SpiteFuel take us to "Dreamworld Collapse"

Things are moving constantly forward in the SpiteFuel camp. After a successfull first album and lot's of shows during this year the Heavy Rockers are preparing relentlessly new music for their followers. The first fruits of their efforts are already coming into sight so today we can hand the first details of the upcoming longplayer to you.

The upcoming album, which will be called "Dreamworld Collapse", will be released in spring next year via MDD Records and will follow a lyrical and musical concept.

Therefore the band apparently has planned some surprises, because on their Facebook page they are announcing the upcoming album as follows: "We are so happy to work with so many great people on this project to bring you our vision of this record… stay tuned!"

Make sure to stay in connection with SpiteFuel using Facebook so you won't miss out anything.

Knowing that waiting can be a painful thing I've included a proshot live video of one of the band's performances below. The song comes of the first album "Second To None".

It's been filmed with official license of the band but still has the raw and unfiltered charme of a real live recording with it. You can even spot the fun of the musicians in their faces while performing live  during  the clip - those emotions have been captured very well. Not to be seen often in such recordings.

CD Review: Dö - Astral: Death/Birth (Dark Stoner Metal, 2017)

Introduction

Over a year has passed since the Finish stoner trio released "Tuho", and now they are back with a brand new two song EP called "Astral: Death/Birth".

It's a concept EP inspired by things happening around us at this very moment, and the future that does not look that bright for mankind.

The songs were recorded live during one session at their rehearsal space. The aim was to capture the intensive live feeling and maintain their roughness this way.

The cover of Dö's Astral: Death/Birth, Cover by Big Dog, (c) by Dö, used with kind permission

Summary

This EP takes some of the finest elements of the predecessor and developes the music of the band to a new more atmorspheric level. The EP starts out with many loud-silent soundscapes in track number one "Astral Death" as if the song slowly fades in. It's a intensive but slow introduction to the fresh material followed by the typical compact stoner sound. The band shows what they're capable of when it comes to being a tight rhythm oriented band. The song is filled to the brim with compact riffs and kick ass drums that you'll love once you've discovered 'em. The end rips the track up - things start to get much more rougher on this one but things are still enjoyable. It's my favorite of the new EP - it has this relaxing effect on me once again (at least in the begining of it).

The second song "Astral Birth" comes as a extended jamming number. The track unfolds throughout the full duration. So there is basically a core drum pattern and melody present while more elements are added every here and there. This reminds of music in tradition of longtracks of progressive bands. At the middle at around 6 minutes more rough elements are added to the track giving the song a rougher sound jacket. Finally there's one more change at round 9 minutes giving it a even more devasted feeling. The song is great yet the only thing I would change is not to put in too many of the high notes with it - they tend to dominate the sound a bit too much.

It may sound as a contrast but in all the rough live sound the band has put in a lot of outworked fine details. More than ever this is music for relaxtion and mediation. Concentrate and focus on the music. You'll love the enjoyment this will bring you.

A promo band shot, Photo by Jaakko Rinne, (c) by Dö, used with kind permission

Purchase-Link

The EP is self-released digitally on May 26th 2017 via Bandcamp, and there will be a small amount of CD's available from the Bandcamp site, too. If the band will set up a EP stream I'll include it here so please check back from time to time.

Update 2017/05/26: The EP is out and a stream has surfaced so I've added it below.


Contact Data

Make sure to follow the next steps of the band via Facebook. That's where you can also pick up more info on upcoming dates and so on.

Jupiter Hollow reveal tourdates and send us Deep in Space

The release of the debut EP of the progressive duo Jupiter Hollow is drawing near. And as much as you (hopefully) are excited about the release as much I am looking forward to hear the final product.

As of today I can at least share one more video of the EP with you. It reveals one more track and shows how much diversity and feeling the two guys are able to transport with thir music to the listener. This time around it comes more to the rough and cutting side of the band but don't worry: there is still enough space for the melodies and big riffs to shine through the harder parts of the sound. Besides that it is also a perfect demonstration of how good the guys are when it comes to playing shows.

