quinta-feira, 14 de dezembro de 2023

GEDDY LEE - MY EFFIN' LIFE









I'm quite sure many fellow Rush fans shared the same thought I did upon Neil Peart issuing such books as the now-classic, 'Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road' back in the early 21st century – when will the other Rush-ers put pen to paper (or rather, finger to keyboard) and offer us a glimpse into their personal lives/backstory? And in late 2021, Rush singer/bassist Geddy Lee announced online that he had indeed taken the literary plunge and had completed work on his autobiography. And two years later (November 14, 2023, to be exact), My Effin' Life finally arrived.

Rush admirers will undoubtedly enjoy everything about this book, as we finally learn the specifics of his father's passing when Geddy (real name: Gary Lee Weinrib) was young, why drummer John Rutsey was excused from the band in 1974, Rush's not-so-rosy relationship with promotor Bill Graham, their fondness for a certain substance while recording classic LP's, and the intense physical affect touring had on Neil Peart on what would turn out to be Rush's last-ever tour with the drummer (in 2015).

Additionally, Lee should be commended for assembling a section that focuses solely on – and uncovers – the horrors that both his father and mother (and their families) had to endure as concentration camp survivors during the Holocaust. Plus, the book is chockful of rare/never before seen photos that pertain to all eras of his life.

sábado, 9 de dezembro de 2023

INTRODUCING: Hanabie






Japan’s metal scene has gifted the world with a number of standout bands, always with their own unique take on the genre. The latest success story is the all-girl ‘harajuku-core’ quartet HANABIE, whose video for single Pardon Me, I Have to Go Now! went viral back in January. With a raucous blend of anime and video game soundtracks, metalcore, nu metal and a unique aesthetic, HANABIE swiftly took over the airwaves and, on their first ever overseas tour – the entirety of which sold out – we sat down with vocalist Yukina and guitarist/vocalist Matsuri to talk about the band’s origins, aims and what makes them such a unique proposition.



It’s a cool, air-conditioned bus we’re sat on, a far cry from the oppressive heat and the overwhelmingly sweaty show they’ll play in just a couple of hours, and speaking through their tour manager and translator, the duo are in high spirits seeing the huge turnout for their show at Camden’s legendary The Underworld. “When we were looking at social media and seeing all the comments, we could tell a lot of fans were excited. But after we got here, we found the passion and excitement was so much more than we expected,” Yukina smiles.

To understand why people are so excited, it’s important to understand firstly just who and what HANABIE are. Friends since they were in school, they formed the band while they were still in their teens; “Matsuri and I both have a common interest in another Japanese band, MAXIMUM THE HORMONE,” Yukina enthuses, “so we started a copy band of them!” Musically, there’s certainly a lot of influence from them; you can hear in in the sometimes scattershot approach to genre, the wild blends of disparate worlds under a unified vision, but HANABIE are clearly also their own entity.

The name itself is tied into the four original members of the group; “[Yukina] and our bass player Hettsu were born in the spring,” Matsuri explains, “and our original drummer was born in the winter. In Japanese when the weather or temperature in spring changes from warmer to cold, it’s called Hanabie. We wanted something with Japanese meaning to it, and we definitely wanted something using Japanese characters.” While it does accurately represent the members of the band, as well as an expression that’s very Japanese in origin, it doesn’t begin to sum up their music – and that’s where ‘harajuku-core’ comes in.


As they explain it, they didn’t actually coin the term themselves, but found it in a YouTube comment under one of their videos. Yukina explains, “we found it and said, wow, this is really original, and we were looking for something that could describe our music and our look.” Matsuri agrees; “we thought it was perfect. It’s a pop word, it’s catchy, it’s colourful, and it’s not just our sound it describes, but our style too.” Harajuku refers particularly to a fashion subculture in Japan (“just look at Hettsu’s wardrobe,” they both laugh), while the “core” is, naturally, metalcore.

