so the point of all this angel talk is that today is monday, it's time for some music, and let's do it up all spritual like.  and let's do it up friggin' hardcore and ready to go to war, b/c that's what an archangel is all about, son.  these aint no chubby cherubs!  these are warriors.  so let's do a spirit filled hardcore schoolin' session!  w0rd.  to start it off, the greatest spirit filled hardcore band of all-times, strongarm.  with the not so spectacular video "trials" (hey, the only stuff online is this and their last show, with awful audio).

(i've included the lyrics, b/c it's hardcore, and well, you can't understand them otherwise!)

again and again i struggle with my shortcomings, my strength, my soul, weary of this i have to face the pain of my fault within these tests. these trials, the marks i miss, what do i gain? what is the benefit of self-indulgence? the darkness reveals itself, i must commit to absolving it. my fault, my weakness torments myself, why should i sacrifice my dignity? the purpose of these trials holds peace for those that seek it, the secrets of wisdom, truth and life to this one must look. what does it profit a man to release his will to that which tries this soul, a test, a trial, a blessing in disguise, offered to all that ask in time it shall be revealed beyond that which is seen, beyond a man’s understanding

the band that really got me into hardcore was no innocent victim (and their album flesh & blood features st. michael on the cover!).  NIV drummer jason dunn would start facedown records, which is far & away the best spirit filled hardcore label out.  members of the band would also form the amazin DODGIN' BULLETS with members of XdiscipleX & shockwave.  here's "never face defeat" live.

once i fought on my own and i couldn't stand being alone, then one day i was found by the faithful and true, who will fight right beside me, i'll never face defeat. i believed all your lies then truth's love opened my blind eyes, when i thought i was fighting for me and for mine i was fighting for the other side, i'll never again face defeat. i defected from the world, i'll never again face defeat. never again misguided, i'll never face defeat. a thousand armies you could send, i'll never face defeat. i know who wins in the end, i'll never face defeat. i might get knocked down but I'm winning the war, won't listen to you no more. i might get knocked down but I'm winning the war, you will never even the score. i'll never face defeat!

YOUTH CREW! one of the best of the youth crew bands out there is comeback kid.  CBK hail from winnipeg, and though former frontman scott wade (featured in the video below) is sadly no longer with the band, they continue to tour and smash in heads.  but in a posi way.  here's "die tonight" from their debut on facedown.

something in your eyes tells me that you want more, or maybe something less. but i just won't know, standing outside looking in. broken dreams, memories, maybe now's the time to go, let's go. i'll save my last goodbye. for now i'll leave this at goodnight, tonight. i'm thinking i'll leave this for tonight. take a breath, breathe it in, here's where we move on. i'm sick of living between broken dreams, memories. i can think of simpler times, when our good days weren't destroyed by lies. time to let it go, let it go. i'll say my last goodbye. so now i'm leaving you. goodnight tonight. i'm leaving, i'm letting go. die with tonight, some thing of the past. let go.

CBK's current frontman and former lead guitarist, andrew neufeld started out as the frontman for figure four.  they were one of the first bands to come out on facedown, then went to solid state records, and released their 2nd album featuring this song, "when it's all said & done".

born into this life, where's my direction? given the freedom to make these choices for myself, i face deception and i face temptation. i'll face theses things every single day until the time I leave this world behind. i don't know the time i will go and it's not for me decide. the things i thought never would happen to me, i just realize that it's not in my hands. second chances i can't expect and i won't expect. when it's all said and done i will live. i could die tomorrow so now i'll live for today. i'll try to live my live so that i'll never wish i had a second chance.

i wanted to put nodes of ranvier's "glass half nothing" b/c it's a great song.  but embedding is disabled so it won't work.  click the link if you desire.

XdiscipleX a.d. is definately my 2nd favorite spirit filled hardcore band.  they were SO good.  and as mentioned members took part in the incredible DODGIN' BULLETS and also in erie, PA's shockwave.  currently some of the guys from the band are in jesus wept, whose debut ep i loved, but didn't care much for the follow-up full length.  here's XdiscipleX live with "river of life" off the crucial ep from '99 (such a great year in hardcore) no blood, no altar now.

you think i fight a losing war but i've already won. i sacrifice myself, i fall down to my knees. i openly give myself to live my life without a cold gun in my mouth, i have the river of life. deaths dark shadows die and end to all the lies. my breath and body dies, life is mine, no more escape attempts, no more ball and chain. salvation lies within, i have the river of life.

as mentioned, shockwave featured members of XdiscipleX and also some of the guys played in DODGIN' BULLETS.  they're infamous for reppin' the erie hardcore scene and wearing masks and camo.  they will destroy you.  here's "swindle" live.

