segunda-feira, 18 de novembro de 2024
INTRODUCING: Vower
There is a really exciting moment at the beginning of a band where there are no preconceived notions on what something should sound like. For VOWER, a project amalgamated from the bare bones of Rabea Massaad [TOSKA], Josh Mckeown [PALM READER] and Joe Gosney and Liam Kearley [both formerly of BLACK PEAKS], with bassist Rory McLean, sonically they rest on heavy foundations of the bands that came before, but have instead created something entirely ferocious and new.
Bringing the best out of the post-hardcore supergroup, they released their new EP Apricity earlier this year, which we ranked a solid 9/10 in our review and appear to be one of the most promising voices in alternative music. Ahead of their Radar Festival set, we chat to Joe and Josh about the direction of the band, their evolution of their sound and new music on the horizon.
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The project started when Liam and Rabea started making music instrumentally, putting the bare bones together for what would become VOWER. Through a few different iterations, with the band almost putting the project to bed entirely, it was picked up again as Joe was asked to play some shows with PALM READER. From there, the stage was set to start recording new music.
As most of the band were based in Brighton, vocalist Josh would come down to do recording sessions of “intense energy”, with Shroud being the first song he recorded the vocals for. However, it was In The Wake Of Failure that made them realise that the project was worthwhile. Joe says, “I got sent a demo straight afterwards and I remember really clearly where I was walking. I listened on my headphones and I got full goosebumps.”
For Josh, who had recently played their last show with PALM READER (on the same day VOWER performed their first festival), his “inspiration for vocals and melodies have come easier than I’ve ever known it to,” with In The Wake Of Failure allowing him to explore “a lot of really different vocal techniques, and utilise my rage in the song in a way that wasn’t contrived.” For both Josh and Joe, this became the stand-out track on their new EP.
Their four track record Apricity – meaning the warmth of the sun in winter – was the benchmark for their new sound, constructed from Rabea’s prog background and unmistakably riff-heavy sections descended from BLACK PEAKS. Spearheading their music, Josh’s vocals reminisce and build upon the intense vocals from PALM READER. The EP is daring, with bursts of unpredictability and soaring choruses. In terms of the band’s overall direction, Josh comments that they are “not aiming for a sound necessarily, it’s just what we think sounds cool. What we want to play.” Regardless, VOWER is a true passion project, pushing into uncharted territories in heavy music. It is clear the band are very enthusiastic and excited about this new chapter for the band.
Supporting KARNIVOOL for two dates on their Tri Continental Drift Tour, the band properly got together for the first time to rehearse a few days before their set. They’ve later taken this show on the road in the UK at ArcTanGent, 2000trees and Radar, as well as further afield at Cologne’s Euroblast progressive music festival.
The reception of the project has been really positive for the band with Joe commenting that they’re “all very lucky to be in a band driving to a show to perform to a bunch of people, playing music that we all really care about and all really stand behind.” Josh adding with a smile , “it’s absolutely outrageous. We expected with the notoriety that the other bands have that we had, we thought there would be a bit of a reception, but we never expected it to be received as well as it had been!”
Apricity is out now via self-release.
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Machine Head release new song ‘These Scars Won’t Define Us’
The new song, titled These Scars Won’t Define Us, is the brand new single from the Bay Area-based metal titans and marks their first new music since their latest album, Øf Kingdom and Crøwn, which was released back in August 2022, via Nuclear Blast Records.
The new single features guest appearances from Swedish melodeath veterans IN FLAMES, Italian metallers LACUNA COIL, and American metalcore outfit UNEARTH; all of whom will join the band on their headlining North American tour next year.
Watch the official lyric video for These Scars Won’t Define Us here:
Alongside the release of the new single, the band has announced a headlining North American tour for April and May next year. Support for the tour comes from the aforementioned IN FLAMES, LACUNA COIL and UNEARTH. Tickets for the tour are available now and can be purchased here.