“We started introducing other elements [than metalcore] probably on LCG from our first album,” Matsuri explains. “We all love games and anime, and are obviously very influenced by Japanese culture, so we wanted to incorporate those other essences into our music.” Those other sounds are anime and gaming soundtracks, or at least inspiration from them, but it’s the Japanese culture that they address in new ways that has brought in so many fans at home for them, and while the message they spread through them might take uniquely Japanese forms, they want people to be able to apply them to their own lives, too.

Take for instance, the viral smash it お先に失礼します (Pardon Me, I Have to Go Now!) from January. Both their eyes light up when we mention that it refers to something uniquely Japanese; the phrase itself. The use of it, as she explains, stems from the difference in Japanese culture to that in the West. “Japanese people are very sincere, we don’t like to offend people. So there’s a lot of situations where people feel compelled to be somewhere they don’t want to be, or have to leave.”

In the music video for it, Yukina gets in a boss’ face and screams it at him, but “that’s an extreme portrayal of the situation,” they laugh. While it’s something that rarely gets used, “we want our generation to feel more comfortable using it, and not be so tied up in staying somewhere they don’t want to be, like work, or if they’re too sick to be somewhere,” Matsuri reveals. That desire for relatability extends to all their lyrics; “a lot of them are based on real life,” Yukina states. “A lot of the time when we use wordplay it might seem silly, but we’re always trying to portray a positive message.”

The bright, colourful clothes and aesthetic, abrupt shifts in genre, clear roots in Japanese subcultures as well as a tongue-in-cheek approach to lyrics that have more serious underlying messages have clearly struck a chord. Before they left for tour, a couple of shows had sold out; by the time they were on the road, the whole thing had. “It doesn’t feel real until we play them,” exclaims Yukina, “we’re so thankful for everyone that comes, we can’t believe there are so many. We can’t wait to come back, and together, let’s create the HANABIE world!”

Like HANABIE on Facebook.

Kiko Loureiro “optou” por se afastar do Megadeth:




Kiko Loureiro “optou” por se afastar do Megadeth: “Tomei a liberdade de não estar [na banda]”
O guitarrista estendeu seu afastamento dos palcos e não acompanhará o Megadeth na turnê norte-americana


Em entrevista ao podcast Amplifica, de Rafael Bittencourt, Kiko Loureiro comentou publicamente pela primeira vez sobre seu afastamento do Megadeth.

Em setembro, a banda anunciou que o guitarrista se afastaria do restante da turnê norte-americana por questões familiares. No final de novembro, Kiko publicou um novo comunicado explicando que ele e o Megadeth decidiram “estender seu afastamento” para “não prejudicar nenhum dos planos da banda”.

Kiko ainda não deu muitos detalhes sobre os motivos que o levaram a se afastar do Megadeth, mas em conversa com Rafael Bittencourt, o guitarrista falou sobre buscar a liberdade das próprias escolhas levando em consideração as opções que tinha no momento. “Devido a circunstâncias na minha vida, eu tomei a liberdade de optar não estar no Megadeth”, comentou.

Em comunicado extenso postado nas redes do Megadeth, Dave Mustaine voltou a ressaltar que o afastamento de Kiko tinha se dado por conta de “questões importantes” e que a banda apoiava completamente a decisão do guitarrista. Quem tem substituído Kiko Loureiro durante os shows do Megadeth é o guitarrista Teemu Mäntysaari, escolhido por ele mesmo.

Nos dias 08 e 09 de dezembro, Kiko se apresenta no Sesc Avenida Paulista, em São Paulo.

ALTA REIGN – UPON THE HORIZON





Jeff Plate is no stranger to spreading his wings for creative music. Having drummed for Savatage/Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Metal Church, the past couple years has seen Plate join up with TSO keyboardist Jane Mangini in Alta Reign and Upon The Horizon is the group’s second record. Upon The Horizon is adventurous prog that teeters on the bridge of rock and metal and the warm vocal duo of Tommy Cook and Collin Holloway makes this more accessible to the casual listener.