i want to fight to live my own way, so take your evil and lie in your grave. bow down to liars, to devils filth. bow down to wayward fool thieves. lie down with prostitutes and lay down your body and soul. lie down with broken bones, lie down with evil and lie in your grave. you want to die forever? merge for the kill, you will not bend or break my will. that breath your wasting should be the air your saving

there is no more punishing band to ever come out of the spirit filled scene then zao.  though more of a metal band then hardcore, they just flat out demolish kids and melt faces with their insane live performances and ear exploding music.  my ma heard me listening to it once and said "that sounds like demons!"  i think even demons might fear them.  sadly the original drummer jesse smith is no longer with the band, b/c he was a cool dude.  it's also an interesting side note that former guitarist brett detar went on to front the juliana theory, b/c well, you can't anymore un-zao then that!  (though the guys from strongarm started further seems forever, so there you go).  i definately recommend checking out their dvd the lesser lights of heaven.  here's "to think of you is to treasure an absent memory" live in '98 in the little town in floribama i used to live in, fort walton beach.  this song is very meaningful to me on a personal level.

when you shut your eyes and fell asleep, dark clouds descended on the souls of the ones who held you close to their hearts. my heart broke open. the beauty of an embrace, a place to lay down the pain, where blood and fire bring rest and peace. i sit away in a secret place the shadow of wings. i think of you and my heart breaks open.

one of the first bands to start the whole spirit filled hardcore scene was the focused.  along with bands like unashamed (whose album silence from '94 totally changed my life spiritually) and the blamed, they set the stage for christian bands to be accepted in the hardcore scene and from there for bands like norma jean, underoath and zao to enjoy a lot of popularity (in the underground sense).  here's "empty" live in '95.

i will accept this, these different ways, this change that’s taking place, and the knowledge that i know now, and i am a part of this, and i will do all that i can, the free gift that is given to me, for i am strong and i will stand, and i must deny myself. so why am i left here, when my questions run so deep? to separate myself. how can we rest as we watch it fall, continuing to drown, the time is less, reaching through the darkness and there is nothing left. it is not to be forgotten, or to be left behind, my soul’s driving me to what’s found, and i’m not blind. the direction coming from within, no one’s to blame, my soul’s not empty, ignited with flame. i just won’t take it standing still, given a second chance, it’s not empty, my flesh i kill.

in college hardcore was a huge part of my life.  and being into hardcore means going to shows - lots & lots of shows.  and of all the great bands i saw, perhaps the best live performance was by stretch arm strong when they opened for sick of it all somewhere in jerzy.  it was powerfully personal and this band just gives it all live.  watch this video to see why hardcore was so appealing to me at that time.  here's "for now" live.

don't you know you are my everything? and don't you know you make my heart sing? you've turned my world inside out, now i know what life's about. and it's you i can't live without. you say for now just let me be, you say for now i will be beat. you cry inside and you die inside. i stand by and watch it all go by. i hope for you, and i'll wait until you smile and you make my heart stand still. but, the wait is long, will it ever end? the pain and suffering of my best friend. you destroy yourself by a single thought, spiraling downward now you've been caught. you come up for air and then you'll see how much you're loved and how sweet life can be. don't you know you are my everything and don't you know you make my heart sing. you've turned my world inside out, now i know what life's about. and its you i can't live without. but, i'll try to just get by for now, and i'll walk on by for now.

the first band, at least the first that anyone really knows about, to be labelled "christian hardcore" was the crucified.  they were a mix of punk, thrash, hardcore & metal and got started way back in 1984.  the thing with hardcore is that it's always been a place for unpopular views to be expressed, and has been a platform for many people of many points of view to have a release.  from the straight edge to the vegans to the hare krishnas to the thugs, hardcore has had it all.  at first, christians were seen as having no place, but the popularity of krishna-core really opened the door up for bands talking about jesus to come through.  and they owe a HUGE debt to the crucified.  frontman mark salomon is currently heading stavesacre, and has since '95.  here's "pillars of humanity" and "the pit" live from the first cornerstone (the lyrics to the latter are admittedly corny, but whatevs).