Shows is a good word: the band was able to confirm more dates in the meantime. Just check the column underneath the video to read all the details about the new tour dates.


Show Dates:
December 9 - Barrie, ON - Foxx Lounge
December 10 - Montreal, QC - Club Lambi
January 14 - Toronto, ON - Smiling Buddha (CD Release Show) - info

In the meantime pick up a free download of their track 'Ascending' available at http://www.grantmackenzie.ca/jupiterhollow

The prog duo Jupiter Hollow,
L-R- Grant MacKenzie (guitar, bass, synth), Kenny Parry (vocals, drums, synth/keys). Photo by Sandra Beatty 

The EP 'Odyssey' will drop on January 13th. The concept record will feature 5 tracks to introduce their ambient experimental progressive songwriting plus will act as a prelude to their planned full length 'AHDOMN'. Their sound is referred to as spacey, experimental and refreshing, reminding listeners of bands like Tool, Pink Floyd, A Perfect Circle, Tesseract, The Contortionists and Rush.

For more info make sure to see the band's homepage.

Abraham Sarache looks at relationsships in a sophisticated way

Sometimes real special stuff arrives to my inbox. This particular one is one of these things that picked my attention. I think it's a good thing to have a look on other music than the one you use to listen to or stuff that falls in between the so often mentioned genre borders.

This track of multi-instrumentalist Abraham Sarache mixes up a lot of acoustic guitars along with hard hitting drumming plus deeply emotional vocals all over it. The pretty amazing thing is that besides the heavyness that comes from the pushing and hard hitting drums there's enough space in the sound for the feelings and that the guitars gladly never get lost so there's always a melody going through the whole track.

Check it out for yourselves and mark your Facebook calenders since Abraham Sarache will play a special release show in support of the album "The Gardener" (from which this track has been taken) at Volta in Amsterdam on June 24th. The show will be recorded for a future live release.
You can purchase the track or the whole record now from iTunes and Spotify. 


"The Gardener" is an alt/progressive rock concept album with the inclusion of folk instruments like ukulele and Venezuelan cuatro. To express the feelings involved, different kinds of voice registers are provided: from a soft, melodious or whispered voice to raspy voice. Various pads and synthesizers are used to give depth and warmth to the songs where an acoustic guitar with a low tuning predominates. A multicultural composition on the instrumental level and a progressive rhythmic base create an exquisite atmosphere of imbalance and peculiarity.

The philosophy behind the album is based on the fact that in any interpersonal relationship, whether it is a friendship or a romantic connection, there is a duality between the one that participates in an active way (The Gardener) and the one that does it in a passive way (The Flower).

“All of us at some point of our lives have a role of a gardener and in other moments we are flowers,” Sarache commented.

“We can all identify ourselves as the Gardener when we talk about a person we were looking after because we liked him or her, we wanted to know more about this person or we just wanted to spend more time with them, no matter what. We simply did everything possible to make things work.

The cover of Abraham Sarache's album "The Gardener", (c) by Abraham Sarache, used with kind permission

“On the other hand, we have been also in situations when someone was interested in us in a special way, but the feeling was not mutual. We still wanted to maintain a relationship because we liked other aspects of that person's character. To this behavior I refer to as the Flower,” he continues.

“The Crush: Eyes of Fire” which opens The Gardener was awarded as the Best Alternative Rock Song by The Akademia Music Awards in May 2015. Sarache released a video single for the song, and he commented: “This is a very special video for me. My first video as a solo artist showing parts of my everyday in Madrid and Margarita Island where concept album The Gardener was conceived and recorded.”

For the upcoming show at Volta in Amsterdam on June 24th, Abraham Sarache will be joined by Dutch alternative/progressive rockers Amikdla. Visit Abraham Sarache's official website here.

