clint Boge.

Reports say that Boge is leaving the band after over a decade to persue other musical interests and the split is amicable.

The band are to play a last set of live shows in Australia before Boge moves on. Fans can catch the band at the following venues between April and June 2012:

Fri 27 Apr
Andergrove Tavern
Mackay

Sat 28 Apr
The Venue
Townsville

Sun 29 Apr
Brothers Leagues Club
Cairns

Wed 2 May
The Great Northern
Byron Bay
Thur 3 May
The Arena
Brisbane

Fri 4 May
Coolangatta Hotel
Gold Coast

Sat 5 May
Kings Beach Tavern
Sunshine Coast

Wed 9 May
The Plantation
Coffs Harbour

Thur 10 May
Panthers Leagues Club
Newcastle

Fri 11 May
UNSW Roundhouse
Sydney

Sat 12 May
Waves
Wollongong

Wed 16 May
UCU Bar
Canberra

Fri 18 May
Bended Elbow
Geelong

Sat 19 May
Inferno
Traralgon

Sun 20 May
Pier Live
Frankston

Tues 22 May
Hotel New York
Launceston

Wed 23 May
Wrest Point Casino
Hobart

Fri 25 May
Palace Theatre
Melbourne

Sat 26 May
The Bridgeway Hotel
Adelaide

Sun 27 May
HQ
Adelaide

Sat 2 June
Prince Of Wales
Bunbury

Sun 3 June
Metro City
Perth

(tour dates courtesy of triple j)