the roots deep of this wicked tree, they're reaching out seeking to change me. it's struggle enough not live for my "self", gotta lift up God for he is deserving so well.  all this "humanity" and the power it claims has turned from God, to pursure its own way to do what God does through its own strength.  i see a storm coming - chaos this way.  the lies, distorted truths, so many lies surrounding you. you look to yourselves to bring you deliverance from hell, to lift yourselves into the place of God. convince yourselves that you cannot be stopped, you'll stop yourselves. environmental, racial conscience so high, your claims are nothing when the fire has died. starting off with that strong p.m.a. your education's only partial and then you fade. to make a change you gotta lay down your pride, only God can make those changes inside. pride is a fire that burns with no name, careful now that you are not the moths drawn to its flame

mosh into the circling pit, slamming to a power fit. once you're in you can't get out, fear is banished in a shout. fun is what you will find when you have a peaceful mind. enter not with violent thoughts, take your violence elsewhere. into the circling pit, feel the power grip your mind, adrenaline is in your veins, rush the stage and dive. fall into the crowd below, end it with a final blow. fatigue is now an enemy, will the slamming ever slow? the violence within - controlling your mind, Christ can relieve the pressure inside. no longer bound to ignorant thoughts, don't waste your time on mentality lost.

Saint Michael, Archangel, defend us in battle.
Be our protection against the wickedness
and snares of the Devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;
And do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host,
by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all the other evil spirits who prowl about the world
seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

Blessed Saint Gabriel, Archangel
We beseech thee to intercede for us at the throne of divine mercy:
As thou didst announce to Mary the mystery of the Incarnation,
so through thy prayers may we receive strength of faith and
courage of spirit, and thus find favor with God and redemption through Christ Our Lord.
May we sing the praise of God our Savior with the angels and saints in heaven
forever and ever. Amen.

Blessed Saint Raphael, Archangel,
We beseech thee to help us in all our needs and trials of this life,
as thou, through the power of God, didst restore sight and give guidance to young Tobit.
We humbly seek thine aid and intercession,
that our souls may be healed,
our bodies protected from all ills,
and that through divine grace we may be made fit
to dwell in the eternal Glory of God in heaven. Amen.

"for he will command his angels concerning you, to guard you in all your ways, they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone" ~ psalm 91:11-12

"We simply can not wait for everyone to hear these new songs," says longtime guitarist Mellinger. "We have not been on the road since the DEMON HUNTER and THROWDOWN tours in 2006, which has given us plenty of time to get our wits about us and to really concentrate on creating the best batch of material we possibly can."

ZAO's "Where Blood & Fire Bring Rest" was recently hailed as "one of the most the most influential albums of 1998" by Alternative Press magazine. That album, which introduced frontman Dan Weyandt to the heavy music scene, and follow-up "Liberate te ex Inferis", which introduced guitarist and songwriter Mellinger, continue to be cornerstone albums to a new generation of bands drawing influence from ZAO's dark, passionate and creative music.

"ZAO is a band that has influenced all types of bands in the heavy music genre, from the DEFTONES and to my band," offers Lambesis. "I'm very excited be a part of bringing them the production their band has always deserved. This record will be the ZAO sound that fans and musicians like myself have been waiting to hear for a long time."

The lineup for this ZAO album is the same as "The Fear...": Longtime co-conspirators Weyandt and Mellinger alongside bass player Martin Lunn and drummer Jeff Gretz (FROM AUTUMN TO ASHES). "Recording Jeff Gretz's drums was the most relaxing and professional studio experience I've ever been a part of," boasts Lambesis. "That guy is a true pro and the standard by which I will judge every other drummer I record at Lambesis Studios in the future."

ZAO's two Ferret Music albums, "The Fear Is What Keeps Us Here" (2006) and "The Funeral Of God" (2004), are among the biggest selling and most important in the band's impressive catalog. "Funeral" was produced by Erik Rachel (EVERY TIME I DIE) and "The Fear..." was recorded by Steve Albini (NIRVANA). The band has toured with IN FLAMES, TRIVIUM, SHADOWS FALL and in the past took bands like UNDEROATH and UNEARTH on tour as their opening acts.

ZAO's new album will be released in 2009.

SOURCE: BLABBERMOUTH.NET

Here is the video:

To can purchase most of ZAO's past efforts at DIVINE METAL DISTRO

Last night was wonderful on many levels. When I first arrived, there were maybe 10 people there. It was time to start and hardly anyone was there. I was worried. Little by little, one by one, more people started showing up. I think we finally ended up with about 24 people, which I was happily surprised to see. For those of you who aren’t part of my ZAO family, we normally have approximately 50 people show up every Thursday. Out of those 50 people, about half of them are those that make up our “core group” and the other half is made up of our rotating crowd (which changes from week to week). Anyways, everyone that was there last night is part of our core group…it wasn’t our entire core group but a large majority of them.