Tour dates are as follows:
4/05/2025 U.S. Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater
4/07/2025 U.S. Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren
4/09/2025 U.S. San Diego, CA @ Observatory North Park
4/10/2025 U.S. Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern
4/12/2025 U.S. Las Vegas, NV @ Sick New World **
4/13/2025 U.S. Salt Lake City, UT @ Union
4/15/2025 U.S. Denver, CO @ The Fillmore Auditorium
4/17/2025 U.S. San Antonio, TX @ The Aztec
4/18/2025 U.S. Houston, TX @ House Of Blues
4/19/2025 U.S. Dallas, TX @ House Of Blues
4/21/2025 U.S. Raleigh, NC @ The Ritz
4/22/2025 U.S. Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore
4/23/2025 U.S. Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Paramount
4/25/2025 U.S. Reading, PA @ Santander Arena
4/26/2025 U.S. Boston, MA @ House Of Blues
4/27/2025 CAN Montreal, QC @ M’Telus
4/28/2025 CAN Toronto, ON @ History
4/30/2025 U.S. Cincinnati, OH @ Andrew J. Brady Music Center
5/02/2025 U.S. Detroit, MI @ The Fillmore
5/03/2025 U.S. Chicago, IL @ Radius
5/04/2025 U.S. Minneapolis, MN @ The Fillmore
5/05/2025 CAN Winnipeg, MB @ Burton Cummings
5/07/2025 CAN Calgary, AB @ Grey Eagle Event Center
5/08/2025 CAN Edmonton, AB @ Midway Music Hall
5/10/2025 CAN Kelowna, BC @ Prospera Place
**Festival date – MACHINE HEAD & LACUNA COIL only
For more information on MACHINE HEAD like their official page on Facebook.
LIVE REVIEW: Lacuna Coil @ O2 Academy, Bristol
It’s wild to think LACUNA COIL has been gracing the music industry for thirty years. They’re on a UK tour ahead of the release of their tenth studio album, Sleepless Empire, a feat few bands achieve, underscoring both the quality of their music and the dedication of their fans. We join them on the tour’s final night, with a line snaking around the building. Fans of LACUNA COIL and BLIND CHANNEL arrive early, excited to see both bands. Excitement buzzes through the venue as the doors open, and an hour later, the lights go down at 8:00 pm. A cheer echoes through the venue as BLIND CHANNEL take to the stage.
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Blind Channel live @ O2 Academy, Bristol. Photo Credit: Serena Hill Photography
Being the one and only support act can be intimidating, but BLIND CHANNEL rise to the occasion with a solid 45-minute set that gives the crowd a great taste of their back catalogue. Bringing just one support act almost makes it feel like two headline sets, as the support band isn’t forced to play just the hits; they can delve into deep cuts for their dedicated fans.
The band blasts onto the stage with DEADZONE, and you can tell they’re seasoned performers. The whole band is moving, hyping up the crowd, and playing the songs to perfection. The first half of the set spanning the most recent three albums, with tracks like Over My Dead Body, where the crowd enthusiastically screams the chorus back, We Are No Saints, and XOXO. After an energetic first half, the set slows down with DIE ANOTHER DAY, it would have been nice to have the RØRY feature like London did but unfortunately we can’t have that at every date on the tour. Regardless, it still makes for a nice breather before they jump back in with Deja Fu, the oldest song on their setlist, from their debut album Revolutions.Blind Channel live @ O2 Academy, Bristol. Photo Credit: Serena Hill Photography
We’re treated to a SYSTEM OF A DOWN cover with B.Y.O.B., a great party song that brings in newcomers for a sing-along, though it would have been nice to see another original track given BLIND CHANNEL’s extensive back catalogue. Back to their own music with WOLVES IN CALIFORNIA, which brings out heavy nu-metal riffs and grooves, showing how nu-metal’s fusion of rap and metal influences today’s bands, including BLIND CHANNEL.
The set wraps up with their recent single, a cover of Everybody (Bloodbro’s Back) by BACKSTREET BOYS, followed by their major breakout hit Darkside. It’s a high-energy end to the night. The set gives newcomers a strong snapshot of what Blind Channel is about, musically and in terms of performance. This may be the last we see of them for a while, as they’re taking a well-deserved break, but we’re already looking forward to their return.
Rating: 9/10Lacuna Coil live @ O2 Academy, Bristol. Photo Credit: Serena Hill Photography
With an eager crowd fully warmed up, LACUNA COIL takes the stage. Blasting through their back catalogue, they’ve got almost ten albums and several EPs to choose from for tonight’s setlist. The first half features hits from recent albums, like Blood, Tears, Dust, Reckless, and Trip To Darkness. We get our first taste of the new album with Oxygen, a track that captures classic LACUNA COIL sound with a modern twist as the band continues to evolve.
With the audience fully immersed, we’re taken back to earlier work with Our Truth, and the crowd joins in on the melody with a chorus of “ahhs” and the classic “hey hey hey” chant. As with many shows, there’s a mid-set break for slower songs, this time with Entwined from Comalies. With Comalies XX re-released in 2022 as reimagined versions, it’s exciting to hear the band’s older tracks evolved to match their current sound, giving long time fans a fresh experience while engaging new listeners.Lacuna Coil live @ O2 Academy, Bristol. Photo Credit: Serena Hill Photography
One of LACUNA COIL’s standout features is their use of dual vocals. Often compared to bands like WITHIN TEMPTATION, NIGHTWISH, and EVANESCENCE, LACUNA COIL distinguishes itself by giving both vocalists an equal role. In the reimagined Comalies XX versions, this balance is even more pronounced. While many think of Cristina Scabbia as the face of the band, they’ve consistently used Andrea Ferro’s vocals to add depth and dynamics. This is showcased in Hosting The Shadow, another new song, where Andrea takes centre stage, demonstrating his range, especially in the absence of LAMB OF GOD‘s Randy Blythe’s feature.