If there is any vibe similar to Savatage/TSO, it’s opening instrumental “Reverent” with its bombastic piano chords and shredding guitars in the latter part of the 4-minute track. The most metal the six-piece becomes is following number and riff heavy “No Madness” and the whirling closer “Animation”. 7 minute title track also lets loose in the closing minutes and is an impressive number with bright vocal hooks.

Then there’s the rockier numbers like “Between The Eyes” that reminds of ‘80s Rainbow and the 6-minute soft ballad that features the use of a banjo with beautiful vocal harmonies that brings Nelson to mind.

domingo, 3 de dezembro de 2023

Entrevista Krisiun: Moyses Kolesne






Krisiun é uma das bandas mais famosas e consagradas dentro do cenário de death metal brasileiro, sendo mundialmente conhecidos. Formada por Alex Camargo no baixo e no vocal, Max Kolesne na bateria e Moyses Kolesne guitarra, a banda acaba de retornar de uma turnê europeia e farão um show no Rolling Stone Festival neste sábado, 02.

Em entrevista ao Wikimetal, Moyses falou sobre o convite para a apresentação, descrevendo-a como “uma grande honra”: “É algo difícil para uma banda underground death metal isso acontecer, com uma música extrema, mas é mais uma barreira aí que o Krisiun tá derrubando.” E que “vamos tentar dar o melhor show possível lá no dia.”

Por conta da rápida venda de ingressos, o show foi transferido para o Cine Joia, o que o guitarrista disse ser “uma amostra que o fã do Krisiun tá aí, tá ativo. Quer ver a banda, apoiar a banda, né?” Ao falar da base de fãs, Moyses descreveu como sendo uma “família”: “Não é aquele fã de internet, né? O fã, real mesmo, que ajuda a banda, consome merchandising, vai nos shows, né? Mais do que só ficar dando like ou comments.”

Para fazer turnês, Moyses revela que é necessária uma grande preparação anterior aos shows, questões “burocráticas”, como alugar tour bus, setlists e a questão dos itens de merchandising. Além disso, o lado emocional e físico também são importantes: “Tu tem que tá bem fisicamente, não pode tá doente. Não pode tá com algo que põe a tua performance, desequilibre a banda assim, né? Alguém tá bem, o outro não tá bem, então você tem que estar bem fisicamente. Todo mundo bem de cabeça também, porque tem muito músico que sai em turnê e tá com a cabeça zoada por questões emocionais.”

Ele falou também a respeito da concentração necessária durante os shows da banda, que vem tendo 1 hora e 15 minutos. “Death metal, não é fácil. Então assim, tu tem que estar bem concentrado.”

A banda já faz turnês internacionais com uma frequência grande nos últimos anos: “A gente vai todos os anos pra Europa, todos os anos pros Estados Unidos, Canadá, fora a pandemia, né? Então faz, sei lá, quase vinte e cinco anos que é viagem todos os anos.”

“A gente sabe como agir de todas as formas, né? A gente, quando era moleque, desperdiçava muita energia, falava muita merda. Isso tudo põe em jogo em questão a tua condição como uma banda que é profissional.”

O Krisiun está, atualmente, com a turnê de divulgação de seu décimo segundo álbum Mortem Solis, lançado em 2022. A respeito do nome do trabalho, Moyses explica que a tradução é “morte do sol”, mas que é necessário voltar muito tempo na história: “É a morte do império, da religião, da força que oprime o ser humano, tipo, tanto que a capa mostra uma queda de um império.”

Ao falar sobre o novo registro, Moyses explicou que “a gente cortou coisas que talvez deixassem a música um pouco menos direta. A gente viu que tem muita banda usando muita sinfonia, muita coisa que às vezes perde a música e a gente quis fazer algo assim, meio direto, bem death metal, direto old school.” explicando porque fizeram poucos solos de guitarra, poucas introduções e músicas mais curtas.

Moyses Kolesne falou que sua música favorita do Mortem Solis é “Necronomical”, dizendo ser diferente de tudo que a banda já tinha feito até então: “Ela é uma música que começa bem lenta, lembra pouco do heavy metal dos anos 80.” Além disso, o guitarrista a descreve como uma música que “saiu da caixinha normal do Krisiun” e que, talvez, ela tenha aberto “um novo caminho pra gente seguir, às vezes, próximos discos.”