Due to the fact that our group last night consisted of our core Pastor Tom approached things much differently than he had originally planned. He spoke for a few minutes and we watched a Numa (sp?) video as well. Then we all gathered closer and he asked us to openly share what ZAO means to us, what we do, how we do it, why we do it, etc. It was AMAZING! I really hope and pray that some things that had been previously misunderstood about why we do ZAO the way we do it were cleared up because of what we shared. We also discussed the following questions:
•    Have I just been part of the show?
•    What issues in the world do you think God really cares about?
•    What are we doing about them (the issues)?
•    What have I done this week to change the world (or someone else’s world)?
•    What do I need changed in my world?
The last question was what we needed to answer while in our breakout sessions (girls break out together and the guys break out together). It’s a time to build our relationships with one another, pray for each other, listen to each other, give advice, cry together, laugh together, and share about things we’re struggling with. Anyway, Pastor Tom also told us that before we could end our session that we each needed to encourage someone else and that everyone needed to be encouraged.

Last night in the girls breakout session we had a spectacular time sharing, crying, giggling, encouraging and praying together. The encouragement aspect of our breakout was what impacted me the most. As I had said earlier in this post, I wasn’t very eager to go last night. The words of encouragement I received from my girls was amazing and made me so thankful that I went. Girls, if you’re ready this I hope you know how much I truly love you all and appreciate you and know that I will never forget what you said to me! Erin, Patti, Jess, Bailey, Brittany….thank you all again for the things you said to me. It was more touching and encouraging than you can imagine. I needed that so much.

So to sum things up, last night was more incredible than I could have imagined it being. I really believe that the Lord rewarded my willingness to go and do what was right last night. As a member of the leadership team, I can safely say that we still have a long hard road ahead of us as we continue to move forward with ZAO. However, I think last night got us off to a great start! Please continue to keep us all in your prayers. Specifically that we will follow where the Lord is leading us from this point on instead of following each other and what we think is best.

I honestly have no idea what I would do without my ZAO family! I love you all!

What An E-Mail, Steve Albini And Our Survey Have In Common

My dear musicians and bands on church-of-noise.net,

reading just another E-Mail today starting with: “Can you introduce us to an A & R…”  I just thought of Steve Albinis words:

“Whenever I talk to a band who are about to sign with a major label, I always end up thinking of them in a particular context. I imagine a trench, about four feet wide and five feet deep, maybe sixty yards long, filled with runny, decaying shit.”

Actually this kind of mail and question arrives in my inbox every single day. The words I cited are taken of an article by Albini that he called "The Problem with Music”. Any artist who seeks a major deal and really believes it to be his savior should read Albinis article. Make sure to have a dictionary and a calculator ready before reading.

Some of you surely do not know who Steve Albini is. He´s the one who gave birth to the sound of artists just like the Breeders, Helmet, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, 18th Dye, Jesus Lizard, PJ Harvey, Neurosis, Nirvana, Mclusky, Bush, A Whisper In The Noise, Zao and many more. He did not only work as a sound engineer but for labels, agencies. He´s experienced if not to say a guru in the fields of sound and independent music business.

Where the heck does this myth „major deal“ come from anyways? And why do so many artists still hit the hay?

To speak from my own experience it´s a mixture of  the same old routine, greeness and things that are shown  in the media. A major deal is always associated with freedom, fame, money, independency, having the power and peace to concentrate on creating one´s own music. It´s also about seeing the crowd suck what you say, live what you are, stand for what you sound, talk, look like - it´s all about image.

Being on the road for quite a long time and working in the fields of music too I came across a lot of  things:

You seldom write a good song feeling power and peace. Best songs have not been written in independency and safety but in chains, tears, blood and sweat. That´s not just about Afro-American blues. You can read that in biographies of Schubert and Debussy too.

It´s not the major labels who “present” us such music. In fact they have never done that.
They just buy this music and the artists when their music has reached a certain degree of fame or they reached a somewhat critical mass of anything.

It´s not up to the major labels to present us artists who constantly develop an own sound, style and image. Most people tend to forget that this work is done by sound engineers who travel along with the artists getting paid as worse as the musicians themselves. Not to forget the agents and venues who save their last few bucks to print a handful of flyers. Not to forget small independent labels who often release records simply for the love of the music and not for economic interest. Not to forget the die-hard fans who spread the music word-to-mouth.

This is how it works and always will. Artists need a lot of strength and good decision-making qualities to undergo that process successfully. And they have to find the right people at the right time and place.

Major labels are usually not there to support an artist to get on his way up. No one forces them to and that is not a necessarily bad thing at all – they simply are there to market products and want to make money out of music. They are big businesses dependent from financial markets, run by boards of directors focusing on several market segments.