Cristina gets her solo moment with Enjoy The Silence, their DEPECHE MODE cover. Her vocals shine, and it’s the biggest sing-along of the night due to the song’s widespread popularity. As the main set concludes with Never Dawn, the lights dim, and the crowd anticipates an encore.
The encore is packed with fan favourites: Aeon XX flows into Tightrope XX, ending with the massive Swamped XX and Nothing Stands In Our Way. The latter has lyrics that fans scream back at the band: “we feel nothing” and “nothing stands in our way”. It’s the perfect close to an incredible night.
We’ve been truly spoiled tonight, with an excellent support set from BLIND CHANNEL and an amazing headline performance from LACUNA COIL filled with both classics and fresh tracks. LACUNA COIL can only continue to go from strength to strength, and we eagerly await both the new album and their next tour on our shores.
Rating: 10/10
Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in Bristol from Serena Hill Photography here:
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segunda-feira, 11 de novembro de 2024
ODUCING: Adharma
One of the UK’s most interesting bands in the alt scene right now is undoubtedly ADHARMA. The five piece have been captivating listeners over the past few years with tracks like Rewire, Hush Hush and Porcelain. We caught up with vocalist Charlie Draper about the band’s sound, how they write music and why.
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For the uninitiated, ADHARMA’s sound is subtle, it initially appears gentle and poppy, but settle in and there’s some tasty progressive crunch under the serene vocals. “I think it’s definitely a gap in the in the industry,” Charlie agrees when talking about their music style. “We definitely always wanted a bit more of a pop like approach to it. It’s a little bit more commercial and more universal, to kind of invite people into the heavier scene. And because I can’t scream, I only do cleans, I think it automatically kind of boxed us into an area. So, we thought, well, how far can we push this with cleans? So yeah, that’s kind of where we went.”
They’re instantly an unusual find in many ways, which can be polarising. “I find people either love it or hate it, and that’s absolutely fine,” she notes. “I think that’s a good way to be as an artist, to be honest. Yeah, some people are really ready for that kind of different tone and style of voice in the industry, and some people just aren’t, and that’s how it goes.”
ADHARMA is a band that keeps a sharp focus on what they’re projecting into the world in all aspects of the production. “It’s a kind of a character,” Charlie explains about the various cinematic incarnations of the band there have been in their music videos. “It’s self-expression – the costumes and makeup example, it’s another art form. We live in a world where we can change our appearance and I think that’s really cool to just play around. So yeah, each video, I kind of want to be a completely different persona in a way.”
The personas of each of the band’s music videos obviously play as symbols or metaphors for the subject matter that Charlie writes about. ADHARMA’s music has a pretty focused theme of women’s oppression and the issues that go unresolved and often ignored in society. “Growing up, you kind of don’t see a lot of representation,” she recalls about the rendering of women in the alt music scene, and in prominent positions in general. “I felt like, and I always felt as a woman, that my voice was not as heard as a man. So I definitely thought I need to combine the two and just preach about it. And there’s something really nice about seeing grown men sing along or dance along to the songs that are all about female empowerment, because that’s what it should be. We should all be helping each other and striving for equality between everyone.”
Presenting the issues that are unbelievably common for countless women every day, that go without research, or representation in a supposedly equal community is a big passion for Charlie and the boys. While they are artists and musicians, they also want to educate and meet people in an open and friendly way to break the taboos. “I think discussions and art in general was meant to slightly make you feel uncomfortable, to be honest. And if it doesn’t, then I don’t think it’s doing its job, I think it’s meant to make you reflect.”
While there’s an obvious through line in ADHARMA’s music, it’s not necessarily a conscious construction, more so that the consistency is in the process that allows the results to be so consistent. “I honestly feel like it changes from song to song,” Charlie explains about the way she and the rest of the band write. “There have been some songs where I’ve kind of gone up to the boys and like, ‘right, this is what I want to write about,’ and then we’ll just kind of come up with something with that in mind. But I think majority of the songs, the boys have been working on songs in the background, and they’re they present it to me. I’ll just kind of listen, and whatever strikes an immediate, ‘oh my gosh, this makes me think of this, or this evokes some kind of emotion in me’. I’ll run with that and just sit and listen to it for a while. And I think the best thing about writing is if you just start writing without any intention of what you’re writing about, eventually your brain will just start spilling out your subconscious, and you start thinking about things that you thought you processed or weren’t even aware that you were upset about or feeling a certain way about. It’s definitely an emotional, quite spiritual thing in a way, but it’s important to do. It’s like therapy in a way.”
