Metal Madness: Screaming Girls, Electric Cellos, and Plenty of Black Leather

Metal. Its a genre of music that has propelled teenagers to all new levels of obsession and reduced rational parents into mystified, head shaking adults who cannot fathom why their children would listen to such "noise". Now I'll admit there are plenty of adults who love metal or heavy metal as well, but for the most part metal isn't as widely accepted as some might like it to be.

However, the bands Apocalyptica, Black Veil Brides, and Exist Trace (more commonly stylized as exist†trace) are all changing people's perceptions of what metal music is and how good it can really be. Whether is through the cello, a visual look that would put KISS to shame, or by being the only all female screamo group around these three groups have reached amazing success through creative songs, looks, and let's not forget amazing talent.

exist†trace is showing the men what metal is really about

exist†trace is an all female Visual Kei band straight from Tokyo, Japan. Exist Trace's music can best be described as melodic death metal, which  isn't something you hear every day and Jyou's growls and shouts rival that of any man's. Just look at their song Judea if you need proof.

Being a Visual Kei band their stylish and individual looks go hand in hand with their music and both are starting to turn heads the world over as one of Japan's first all female Visual Kei rock bands. This genre of music is generally reserved for the guys, but they had better step aside as these women are out to conquer. Singles such as Resonance and the teaser for their new song True show that there is plenty of talent to go around in this group. A heavy focus is put on the bass and drumming in their songs and this helps define their musical style and growing popularity inside and outside of Japan.

The girls have been together since 2003 and recently made their U.S. debut when they played at Sakura-Con 2011 in Seattle, Washington. On June 15, 2011 they will release their EP True.




Cello rock or cello metal? Either way this band is worth listening to


Originally getting their start as a Metallica tribute or cover band, Apocalpytica has certainly come a long way since those days when some postulated that they would quickly fade off the scene due to the fact that they only released cover songs.

While they formed way back in 1993, with a different lineup, it wasn't until the year 2000 that Apocalpytica released their third studio album Cult which contained 10 original songs as well as 3 covers. The first track featuring vocals was released in 2002 and their forth studio album featuring all original songs was released in 2003.

Their success really started to take off, however, with the release of their self titled album Apocalpytica in 2005 featuring unique electric cello songs unlike anything else to date. The album featured only one song with vocals. Undeniably a heavy rock if not metal album the studio release has found much success was followed by their sixth studio release World's Collide in 2007 and most recently 7th Symphony released late 2010. It features eight instrumental tracks and also four tracks with guest vocals. This latest track as well as their soundtrack for the video game MAG: S.V.E.R has shown a definite turn from rock to metal and helped to solidify Apocalyptica's place in the rock annals.

They've played nearly 1000 live shows and this is one of the biggest reasons as to why they are so successful. As a person who has seen them live I can honestly say that they have to be seen and heard at a live concert for you to get the best glimpse of just how talented these men are. Metal could not have better poster child then Apocalpytica and here's hoping that they will infuse even more metal overtures or undertones into their future songs as they seem determined to do.



Fan loyalty has driven Black Veil Brides straight to the top of the charts


Next up are the Black Veil Brides. If there is one thing to be said about these guys its that they may very well have the most loyal fans in the world. Young people in countries everywhere around the globe are flocking to hear a band that has not only brought back true rock and roll, but also the looks and stage presence that is so lacking at shows and in bands today. Never ones to do anything half way, the Black Veil Brides are set to release their first major label album not even a year after their first official album entitled We Stitch These Wounds.

Deep vocals and heavy screams accompanied by a heavy focus on Jake Pitt's unparalleled guitar solo's make their songs stand out from all other rock and metal albums out today. One full song from their latest album Set The World on Fire is already out and two more teasers have been released as well. While its hard to define them exactly, they have a clear metal sound to them to go with their glam rock looks. They've got talent in spades and determination that never stops.

They made it through a devastating earthquake in Japan, and unprecedented tornado outbreak in the south eastern U.S., and several disappointments when their song Set The World On Fire didn't make it into the movie Scream 4 and their single Fallen Angels could not be released on the originally planned date. A few setbacks and changing drummers aren't going to stop these guys though and they've already completed filming for the second single off their next album before the album or the first single has even been released.

Don't call them cocky unless you want an army of fans coming down on your heads. Then again go ahead because these guys have more than enough talent to back up their boasting. Namely that they will be bigger than KISS and that they are finally bringing real rock and roll back to the masses.

Some people think of meaningless screaming and noise when they thing of metal music. Those that know better think of a girl group that has helped pave the way for other female rock groups in Japan, a group of cello players who can play a classical instrument the way no one else could every dream of doing, and five young men conquering the world through their powerful lyrics and music.

Metal is here to stay and I for one say that it has never before looked as good as this.