You do not ask for a major deal but you are offered one! Why that´s the way it goes and what traps you should be prepared for – Albini put all that straight in a nutshell for you here.

I have chosen the title of my post in full consciousness. Albinis words remind me on why I started church-of-noise.net in 2006. Though today´s music market is pretty much being restructured and independent artists face much better conditions and possibilities they will have to open their minds for new ideas and networks and learn how to use them. If they don´t do so all these new possibilities will not be worth anything. There have to be created new networks and independent media in order to pave the way for up-and-coming artists.

I am happy and convinced that church-of-noise.net is on the right way. Results of our survey show that
about 60% of all artists say that using the network helps them to get more shows
about 80% would love to see more functions and features in the network
nearly all recommend church-of-noise.net to other artists

We´ll make sure to provide you with the final results very soon.

If not already done yet, you should really start reading Albinis article now!

Take care & read you soon on church-of-noise.net,
Michael Schwark

Was eine E-Mail, Steve Albini und unsere Umfrage gemeinsam haben

My dear musicians and bands on church-of-noise.net,

als ich heute die x-te Mail in meinem Postkasten fand, die mit: "Kannst Du uns nicht einen A & R eines Labels..." begann - da habe ich mich an diese Worte von Steve Albini erinnert:

"Whenever I talk to a band who are about to sign with a major label, I always end up thinking of them in a particular context. I imagine a trench, about four feet wide and five feet deep, maybe sixty yards long, filled with runny, decaying shit."

Viele Anfragen, die ich bekomme, drehen sich immer wieder um Inhalte wie "Wie zur Hölle kriege ich einen Plattendeal?", "Wo komme ich an A & Rs von Majors ran?", "Ich bin so gut, aber kriege einfach keinen Vertrag!".

Die eingangs zitierten Zeilen stammen aus einem Artikel von Albini. Er hat ihn "The Problem With Music" genannt. Und jedem Künstler, der glaubt, sein Heiland in einem Plattendeal, einem "Majordeal", zu finden, lege ich nahe, diesen Artikel unbedingt zu lesen. Dabei bitte Wörterbuch und Taschenrechner zur Hand nehmen.

Einige von Euch wissen sicherlich nicht,  wer Steve Albini ist. Er ist derjenige, der Bands wie den Breeders, Helmet, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, 18th Dye, Jesus Lizard, PJ Harvey, Neurosis, Nirvana, Mclusky, Bush, A Whisper In The Noise, Zao und vielen, vielen anderen zu ihrem originären Sound verholfen hat. Er hat nicht nur als Recording Engineer sondern auch bei Labels, Konzertagenturen, einfach beinahe überall gearbeitet, wo Musik vermarktet wird.

Interessant ist, zu hinterfragen, was diesen Mythos "Major-Deal" eigentlich so hartnäckig aufrecht erhält. Ich denke aus eigener Erfahrung, das ist die Mischung aus Betriebsblindheit, jugendlicher Naivität und Medienmache.

Der Gedanke an "den Deal" ist immer der Gedanke an Freiheit, Ruhm, Geld, Unabhängigkeit, Ruhe und Kraft für die eigene Musik. Es ist oft der Gedanke, von der Masse gewertschätzt, anerkannt zu werden. Und natürlich der Gedanke, zu polarisieren und als Einheit, als Image, zu gelten.

Wenn man dann aber ein paar Jahre unterwegs war und auch "von der anderen Seite" mit Musik arbeitet, steckt man einiges ein, um folgendes zu lernen:

Ruhe und Kraft schreibt selten gute Musik. Die besten Songs sind nicht in Sicherheit  und Unabhängigkeit entstanden, sondern in Ketten, Tränen, Blut und Schweiß. Das gilt nicht nur für den afroamerikanischen Blues. Das kann man auch in Biografien von Schubert oder Debussy lesen.

Es sind nicht Majors, die uns diese Form von Musik "schenken" und es waren nie Majors. Sie kaufen diese Musik ein, wenn sie die entsprechende Breitenwirkung erreicht und eine "kritische Masse" erreicht hat.