ADHARMA seem to consistently have new material for people to listen to, with a back catalogue that’s been growing constantly over four or so years. While they’ve made waves with their sound, style and intention, playing Reading Rising and RADAR Festival to name just a few. “Oh, honestly, to me, it still feels like this is a fresh baby that’s just been birthed into the world,” Charlie laughs earnestly. “Honestly, we’ve been doing it for about four years, but only performing for like three. So in my head, it’s still really new. And I kind of have to pinch myself and be like, ‘no, we have actually achieved a lot. We’ve done a lot. Look how far we’ve come; everything we’ve written, look at where we’ve played’. It’s, yeah, so it’s an odd one, but to me, it definitely still feels new and like nobody knows we exist!”
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HEAVY MUSIC HISTORY: Don’t Break The Oath – Mercyful Fate
When MERCYFUL FATE entered Copenhagen’s Easy Sound Recording in May 1984, the cracks in the band were already starting to show. In the short time since their debut album Melissa hit shelves the year prior, the Danish quintet had garnered a bit of a reputation for themselves. Much of this centred around idiosyncratic frontman King Diamond, a philosophical Satanist with a penchant for the occult.
Diamond’s beliefs had shaped much of the band’s lyrical direction up to that point, carrying through to their live show in the form of on-stage rituals and spiritual invitations. “I’m not preaching Satanism,” King told Kerrang! in 1984. “But I want people to be aware of ‘The Powers’ because they might lead them to a better life.”
While Diamond may have been fully invested in the occult, his bandmates were less fervent believers. “King was more in charge of all that Satanic stuff,” guitarist Hank Shermann told The Metal Voice in 2016. “We were young guys, 25 years old, we didn’t seem that deep in to it.” Fellow axeman Michael Denner took it further when speaking to Bardo Methodology years later. “[King’s] interest in Satanism and ghosts and devils and ghouls and graveyards and shit got deeper and deeper while I was trying to avoid it.”
King Diamond’s occult infatuations may not have entirely been to the rest of the band’s taste, but they were willing enough to go along with it in the interest of creating great music. But those beliefs became a manifestation of a wider creative power struggle within the band between Diamond and the guitar duo of Shermann and Denner, the former of whom had been the lead musical contributor in the band to date. “King’s song-writing was quite different compared to Hank, and I always preferred Hank’s riffs,” Denner explained. “On ‘Melissa’, Hank and I said, ‘No, there should be no King Diamond song.’ He was able to include a few tracks on ‘Don’t Break The Oath’, but we weren’t too happy about it in the beginning.”
Overall, the band’s songwriting had become more ambitious, with the material on Don’t Break The Oath typically more sprawling and complex compared to its predecessor. Shermann contributions like the buzzsaw blade aggression of A Dangerous Meeting or the multi-suite momentum of Nightmare were monstrously riff-laden, while Diamond-penned tracks like The Oath and Come To The Sabbath were dramatic and unsettling. Creatively, the band were firing on all cylinders.
Functionally, much of the recording of Don’t Break The Oath mirrored the setup of Melissa. Working in the same studio and with the same producer, it was an opportunity to build on what had and hadn’t worked previously. In contrast to the Melissa sessions, the band were able to negotiate double the recording time – a luxurious twelve days. Additionally, MERCYFUL FATE put their foot down with producer Henrik Lund and were adamant on being involved in the mixing process. “He found out very quickly that it was beneficial for us to sit there and be able to say, ‘Hey, could you take that one up a little bit, let me hear that,’” Diamond told Your Last Rites. It was a more efficient process that helped bring the band’s vision to life more accurately, but it wasn’t all perfect – particularly for guitarist Denner. “I thought he got a bit closer with the guitar sound, but still I’ve never been happy with that aspect of the early albums.”
Recording complete, creative tensions would continue to rear their head as the band decided on a running order for the record. “It was very democratic,” Shermann told The Metal Voice. “Everyone wrote down on a piece of paper and then we would look at them and combine.” After fighting hard to get his own material on the album, it’s fair to say that King was disappointed with the voting results. “I know King, he really wanted to have ‘The Oath’ starting on Side A,” Shermann continues. “The rest of the band chose ‘A Dangerous Meeting,’ so King was a little upset about that…”
While the band’s creative differences had survived Don’t Break The Oath’s creation, it felt like the writing was on the wall for MERCYFUL FATE by the album’s release on 7 September 1984. Reception to the album itself was positive, but rife with caveats. In his review for Kerrang!, Malcolm Dome noted that the heavy Satanic overtones of the album would relegate the band’s appeal – after all, heavy metal and rock fans were actively trying to distance themselves from the moral panic of Satanism. Summing it up, Dome was suitably damning: “To stay with King would almost certainly doom the four instrumentalists under prevailing conditions to cult asphyxiation.”