1st Album Review: Pinocchio by f(x)

Korean girl group f(x) has gained fans all over Korea and all over the world thanks to their unique look and unique combination of singers. With the release of their very first official album f(x) is performing and winning awards left and right, but how do their new songs stack up to all this hype? I'm a huge f(x) fan and was extremely excited to get this album into my hands. So here we go.



Pinocchio is here!


The album Pinocchio opens with their single Danger. This edgy pop song is quickly gaining views on YouTube and the video has a great style as well as a bright background to highlight the girls changing fashion styles. Its a great song and while it may not be stuck in your head for days, its still worth buying. Some might view the lyrics as redundant but I feel that this factor helps to add to the songs appeal.

Luna's voice really shines through on the song, but its lacking in that Amber doesn't rap more than one line. Her rapping would have helped the song stand out more, instead it falls somewhat flat since she doesn't get a singing part the way the other girls do.

After that is the song Sweet Witches. This very upbeat tone doesn't do much to lift your spirits and the opening synth beat just feels way out of place. f(x) carries a very urban pop feel but instead this song delivers a sugary sweet pop feel that just doesn't fit in with their look, much less their vocals. We really could have done without this song.




f(x) is ready to add a little Danger to your life


Third on this album is Dangerous. This song is more upbeat and less edgy then the title would have you believe and the first verses could easily turn you off, but give this song and chance and you'll find yourself singing along and driving around town like a super spy out on a mission. The high pitched singing voices the girls churn out do seem a little off putting at times though. Listen to it a few times, however, and it proves itself to be a good song. Not great, but good.

Fourth is the song Beautiful Goodbye. As one of only two ballads on the song it doesn't quite reach the same emotional heights as Sorry (Dear Daddy) from the first mini album. However, it does a good job of showing off the girls great singing voices and proves that there are kpop groups out there that can sing instead of relying on overly auto tuned song lyrics. Beautiful Goodbye is a soothing rhythm that shows you how good these girls really are when it comes to singing. The combination comes together beautifully on this song.

Gangsta Boy is up next but instead of the edgy tune in the same flavor as Mr. Boogie it is actually a rather stripped down song with a simpler melody then the first song Danger. I wasn't a fan of it at first but after listening to it a couple times I think its a great song although Luna's staple high note seems a bit unnecessary and the cheesy final bridge/verse will make you bust out laughing rather than actually enjoy the song. The ending ruined it a bit for me my taking the sugary sweet tone that is so out of place with the style f(x) portrays.

f(x) is out to win the Love of their fans

The 6th song Love. It may be sweet with a few sprinkles on top but for the first time on this album it actually works out pretty well. It brings back a little bit of the pop feel that f(x) is supposed to have and while it's not the best song I've heard from my girls at f(x), that doesn't mean it isn't worth playing.

Stand Up! falls into the same category as Sweet Witches. It's trying to showcase how cute and pretty the girls are without much success. Its so sweet you can barely stand it. Just skip this one.

Almost to the end of the album we have the funky song My Style to help round out the album. As a reminder of some of their past songs this one is actually a favorite of mine. The verses and chorus are perfect and the girls vocals all make this song a great one. Amber switches things up by rapping entirely in English this time and that gives this one that extra kick it needs to stand out.

As the last ballad on the album you'll find that the song So Into U is one of the best songs off the album. Amber actually gets a chance to sing on this album instead of just showing up to rap a few lines towards the end and then disappearing again. Her part is towards the beginning and will certainly shut up anyone foolish enough to question her singing abilities. Not only can Amber hold a note in tune, but she does it very well. Luna's high note seems thrown in just because she's good at it, but aside from that this is a great song. Not quite at single status but it tries hard to get there.

f(x) is winning performances left and right

Finally we have Lollipop featuring boy band and label mates SHINee. Actually this is the Korean remake of the same song that f(x) did with Chinese group MIC. Much as I love my boys from SHINee Lollipop actually might have been a better song without them. Onew has a great voice and his part is the best part of this song, but the others' just don't quite come together. That said this song is going to be stuck in your head for some time once you listen to it and your finger will keep itching to hit the replay button.

f(x) is a great group that is overflowing with potential, unfortunately this album doesn't do much to prove that. SM Entertainment is known for mixing things up, but they should have stuck with the style that made f(x) popular in the first place.

Overall this album gets a 3.5 out of 5. Pretty good album, but it certainly could have been better.

Artist Spotlight: t.A.T.u

Two girls, dozens of hit songs, plenty of controversy and the undeniable title as the biggest Russian band EVER. We can only be talking about the electronica pop group t.A.T.u.

This is Russian Pop

The duo came together in 1999 after their producer Ivan Shapovalov and his associate Alexander Voitinskyi held auditions in Moscow to form a new Russian musical group. Both Lena Katina and Yulia Volkova stood out, but ultimately Lena was the one chosen. After some demos were made, however, the decision was made to bring 14-year-old Yulia back on board and the name t.A.T.u was chosen. It was written in such a way so as to distinguish it from an Australian band of the same name.