Es sind nicht Major-Deals, die Bands nach oben bringen, die lange und nachhaltig gehört werden. Es sind Toningenieure und Live-Mischer, die sich lange Zeit für wenig und keine Kohle die Finger schmutzig drehen. Und es sind kleine Booker und Locations, die sich oft unter der Schwelle der Selbstausbeutung jede einzelne Show und jeden einzelnen Flyer vom Mund absparen. Es sind kleine Labels, die oft mehr aus Liebe zum Künstler und seinem Produkt als aus wirtschaftlichem Interesse Platten veröffentlichen.
Es ist Word-To-Mouth, Herzblut und Begeisterung der Fans, es ist ein Funke, der überspringt. All das baut einen Künstler auf, aber fordert ihm auch unheimlich viel Kraft und Entscheidungsstärke ab. Und natürlich Talent und Durchhaltekraft, um "die richtigen Leute" frühzeitig an sich zu binden.

Für diesen Künstleraufbau nehmen sich Majors in der Regel wenig bis gar keine Zeit. Niemand zwingt sie dazu und es nichts zwangsläufig Schlechtes - aber Majors vermarkten nun einmal ganz klar Produkte und wollen Geld verdienen. Sie sind große Unternehmen, abhängig von Finanzmärkten, regiert von Aufsichtsräten, geeicht auf verschiedene Marktsegmente.

Nach einem Vertrag mit einem Major fragt man nicht. Einen Vertrag mit einem Major bekommt man angeboten. Wieso das so ist und wie das passiert und wo die Fallen liegen können - darüber schreibt Albini!

Ich habe den Titel meines Posts bewusst an seinen Artikel angelehnt. Denn er erinnert mich daran, warum ich Ende 2006 mit church-of-noise.net angefangen habe:

Obwohl sich der Musikmarkt verändert und für unabhängige Künstler einiges einfacher und überhaupt erst möglich geworden ist, müssen auch Musiker und Veranstalter sich erst für neue Ideen öffnen. Denn sonst werden diese Techniken und Netzwerke am Ende nicht viel Wert sein. Ohne unabhängige Medien für Künstler und Veranstalter sähe es zukünftig schlecht aus für Musik.

Ich freue mich aber und bin überzeugt, dass church-of-noise.net auf dem richtigen Weg ist. Nach einer kurzen, ersten Sichtung der bisherigen Umfrageergebnisse, zeigt sich:

rund 60% aller Befragten geben an, über das Netzwerk bereits Shows erhalten zu haben.
mehr als 80% wollen den Ausbau des Netzwerks um mehr und neue Funktionen.
und gefühlte 99,9% empfehlen church-of-noise.net an Künstler weiter.

Wir werden zu späterem Zeitpunkt eine detallierte Übersicht rausgeben. Jetzt aber ab zu Albinis Artikel, wenn ihr nicht schon längst drauf seid!

Passt auf Euch auf, wir lesen uns auf church-of-noise.net,

Michael Schwark

"There is a new record written and we will be recording in the next few weeks. We are really excited about the new material and hope to have a new song up soon. Jeff Gretz is back with us and will be playing on the record. We are also going to be blowing out some merch on the myspace page. We will make sure to keep everybody up to date with everything as soon as we can."
And officially this album is still one of my favourites ever!

"Goshiki numa " (五式沼 Five color pond) - 2007; W 5" x D 4" x H 3 1/2"; stone and black walnut

One day on the way home from a Klamath River stone-collecting trip we stopped near Eureka to poke around in a rock shop. Out in the yard they had a bin of these rocks for sale by the pound. They aren't typical suiseki - being rather colorful and decorative - but they were so interesting and also inexpensive.  We spent quite a bit of time searching through the pile and selected a few to bring home. The bright colors in this one calmed down after a few months outdoors, so Mas made a simple base and we brought it inside to enjoy.

Last October we visited Yamagata, Japan. We had never thought to go there - it's not a major tourist destination - but when we mentioned  to our friend Hideko Metaxas that we were going to Tōhoku (the northern part of the main island) she insisted that we visit her sister's family in her home town of Yamagata.  As everyone knows, it is often exciting to get off of the major tourist route, and this trip turned out to be no exception. The visit to Yamagata was one of of the highlights of our Japan trip, and we are so grateful to Hideko-san and the Iwata family for making these arrangements.

The Iwata family's hospitality is a memory we will cherish. During our two days they took us sightseeing all around the area. Spending the night at their house was like being at a first-class ryokan.  The sight-seeing tour included the Yamagata castle with its 400 year old cherry trees, the ancient Mountain Temple (Yamadera), the 350-year old Maple Garden and Tea House a short walk from their house, and the impressive Mount Zao, which is one of Japan's most active volcanoes.

Okama, the crater lake near the top of Mt. Zao, is also known as the Five Color Pond (Goshiki numa 五色沼) because of the way it changes color from day to day.  When we returned home Mas noticed how our colorful little rock-shop stone evokes this image.  Whenever we look at this suiseki we remember our wonderful visit to Yamagata and our deep appreciation to the Iwata family.