The rift between members only grew bigger in Don’t Break The Oath’s wake. Following a tour to support the record, the band would split just over half a year after its release. Shermann, who wanted to move the band in a more commercial direction, almost immediately formed arena rock act FATE, whereas King started a solo career that initially saw him bring guitarist Michael Denner and bassist Timi Hansen in to his musical coven. Ironically enough, solo KING DIAMOND would at least see the frontman tone down the Satanic overtones in lieu of pursuing conceptual horror stories.
Between the album’s initial reception and all the band members moving almost immediately on to new projects, it was an abrupt end for MERCYFUL FATE. While Don’t Break The Oath was certainly a cult classic from the start, the years that followed gave the record time and space from its surrounding band drama. On its own merits, the record’s reputation became genre-defining, leaving its mark on everything from METALLICA to the entirety of black metal. Between Diamond’s shrieking banshee wails and the venomous guitar attack of Shermann and Denner, Don’t Break The Oath truly captured the band at their peak – wholly unstable, but eerily powerful all the same.
Don’t Break The Oath was originally released on September 7th, 1984 via Easy Sound Recording.
GENESIS
Na história do rock, poucas bandas foram celebradas e enxovalhadas como o Genesis. Como quase todo mundo sabe, a trajetória do Genesis tem fases bem distintas. A primeira é marcada pela presença cênica radical de Peter Gabriel à frente do grupo. A música do Genesis da primeira fase, que vai de 1967, ano da formação da banda, até 1975, quando Gabriel deixou o grupo inglês, é cinemática, repleta de passagens instrumentais rebuscadas e de letras incomuns que, juntas, formam narrativas assemelhadas aos sonhos e aos pesadelos. O Genesis foi, nesse primeiro momento, um dos mais bem-sucedidos proponentes do que se convencionou chamar de rock progressivo, subgênero que incorporou a riqueza formal da música erudita, a liberdade instrumental do jazz e elementos da literatura fantástica ao rock.
Os integrantes do Genesis naquele que é considerado por muitos seu período mais fértil eram Peter Gabriel nos vocais, Tony Banks nos teclados, Mike Rutherford e Steve Hackett nas guitarras e Phil Collins na bateria e nos vocais de apoio. Essa formação demarcou seu território no campinho do rock dos anos setenta com shows teatrais, nos quais Gabriel lançava mão de figurinos extravagantes para encarnar os personagens bizarros das canções do grupo. No início da carreira da banda, músicas e letras eram criadas coletivamente, embora os líderes fossem Gabriel e Tony Banks. Esses dois haviam sido colegas em uma das mais tradicionais escolas da Inglaterra, a Chaterhouse.
Peter Gabriel e Tony Banks, ainda alunos da Chaterhouse, montaram uma banda com Mike Rutherford. Os garotos da escola de elite tinham os sonhos povoados pelo sucesso artístico e comercial dos Beatles e queriam se afastar da vida regulada e respeitável que os pais e a sociedade inglesa tinham planejado para eles. Os integrantes do Genesis eram bem diferentes daqueles rapazes de subúrbio rudes, quase iletrados, que inventaram o rock nos Estados Unidos. A formação escolar rigorosa dos caras do Genesis encontrou na ousadia (ou pretensão, como queiram) do rock progressivo sua expressão definitiva.
Phil Collins entrou para o grupo em agosto de 1970 e Steve Hackett foi admitido em dezembro do mesmo ano. Os LPs do Genesis lançados na primeira metade dos anos setenta conquistaram fãs no mundo todo. Trespass, de 1970, Nursery Cryme, de 1971, Foxtrot, de 1972, Selling England by the Pound, de 1973 e The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, de 1974, construíram a reputação artística do Genesis. Além das performances teatrais incomuns e impactantes de Peter Gabriel, outro elemento que diferenciava o Genesis de grupos progressivos concorrentes era a crítica ácida à sociedade inglesa. O Genesis da fase Gabriel foi uma das poucas bandas de prog rock a fazer sátiras políticas e sociais, ainda que de forma alegórica.