Silent Line release concept album talking about being lost on a island that fades away

Some bands these days really have a idea of how they can capture one's attention. This thought came to my mind when I head about Silent Line's new album "Shattered Shores". Not only was I curious to get to know more about the band after I read that they make Melodic Death Metal in the style of old In Flames (and old Amorphis also comes to my mind when listening to them) but moreover the album concept got me quite quickly.

Having read about the concept I ended up listening to the album teaser numerous times. Please don't blame me if the same thing will happen to you yearning for the full record at the end of the day. ;-)

It is the band's first attempt on a concept record that depicts a tortured island stuck in time being slowly worn away by an endless ocean. A single person is referred to throughout the album and everything is told from their point of view as they wander, stuck on the island -- unsure of how they got there, and unsure if they will ever leave.

The cover expresses the concept perfectly in my eyes. Just look at the rocks. They show the signs of time and one can easily say that they will break away soon. (c) by Silent Line, used with kind permission

The lyrics revolve around the themes of overcoming hardships, anxiety, and “weathering the storm” in order to persevere. The title track is split into two parts, and throughout the album several thematic riffs and lyrics are repeated, creating a motif for listeners. The title references being stranded and trapped forever as the shores become more eroded and the reality of isolation sets in.

Themes of frost, snow, fire, night, and stars are used to illustrate feelings of hopelessness, fear, and loss. Another recurring theme is the storm, which brings change and renewal; it is – for lack of a better term – the symbol of hope and of a brighter future.

The band had the aim to create a album that leaves hope at the end of the day. Silent Line said about the record in their own words:
"(...) It’s not meant to be depressing, but it deals with real issues and lots of the time those are not pretty. While it is a darker album, the message is not. Overcoming internal issues and feelings is the prime focus, and to describe how important that is, it is necessary to spend time describing the more pessimistic side of things and what makes it so crippling.(...)"

Just check out the trailer to get a idea of the sound of the band and record. You can buy the full album as a physical CD over at CD Baby or digitally through stores such as iTunes, Amazon or Google Play.

For more info about the band and to stay in touch with them make sure to see the Facebook page of Silent Line.

Interview with A Light Within

Short introduction

With this interview a new section on metalunderdogs is opened up. Here we'd like to talk to new, young and upcoming bands about their current or past releases and take a little look behind the scenes.

Today we had the pleasure to speak with Jeff from the band A Light Within. Recently we did a review of their first EP called "Preface" and now it was time to take a closer look upon this band. Hope you all enjoy this new section of the site. Please let us know in the comments below or drop a E-Mail with your suggestions. If you're interested in setting up a interview I'd appreciate a E-Mail as well. Thanks!

Band introduction / player

(c) A Light Within, used with kind permission

A Light Within, are a Post/Progressive Alt Rock band from Kansas City, MO USA. The band started as did so many other bands before, from the demise of the band members previous bands. With no planned direction, a bond was formed and a voice/sound began to develop and be defined. The first EP “Preface “ was recorded by the band in 2012 and was mixed by Kyle Brandt and released in 2013.

The EP is a concept based upon a reflection of one’s life as the end draws near. “Aged eyes gaze upon the vast ocean through the window in the living room. Attempts to recollect life start with what little is known of birth. As these memories strive to keep the lungs breathing, and the heart beating, they slowly trickle from the mind one by one; releasing the will of existence. As questions of life arise, so do questions of death; for the first has been experienced and the latter may be welcome.”. (These notebook pages contain substance of a persons mind, body, and soul while their time was spent on earth.)



The Interview

Thank you for taking the time to do this interview. Can you tell our readers something about the equipment you use? Is there something special in instruments you use to create the sounds that can be heard on "Preface"?

Thanks for wanting to know more about us. We appreciate the support. Our equipment is nothing out of the ordinary. Guitars, bass, vocals and drums. Our setups are somewhat different. For starters, we have too many pedals (don’t think that can ever be said). Each guitarist has a multitude of pedals, the bass has a good amount and Kyle, singer, uses a couple of pedals for his voice as well as a microphone made from a old school payphone. It’s these different sounds/elements that helped to create our sound.