Autumn in Yamagata click to view gallery

Suiseki display - Goshiki Numa click to view gallery

< Previous | Home | Next >

L’exposition montre une sélection de cent vingt pièces provenant essentiellement des collections du département des Estampes et de la photographie et de la Réserve des livres rares, complétées par quelques
prêts de l’artiste, de collectionneurs privés et du Musée national d’art moderne. Le public aura ainsi l’occasion de suivre les principales caractéristiques de son oeuvre imprimé, estampes et livres illustrés, selon un parcours chronologique.

On découvrr les multiples passerelles avec les autres moyens d’expression que le peintre explore en parallèle. Il est en effet fréquent que Zao Wou-Ki parte d’une huile, d’une aquarelle ou d’une encre de Chine pour, ensuite, l’interpréter en gravure. Une vingtaine d’oeuvres originales en relation avec l’oeuvre imprimé sont ainsi exposées, de même que quelques matrices et planches de décomposition qui aideront le visiteur à mieux appréhender le complexe travail de superposition des couleurs caractéristique des estampes de Zao Wou-Ki

A voir à la Bibliothèque nationale de France jusqu'au 24 août 2008

Plus d'infos sur le site de la Bnf

illustration : Zao Wou-Ki, Sans titre, Lithographie. BnF © ADAGP - 2007

Extret de www.warriorofthelight.com

4.  Six Feet Deep - They did it more in sorrow, than in anger.

3.  Warlord - Who is on the Lord's side?

2.  Strongarm - Best live show I have ever seen (except for #1)

1.  Unashamed - The very essence of spirit filled hardcore.

The bands that I love in their place...

5.  xDisciplex A.D.

4.  Stretch Armstrong

3.  The Warriors

2.  Seventh Star

1.  Zao - Because they never went away.

10.) Sit in the Middle of Three Galloping Dogs – Silver Mt. Zion

            Album: He Has Left Us Alone

Silver Mt. Zion: a conglomeration of musicians from various other projects, probably most notably Godspeed You Black Emperor. Sit in the Middle has a heavy emphasis on violins, so in terms of sounding important, they’ve already got a leg up. With the exception of a recitation of scripture from 1 Thessalonians 5:5-7 in the beginning, there are no words at all. The combination of a persistent drum roll sound and mounting tension in the violins, this song easily tops its competitors who didn’t make the list.

9.) Window Seats and Last Wishes – Cool Hand Luke

            Album: So Far EP

Cool Hand Luke wont even play this song live—let alone any songs from this CD. The CD’s just really old, and they’d probably say it isn’t any good. But this song, the closing song, is quite a jewel. It follows a formula not unlike other bands it its genre, but finds itself at such a wonderful crescendo. “One more day, lord” says the singer over and over again, as he tells the story of a man who squandered his life away.

8.) The Adventure – Angels & Airwaves

            Album: We Don’t Need to Whisper

This song always gets me. There’s such anticipation in it, and although I’m almost certain they’re not really there, I can’t help but hear some serious Christian undertones. There’s a great feeling of new beginning in this song, like arising from a bunker after a major battle has ended and seeing that although everything is destroyed, there is hope.

7.) You Always Say Goodnight, Goodnight – Juliana Theory

            Album: Emotion is Dead

When I was in high school, I loved the Juliana Theory. This CD was one of my favorites in fact. This song, it’s long with a melodic build up and eventual chorus of what seems to be angry people shouting something I’m still unsure of. But the point is, listening to this, it seems at any minute something life changing could happen.

6.) In The End – Linkin Park

            Album: Hybrid Theory

Linkin Park is one of those bands that I think is really underrated. My best guess is that it’s because they came out somewhere around the same time as Limp Bizkit, which was a huge joke, and so kind of by proxy they were also a big joke. Plus, it didn’t help that they were doing the whole rap-rock thing too. But this song, as poppy and delicious as it is, also has this really profound feel to it. It’s easy for me to picture a scene something akin to that last scene in Armageddon where Bruce Willis is about to die.

5.) The Latter Rain – Zao

            Album: Where Blood and Fire Bring Rest

Ah, Zao, nearly the only metal band I still enjoy. This album was released before the onslaught of pop metal and hardcore that in many ways it bears great resemblance to. The difference is it came before most of it. Laid under a swelling instrumental chorus, words are spoken, “a sword is drawn, unsheathed bringing legions of demons to their knees by the knowledge of a covenant prepared before the earth itself still so many choose to warm themselves beneath the blankets of deception… I pray that the winds and the rain of that which is latter will bring clarity and understanding to Your infallible Word let the lack of knowledge that destroys us be lifted in Your name.” Then, with wonderful drama the singer screams, “rain,” repeatedly.