A defecção de Peter Gabriel em meados dos anos setenta foi um choque para os membros da banda, para os fãs e para a imprensa musical. Gabriel, um dos mais talentosos vocalistas e performers da história do rock, era o ponto focal do grupo, o elemento mais conhecido do Genesis. O quarteto Banks-Rutherford-Hackett-Collins decidiu levar o grupo adiante, mesmo sem sua principal atração. O título do primeiro LP do Genesis sem Gabriel, A Trick of the Tail, ou “Um truque da cauda”, é ironia dirigida aos que consideravam os músicos da banda como figuras subalternas ao ex-vocalista. Lançado em fevereiro de 1976, A Trick of the Tail foi muito bem recebido pelos fãs e apresentou ao mundo o novo vocalista do Genesis, o baterista Phil Collins, que tinha timbre vocal semelhante ao de Peter Gabriel, embora mais anasalado.
Ainda em 1976, mais precisamente em dezembro daquele ano, o Genesis publicou o segundo LP como quarteto,Wind and Wuthering, outro disco bem recebido pelos fãs. Os críticos de rock da época tinham suas reservas em relação ao grupo inglês e ao rock progressivo em geral. 1976 deu à luz o punk inglês, fenômeno cultural que defendeu a volta do rock agressivo, rebelde, primitivo e mal-educado e que demonizou os grupos progressivos e seus proponentes bem nascidos. A luta de classes inglesa foi reencenada na arena do rock da segunda parte dos anos setenta, com prejuízo para os filhos da elite que haviam decidido tomar para si o gênero musical e aproximá-lo da “alta cultura”.
O futuro do rock progressivo estava ameaçado na segunda metade da década de setenta. Algumas bandas famosas como Emerson, Lake & Palmer e King Crimson interromperam suas atividades nessa época. O cenário musical dividido entre disco music e punk era hostil às divagações estéticas e existenciais do prog rock. O Genesis de 1976 seguia na trilha progressiva, mas um fonograma do LP Wind and Wuthering acenava para o futuro do grupo.
“Your Own Special Way”, a terceira faixa do lado A do oitavo LP do Genesis, foi escrita pelo guitarrista Mike Rutherford e era a primeira canção abertamente romântica do grupo. A bela melodia de “Your Own Special Way” tem influência de Beatles, em especial de George Harrison, e o refrão da canção, assim como a passagem instrumental tocada somente pelo tecladista Tony Banks, antecipa a sonoridade das baladas românticas que fizeram a fama e a fortuna dos integrantes do Genesis, em especial de Phil Collins, nos anos oitenta.
Em 1977, o Genesis veio ao Brasil pela primeira e única vez. A banda inglesa abriu a turnê brasileira em Porto Alegre, com duas apresentações realizadas no Gigantinho nos dias 10 e 11 de maio daquele ano. O segundo show em Porto Alegre teve duração menor porque Mike Rutherford passou mal e teve que deixar o palco. Segundo informação colhida no blog de Emílio Pacheco, Mike Rutherford teria abusado da vodka com chocolate quente em uma visita que fez a Gramado na tarde que antecedeu a apresentação. A vinda do Genesis ao Brasil teve um impacto tremendo sobre os fãs de rock locais. O Brasil, naquela época, estava fora da rota das turnês dos grandes grupos internacionais e a presença de uma banda famosa por aqui era motivo de celebração roqueira.
Depois da turnê mundial de 1977, Steve Hackett abandonou o Genesis por se sentir musicalmente negligenciado pelos companheiros. Para os fãs mais antigos do Genesis, a saída de Hackett marcou o fim da fase mais criativa do grupo. Reduzidos a um trio, Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford e Phil Collins publicaram em fevereiro de 1978 o compacto que mudaria de vez a história da banda. “Follow You Follow Me” encarou a competição com os hits da disco music e a maledicência dos críticos musicais que defendiam ardorosamente o punk e o pós-punk e venceu as duas brigas. Tornou-se o primeiro grande sucesso pop do grupo, superando largamente a repercussão comercial de “I Know What I Like”, o maior êxito do Genesis até aquele momento. “Follow You Follow Me” foi incluída na trilha sonora internacional da novela Dancin’ Days da Globo, ao lado de hits das discotecas como “Macho Man”, do Village People, e “Automatic Lover”, de Dee D. Jackson.
Em 1980, o Genesis publicou o LP Duke, marcado pela sonoridade mais enxuta, parcialmente inspirada pelos grupos de new wave e de black pop. As composições da banda começaram a trocar as circunvoluções progressivas pela objetividade do pop. A guinada do Genesis em direção a um som mais simples e acessível foi atribuída à crescente influência de Phil Collins sobre seus colegas de banda. O sucesso acachapante do primeiro LP solo de Phil Collins, Face Value, de 1981, puxado pelo poderoso single “In the Air Tonight”, deu mais poder ao baterista e cantor dentro do grupo.