Did you record the whole album for yourselves? Did you also create the package on your own? The recording has a fine quality!

Both Kyle and I (Jeff, guitar) have home studio setups and since we’re using ProTools, we can easily pass files back and forth. The drums and vocals were done in his studio and the guitars and bass were recorded in mine. Kyle spent many hours mixing, so it’s always good to hear that people like quality of the recording. We’ve both learned a lot since then and can’t wait to get to recording the new EP. I’m a graphic designer and enjoy having the chance to create an interesting package for our music.

(c) A Light Within, used with kind permission

Where do you get your inspirations from?

It’s really difficult to pinpoint where an exact inspiration comes from, I know this may be cliche, but inspiration is all around you, whether it be a sound, a smell or something you see. We’re are inspired by the music we listen to, the people in our lives, our heroes we look up to or just the way your dog looks at you. In practice someone may be fiddling around with an idea and 20 minutes later a song is born. Sorry to be so abstract.

Was there a discussion in the band before recording the EP about the lyrics or how did it come together? Who works on the lyrics anyway?

(c) A Light Within, used with kind permission

The music was mostly written before Kyle was officially in the band, well 2 partially written songs. We’d send him the ideas and he started doing vocal demos and had this concept idea that we all really liked and went with it. Kyle writes all the lyrics.

How is the songwriting going on? Is there one band member that comes around with a idea for a song or is it more done as a collaboration between all the band members? Do you often jam around to find new sounds?

We are pretty organic when it comes to songwriting. Someone may have an idea that they start playing and we jam on it and see where it takes us. We all work on ideas outside of practice, but there’s not one main songwriter, it’s a full on collaboration. We have a few complete song ideas for the next EP and have 2 more that partial thoughts that we’ll finish up to complete it. We started recording drums and we’re really excited to get this EP completed.

The numbers of the songs refer to pages. Why aren't they set in line on the EP, or is it just that the songs fit better this way on the record?

The songs are sequenced how they are because of the way they flow together. There wasn’t a plan on how to place them on the EP, it just felt right.

Is the artwork also somehow involved in the lyrical concept? The backside image of the inlay has some relation to them with the clock and the lyrics in them.

I had the main idea of the artwork completed in my head way before the songs were recorded. I added the clock as a design element to tie into the lyrical concept a bit more. And I thought adding the lyrics was just another layer/texture to add to the visual aspect of our package to coincide with the layering/textural aspect of our music.

What are your plans for the future? Can you already give a little sneak peek on how the lyrical concept of the EP will be continued on the next record?

Right now we are writing and recording our next EP, writing new ideas with our new(ish) bassist and just trying to build our audience and get as much exposure as we can. We are extending the concept of the 1st EP into this one as 2 of the songs were written around the same time as the songs on the 1st EP.

Are there plans to visualise the concept with animations or something else in upcoming shows of the band?

(c) A Light Within, used with kind permission

We did a small visual teaser before the 1st EP was done and we plan on doing another one once we get a song or 2 recorded for the 2nd one. Maybe even do a full lyric video or full concept video, that would be nice. We’ve also talked about projecting some sort of animations on top of us while we’re playing live. We like the whole idea of stimulating all of the senses.

Where does the band play next? I am sure many people would like to experience the songs in a live concert.

We’ve had a few shows in the last couple of months out of town and we play next at Californo’s in KC in June. Then we play in St. Joseph, MO in July at Cafe Acoustic and back in KC in Aug at the recordBar.

Can people out there book the band if they have a event/Open Air where they would like to see the band playing?

