Rock Hard Festival 2017 livestream confirmed

This weekend has a double-treat coming up for us - not only will the Rock am Ring festival take place but the Open Air of the megazine of the same name (Rock Hard) will also open it's gates.

Anyway it has just been announced that there will be a livestream of this festival, too.
You can watch the shows at the homepage of the legendary TV format "Rockpalast".

So far it's sure that the broadcast times will be as follows:

Friday, 02.06.17: 16:00 – 23:00 h
Saturday, 03.06.17: 14:00 – 23:00 h
Sunday, 04.06.17: 18:30 – 23:00 h

The traditional way live videos were recorded back in the day...

Here's the running order taken of the Rock Hard festival website:

Friday, 2. Juni

21:30 - 23:00 BLUES PILLS
19:45 - 21:00 CANDLEMASS
18:15 - 19:15 THE DEAD DAISIES
17:05 - 17:50 MANTAR
16:00 - 16:40 ROBERT PEHRSSON‘S HUMBUCKER
15:00 - 15:40 DUST BOLT

Saturday, 3. Juni

21:30 - 23:00 BEHEMOTH
19:45 - 21:00 D.A.D.
18:15 - 19:15 EXODUS
16:45 - 17:45 ASPHYX
15:35 - 16:20 SKYCLAD
14:30 - 15:15 THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA
13:30 - 14:10 KETZER
12:30 - 13:10 MONUMENT

Sunday, 4. Juni

21:30 - 23:00 OPETH
19:40 - 21:00 DIRKSCHNEIDER („Farewell To Accept“)
18:00 - 19:10 FATES WARNING
16:30 - 17:30 ROSS THE BOSS („Manowar-Classics“)
15:15 - 16:00 DEMON
14:05 - 14:50 SECRETS OF THE MOON
13:00 - 13:40 BLOOD CEREMONY
12:00 - 12:40 NIGHT DEMON

In addition to all of this there will be a broadcast of shows via german television station WDR. The exact dates are give below:

19.06.17:  00:45 - 04.15 h
26.06.17:  00:45 - 04:15 h
03.07.17:  00:45 - 04:15 h

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.

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.