Daí em diante, os álbuns do Genesis foram assumindo feições cada vez mais pop. A bem-sucedida carreira solo de Phil Collins seguiu paralelamente à do grupo. O novo som do Genesis conquistou milhões de ouvintes em todo o mundo, mas repeliu os fãs da fase progressiva e não agradou aos antigos críticos da banda. De forma geral, podemos dizer que o caminho que o Genesis seguiu ao longo da carreira foi o inverso daquele trilhado por bandas dos anos sessenta como os Beatles. Os cabeludos de Liverpool começaram fazendo canções simples e diretas de amor, mas a música do grupo foi se tornando cada vez mais complexa à medida que seus integrantes foram ficando mais velhos e experientes. A trajetória dos Beatles e dos seus pares dos anos sessenta envolve uma noção de amadurecimento e de progresso pessoal e artístico.
O Genesis andou no sentido contrário ao dos Beatles: começou repleto de ambição estética (ou de pretensão, como quiserem), mas com o tempo descartou as tergiversações musicais e líricas em nome da simplicidade do pop, para atingir um público cada vez maior. Tal percurso foi interpretado por muitos como involução artística, como concessão populista ou como desejo de fazer sucesso a qualquer custo. Como não tivemos e não teremos acesso direto às intenções originais de Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford e Phil Collins, só nos cabe julgar o resultado do trabalho deles, isto é, a música que deixaram registrada em discos e as performances em vídeo. A fase Phil Collins do Genesis é muito contestada e sempre terá ferozes detratores. O fato do grupo ter sido citado de forma positiva pelo personagem principal de American Psycho, romance de Bret Easton Ellis que critica de forma perversa a vacuidade moral dos anos oitenta a partir da figura de um serial killer yuppie, mostra que a música do Genesis de Phil Collins é associada quase automaticamente à assepsia e à ganância próprias da década dominada por Thatcher e Reagan.
Durante os anos oitenta, Phil Collins foi um verdadeiro workaholic: além de lançar oito álbuns, quatro solo e quatro com o Genesis, o cantor e baterista arranjou tempo para participar da trilha sonora do filme Buster (no qual interpretou o personagem principal), para produzir LPs de John Martyn, Frida (cantora do ABBA), Philip Bailey (do Earth, Wind & Fire) e Eric Clapton, para tocar bateria em gravações do grupo de jazz fusion Brand X, dos Four Tops, de Robert Plant, dos Tears For Fears e no single beneficente “Do They Know It’s Christmas” e para fazer aparições regulares na série de TV Miami Vice — isso sem falar nas turnês, nos compromissos promocionais e nas gravações de clipes. Nos anos noventa, com a imagem desgastada por tanta exposição, Phil Collins começou a dar sinais de esgotamento pessoal e criativo. Em março de 1996, mais de vinte anos depois de assumir a posição de vocalista do Genesis, Phil Collins deixou o grupo. No lugar dele entrou o cantor Ray Wilson, que gravou com Banks e Rutherford o álbum Calling All Stations, publicado em 1997 e malsucedido artística e comercialmente. Em 1999, Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins e Steve Hackett reuniram-se novamente com Tony Banks e Mike Rutherford para regravar “The Carpet Crawlers”, canção lançada no álbum The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, de 1974. O registro inédito foi incluído na coletânea Turn It on Again: The Hits, de 1999, e foi a isca usada para fisgar os fãs do Genesis da primeira fase e obrigá-los a comprar o CD repleto de gravações do período mais pop do grupo.
Enquanto discos como Selling England by the Pound e The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway conservam o status de obras-primas do prog rock, o Genesis pós-Gabriel e pós-Steve Hackett não chegou a produzir álbuns clássicos (minha opinião) e tem momentos musicais francamente constrangedores (minha opinião, de novo) como “Who Dunnit?”, “Illegal Alien”, “Invisible Touch” e “I Can’t Dance”, mas também oferece aos curiosos e aos desprovidos de preconceitos algumas recompensas sonoras.