4.) I Will Always Love You – Whitney Huston

            Album: The Bodyguard Soundtrack

It’s the last weekend of the senior year at high school. The couple has been dating all four years and now they’re going to different schools. If this song comes on, they’re almost definitely going to have sex. Not because it’s especially sexual, but because it says something we love is coming to an end and makes us mourn it. Delightful.

3.) Ecstasy of Gold – Yo-Yo Ma

            Album: Yo-Yo Ma Plays Ennio Morricone

I know, this is a soundtrack is was made to sound epic. But this one as rendered by Yo-Yo Ma, sends chills down your back. Just try not to drive too fast in your car and imagine that your on horseback racing to stop tragic event from unfolding.

2.) Knights of Cydonia – Muse

            Album: Black Holes and Revelations

I think this band got it right. Practically any song on this CD could have made this list, but this song stands out; mostly for its length. But also, an almost tribal beat on the drums and a weird fuse of eighties metal guitar “chugs,” and words like, “don’t waste time, or time will waste you” keeps my mind making weird assumptions about what strange and sister plot I’ve fallen into.

1.) I Want to Love You Forever – Jessica Simpson

            Album: I don’t know 

Every note in this song, ever melody, every ridiculously cheesy lyric all cumulate to scream in your face that this is the last song you’re ever going to need to hear. You won’t even need to press repeat, or play it again. This song tells us that everything that we could ever want in music has just been fulfilled and we can go about our lives never hearing another thing again if only we’ve heard this song. You have to hear to believe it. But you’re warned, all music thereafter may gravely disappoint you.

Per chi come me ha avuto l’onore di scoprirli fin dall’inizio, gli Zao hanno sempre rappresentato qualcosa di più di una semplice band metal o hardcore; gli Zao sono il punto di congiunzione tra il peccato dell’uomo e la giustizia divina, sono (erano?) cristiani ma già all’epoca di “The Splinter Shards the Birth of Separation”(1997) puzzavano tremendamente di zolfo, come a esorcizzare le paure della vita, quasi a toccare l’inferno con mano. Siamo più precisi: gli Zao sono sicuramente la band estrema meno fortunata nel rapporto notorietà\qualità, e il “rinnovato” interesse nei loro confronti lo si deve esclusivamente al recente trend emometalcore da centro commerciale, con cui per altro i Nostri non hanno nulla da spartire. Riguardo al disco chiariamo una cosa: è prodotto da Steve Albini, il mostro sacro del noise; alcuni nomi per i profani? Nirvana, Neurosis, Pixies, Shellac, Big Black, Zu, High on Fire ecc; inutile quindi aggiungere come il buon Steve abbia conferito alle composizioni (le più cupe e soffocanti dai tempi di Liberate Te Ex Inferis) un tocco marcio e malsano che farebbe invidia persino al reverendo Austin dei Today is The Day; la voce di Dan Weyandt poi è qualcosa di terrificante, da impallidire legioni di norvegesi pittati; ti si stringe al collo e ti avvolge, complici le trame chitarristiche e i bassi saturi che sanno di terra e sangue raffermo. il cammino è sempre più tortuoso e paranoico, qui e lì si possono avvertire echi distorti e dissonanti di Slayer, Converge , Carcass e certi Neurosis, il tutto condito da liriche al limite dell’ autodistruzione psicologica; “The Fear is What…” è un viaggio attraverso le cicatrici che ognuno di noi porta dentro e che nemmeno il Physician del secondo brano potrà mai guarire.
Se con il precedente “The Funeral Of God”, si era parlato quasi esclusivamente di un gradito ritorno, seppur di ottima qualità, “The Fear Is What…” ci riconsegna un gruppo in forma smagliante, nuovamente creativo, e capace di imporsi come uno dei massimi fari per tutto quello che avverrà nel futuro della musica estrema. Un must.

I am not a prophet or a teacher
I am a failure of God
Standing in a circle of my brothers

Tracklist:
1. Cancer Eater
2. Physician Heal Thyself
3. Everything You Love Will Soon Fly Away
4. It's Hard Not To Shake With A Gun In Your Mouth
5. Kingdom Of Thieves
6. Killing Time 'Til Its Time To Die
7. There Is No Such Thing As Paranoia
8. Purdy Young Blondes With Lobotomy Eyes
9. My Love, My Love (We've Come Back From The Dead)
10. American Sheets On The Deathbed
11. A Last Time For Everything