O Krisiun é conhecido por ser uma banda muito técnica, mas Moyses disse que: “Ela faz parte da música, claro, tu tem que ter uma técnica, mas a música é muito mais que técnica, ela é inspiração, é expressão, né? É o que a banda representa.”

O músico relembrou quando o Krisiun foi a banda de abertura para o Black Sabbath em 2017: “foi, para mim, o maior sonho da minha vida.”

O show aconteceu em Porto Alegre: “que foi da onde a gente veio e foi na rua que o Krisiun nasceu, quase, foi no bairro que o Krisiun nasceu. Então quando eu era moleque em Porto Alegre, eu nunca imaginava que um dia eu ia abrir pro Black Sabbath no meu bairro.”

Ao ser perguntado sobre elementos brasileiros nas músicas do Krisiun, Moyses Kolesne respondeu que: “A gente é brasileiro, né? Então o elemento brasileiro já tá aí. Esse lance de trazer samba, trazer não sei o quê, não sei o quê, pra mim foge um pouco do metal.”

“Nosso death metal não é igual o death metal americano nem o europeu. A gente tem no sangue isso. Então não precisa eu ir lá e pôr uma batucada pra dizer que eu sou brasileiro, posso ir lá e tocar metal extremo e mostrar que eu sou brasileiro tocando metal com a minha, característico a minha identidade.”

Ele elogiou o Sepultura em Roots, mas que “depois, algumas bandas, deu para ver que era só para copiar aquilo, tentar ter sucesso e mesmo para eles depois nunca mais funcionou isso também.”

“Muita batalha, muita dedicação, sangue, suor e lágrimas” foi como o guitarrista descreveu sua jornada musical e falou sobre a importância de se renovar.

Explicou também a importância dos fãs: “Eu sei que a gente não tá sozinho, sempre tem muita gente apoiando. A gente conseguiu construir uma fan base sólida.”

SIGNUM REGIS - UNDIVIDED








Signum Regis conjures all the right elements on their seventh full-length Undivided and marks a return to Ulterium Records. This is power metal done right – riff heavy with just the right amount of keyboard use, technical, melodic solos, thoughtful lyrics, and vocal hooks to keep the listener wanting more.

All of this is exemplified is opening track “Daniel’s Prophecy” – muscled guitars and vocalist Jota Fortinho showing off his aggression and angelic features in the verses and chorus. The regal affair continues with tracks capitalizing on their strengths with inspired songwriting, insanely catchy tunes (“Salt Of The Earth”, “Prepare For War”), mixed in with aggressive numbers (“Ministry Of Truth”, “Servants Of The Fallen One”).

This goes further on the closing track “Shield My Soul” (with the intro melody reminding of Iron Maiden’s “Afraid To Shoot Strangers”), an emotional journey with a direct prayer to God in the chorus as a fighter meets his foes in battle, a powerful song that really does hit the soul, regardless of your faith.

OBSCURA - A CELEBRATION I: LIVE IN NORTH AMERICA






Not sure who really honestly needs a live Obscura album, but I guess, based on how much I enjoy it, I do. I've always loved Obscura—anyone who loves death metal loves Obscura, I think—and their sideways take on outer-space tech-death.

Who's in the band at any given point, man, it's not even worth it, but here bassist Alex Weber (Malignancy, Defeated Sanity) throws his fretless, six-string wizardry all over these songs, injecting oldies like “Septuagint” with his personality, which is fun to hear (looks like Gabe Seeber of Divine Heresy, Abigail Williams and a zillion other bands plays on one song, “Emergent Evolution”, here too).

It's all fun to hear, the band dipping into all their albums except 2006 debut Retribution, the material working together cohesively, although those moments of song shine through clearer in the newer material (there's three songs from last album, 2021's A Valediction, here; “Orbital Elements II” is practically feel-good trad metal with hooks).