In the year 2000 the girls completed their first single Ya Soshla Uma, which means "I've Lost My Mind"; later it was released in English as All The Things She Said. On May 21, 2001 their first full length album 200 Po Vstrechony was released followed by Nas Ne Dagoniat and 30 Minut as the second and third singles respectively. The English version of the album was released in 2002 under the name 200 km/h in the Wrong Lane. All the Things She Said and Not Gonna Get Us were the two singles released off this album along with 30 Minutes.

Beautiful and Dangerous

A DVD compilation of t.A.T.u's music videos and more entitled Screaming For More was released in November 2003. The documentary Anatomy of t.A.T.u aired on Russian TV the next month and revealed that, despite the image and controversy, Yulia and Lena were not lesbians. Early in 2004 both girls broke ties with their producer Ivan Shapovalov saying that he was more interested in creating scandals then focusing on their music.

In 2004 the girls went back to the studio backed by their label Universal Music International to record their second English and Russian albums. All About Us and Lyudi Invalidy were to be the first singles from each record. Dangerous and Moving was released in October 2004 with the Russian counterpart Lyudi Invalidy following a few days later.

Add some music and few sparks for one amazing combination

Late 2007 the single Beliy Plaschik was released followed a couple months later by 220 in May 2008. Both were highly favored songs and were supposed to released on a special EP, but the EP was delayed and then canceled due to Yulia becoming seriously ill. The third single You And I was released and then the full length album entitled Vesyolye Ulybki/Happy Smiles was finally released in October 2008 and the songs were also made available on itunes.

A statement released in May 2009 stated that t.A.T.u would no longer be a full time project and both girls were working on solo projects. Although the singles and videos for Snegopady (RU), Snowfalls (EN), White Robe (the English counterpart to Beliy Plaschik), and Sparks (the English counterpart to 220) the band was officially announced as disbanded in 2011.

Both Yulia and Lena are now pursuing solo careers as they have wanted to do for some time. A double remix album was released at the end of March 2011 and is also available on itunes, but there are no definite plans for t.A.T.u to reform any time soon if at all.

It has been 12 years of music and still fans old and new continue to discover the amazing Russian group known as t.A.T.u. They are unquestionably the most popular Russian group there has ever been and they look to be the most popular and best selling band there ever will be.

While t.A.T.u is over Yulia and Lena most certainly are not. Here's to more great songs and more years of great music in the months to come.

New Releases of the Year Part 2

This is a year of some big releases in the music world and this is a follow up to the last post.

While 2011 may be a year of comebacks and music releases it has also been one marked by drama. Case in point being Paramore who lost two of its members.


We are (still) a band!

While Hayley Williams, Jeremy Davis, and Taylor York handled the matter with calm and kind professionalism, brothers Josh and Zac took a less savory route and slammed their former band with numerous accusations. The remaining three members addressed and confirmed some of these issues in an interview with MTV.

Paramore fans, however, were not swayed and have loudly proclaimed that they (still) love their band. Now that the tour is over the band is back in the studio working on their next album and will be recording a batch of songs this summer. The next full length album is set to be released later this year or in 2012 and fans of Paramore will be there every step of the way to support their band.

Another band marked by the loss of a few band members is Evanescence.



Never listen to rumors.


Amy Lee is the only original member still with the band and there has been a total of 10 musicians so far since the group released its first album Fallen in 2003. Rumors of Amy Lee being an "iron fisted" diva started to swirl after the messy departure of Ben Moody in 2003 followed by drummer Rocky Gray and guitarist John LeComp in 2007.

After The Open Door which was released in 2006 and sold 5 million albums the problems started again as Amy Lee reported in Spin Magazine. She had done a lot of writing without the band while producer Steve Lillywhite had them working on some experimental songs with more of an electro lean to them. The sessions were stopped, but music will find a way. Amy Lee and the new members moved in together and started re-working her songs and also creating some new material as well. Now functioning as a real band things started to come together and now Evanescence is back in the studio this April and is looking to release their new album sometime this year.

A band with less drama but certainly not less talent is the Black Veil Brides.

Rock and roll is back to Set The World on Fire!


After releasing their first independent album We Stitch These Wounds on July 20th 2010 the glam rock band has skyrocketed in popularity due entirely to their devoted fans the BVB Army. Now well into the AP Tour they have, or have almost, completed their next album entitled Set The World on Fire. The title track for this album was chosen by popular demand to be in the movie Scream 4 which is now in theatres. However, the first single off this album Fallen Angels will be released soon with the full length CD coming out in this summer on June 14th.

This is a great year for old pros and new faces. Whether you like pop, rock, or metal. English, Korean, or Japanese the language of music is universal and this year is shaping up to be one for the record books.