Abro parêntese para falar sobre a discografia solo de Phil Collins: como compositor pop, o baterista do Genesis não é um melodista extraordinário como Elton John e nem é capaz de evocar com suas canções o lado mais sombrio, complexo e reprimido da experiência humana (individual e coletiva) como Peter Gabriel. O primeiro álbum solo de Collins, Face Value, é excelente, ainda que não seja perfeito, pois tem algumas faixas dispensáveis (minha opinião, mais uma vez). Os álbuns seguintes de Collins incluem, sem exceção, faixas francamente embaraçosas e momentos inspirados. É irônico o fato de que Phil Collins tenha recebido o Grammy de “Álbum do Ano” em 1986 por um dos seus discos mais fracos, No Jacket Required, que tem a infame “Sussudio”, entre outros crimes musicais inafiançáveis. No Jacket Required vendeu cerca de doze milhões de cópias só nos Estados Unidos, representa o auge do sucesso de Phil Collins e é parcialmente responsável pelas rejeição ao músico fomentada pela crítica e até por grande parte do público. O sucesso espetacular das gravações de Phil Collins como solista acabou em meados dos anos noventa. Depois de anunciar aposentadoria em 2011, que foi celebrada por muitas pessoas nas redes sociais, Collins retomou a carreira em 2015 e supervisionou o relançamento de seus discos solo em edições remasterizadas e com faixas bônus em 2016. Em 2017, o músico realiza uma série de shows, nos quais entra no palco apoiado por uma bengala e canta sentado por conta de graves problemas de saúde (que o impedem de tocar bateria há anos).
A carreira do Genesis, com seus altos e baixos, é parte fundamental da história do rock. Repleta de contradições, conflitos e reviravoltas dignas de novela de TV, a trajetória da banda espelha as principais mudanças que ocorreram na cena cultural e social durante o período em que ela existiu, que vai do auge da contracultura roqueira, no final dos anos sessenta, até o surgimento e a ascensão do rock corporativo, que ocorreu nos anos oitenta e noventa. A banda foi indicada para o Hall da Fama do Rock em 2010 (Peter Gabriel não compareceu à cerimônia, fato que deixou os fãs do grupo indignados) e em 2014 foi tema do documentário Genesis — Together and Apart. Produzido pela BBC, o documentário reuniu em uma mesma sala os cinco músicos da formação clássica do grupo (Gabriel, Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford, Steve Hackett e Phil Collins), que falaram sobre sua história, sobre seus acertos e seus erros. O reencontro reabriu antigas feridas, como a divergência de opiniões de Peter Gabriel e Tony Banks sobre The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (Banks critica o projeto e Gabriel diz ter orgulho dele). Ao final, gostar ou não da música do Genesis importa menos do que conhecer a história convoluta desse grupo musical único, que fornece um ótimo estudo de caso para quem deseja analisar o modo como pretensões artísticas e comerciais e pressões da indústria, do público e da crítica interferem na vida e na obra de um grupo incomum e talentoso de músicos.
sexta-feira, 1 de novembro de 2024
HAVOK RELEASE NEW EYES EP; “DEATH IS AN ILLUSION” VIDEO STREAMING
Havok have released their new EP New Eyes. Get it here.
The four-track EP features two originals and two covers that will delight fans and keep them on their toes — including the band's take on Metallica's "Eye Of The Beholder" and Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Commotion."
The band has just shared the video for the original track "Death Is An Illusion."
"Death Is An Illusion" is a high-intensity, fast-paced thrash metal/D-Beat hardcore song about the first law of thermodynamics, the fact that energy cannot be created or destroyed," says the band. "The lyrics are written in a way to offer comfort and joy to the fact that all things are eternal and perpetual, including our loved ones; as their energy lives forever scientifically, and through our memories and their impact on the world they 'left behind.' "
Singer David Sanchez states, "New Eyes is an exciting step forward as it's Havok's first independent release since the early days of the band. 'Death Is An Illusion' introduces the band's first release since 2020 with ferocious speed and aggression that Havok has become known for. The EP's intro appeals to fans of metal and punk alike with its D-Beat rhythms and gang vocal choruses. The title track, 'New Eyes.' is a dynamic harmony-driven song about one's perspective changing over time and reflection. These new songs were fun to write and I think people may be surprised by the ambiguous and metaphysical nature of the lyrics."
Regarding the covers, Sanchez states, "We decided to cover a classic band that nobody would expect us to... Credence Clearwater Revival. We're all CCR fans and their song, 'Commotion,' was a perfect candidate for a proper 'metalizing,' since most of the metal was already built-in. We made it a little faster, turned up the distortion, and tweaked some riffs here and there to bend into the Havok style."
Furthermore, he says, "We had discussed covering a Metallica song for years, but didn't want to cover a big hit that had been covered to death, so we opted for the lesser-known 'Eye Of The Beholder.' We chose to cover this song because it's so damned heavy and the lyrics reflect Havok's lyrical themes throughout the last decade. We stayed true to the original where it counts, but made sure to spice up the bass guitar and drums to breathe new life into the track.
He finishes, "All in all, releasing the New Eyes EP will be a major turning point in our musical journey and we hope that we'll reach new fans and resonate with people who have been supporting Havok over the years. We're stoked to play these new songs live and give fans the chance to scream the lyrics with us!"
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