We’re definitely open to play anything. I really think our music would sit well in the festival setting, just something about the expanse of playing outside really fits well with our sound. We missed a chance to play the Euroblast festival last year by the skin of our teeth in an online voting competition. (Now that would have been something amazing to have been a part of) Thanks… visit us online at facebook.com/ALWaudio or alightwithin.bandcamp.com

CD Review: A Light Within - Preface

Note: If you have a own band or project that you think might fit in well here for a review or as a presentation / introduction please do drop me a line or two here in the comments section or please see my profile for my E-Mail adress. I do appreciate new suggestions very much!

If you're having troubles writing in English please send me a E-Mail in your preferred language or use the free Google Translator to transfer your message to English. I also use that tool, it's of course not perfect but I think it will mostly likely work out for our purposes.

Short introduction

A Light Within are a  Post/Progressive Alt Rock band from Kansas City, MO USA. The band started as did so many other bands before, from the demise of the band members previous bands. With no planned direction, a bond was formed and a voice/sound began to develop and be defined. The first EP “Preface “ was recorded by the band in 2012 and was mixed by Kyle Brandt and released in 2013.

The EP is a concept based upon a reflection of one’s life as the end draws near. “Aged eyes gaze upon the vast ocean through the window in the living room. Attempts to recollect life start with what little is known of birth. As these memories strive to keep the lungs breathing, and the heart beating, they slowly trickle from the mind one by one; releasing the will of existence. As questions of life arise, so do questions of death; for the first has been experienced and the latter may be welcome.”. (These notebook pages contain substance of a persons mind, body, and soul while their time was spent on earth.)

Short Summary / Player / Download Link

The band has a beautiful sound, it's very spheric music letting you drift to a very outstanding and unique experience. It's well worth a listen and I did so many times and every time I find out more details that I think I missed out before. If you like bands like Pink Floyd or Deftones I think you'll love the very dedicated music the band creates. Listen to this one in a relaxed surrounding with eyes closed then it comes it's best giving you imaginations unknown.

The concept of the record is also very well worth taking a look, not so many albums come with that. The lyrics can be found directly on the Bandcamp page, so have a look at them if you're interested in finding out more about this. I think it perfectly fits to the sounds the band provides at the album.

"Preface" comes for 3 Dollar as a download from the band's bandcamp page but you can also order a physical CD for only 5 Dollar plus shipping and handling. Check out the stream right here and read my track by track review to find out if it meet's your taste.
If you'd like to stay in touch with the band head on over to Facebook and give their site a like click.

Track by Track Review

1. Page # 32 (Morning)
The song starts very slow. Yes, it feels like you've just been woken up. The epic dimensions of the album can be felt straight from the start of the EP. Vocals come in slowly, distorted vocal lines mix in with a lot of melody and reverb. Some drums come in towards the end of the song, giving it a slight movement forward. It's overall a very spheric sounding world you softly are introduced to. Fits perfectly to the concept of the record.

2. Page # 18 (Grin)
A clock wakes us with a monotone signal. Softly a melody rushes in and soft tone but clear vocals add a lot to the feelings. The song then changes a bit more towards a edgy piece of sound, few drums and much distortion can be heard giving it a raw note before some softness gives you a breath. A climatic end gives some good feelings to the mid of the song. The vocals are a bit streched giving it a bit more good vibe to it. Very ghostly ending with much echos towards the end of it. Some strange words, very distorted bring the track to the end fading out towards the final track of this recording. Page # 18 (Grin) is my favorite track of the EP.

3. Page # 66 (Sixes)
The most moving song of the package. Starts with some guitars and clear guitars in the beginning, then we fastly go over to some experimental keyboards. Hard to take, few silence before the hard and very distorted part rushes in back again. Again with some distorted vocals giving the track it's very own charm.  The end comes in very heavy, very powerfull - giving it a heavy feel to it. A last raw line spoken by the voice, before a soft tone melody guitar riff fades the track to it's end. Let's hope for more to come to continue the conecpt. I surely would love to know how the next step turns out. How will it sound, how will it feel? Let's keep an eye on this...