-Review- Nigh Horizon - Immovable (2009) (iTunes version)

Nigh Horizon
www.facebook.com/nighhorizon
From: Miami, FL
Sounds like: Rock




1. Stalling
2. Evasion
3. Storm Of Illusions
4. Furnace
5. Deceiving Tides
6. Standoff
7. The Pull
8. Pulse
9. Resilience
10. Reason And Free Will
11. The Recognition Of Existence
12. Immovable


BUY here

Nigh Horizon comes from Miami, FL and brings to mind the night life and rock music that will get the beach crowds moving and bobbing. Starting things off is the track "Stalling" which brings to mind Hoobastank and even later Incubus. The crunchy guitars alongside rock melodies keeps the song structure tight and sound throughout. "Evasion" is a track with an almost nu metal type style while still maintaining the modern rock flair. "Storm Of Illusions" slows things down a bit and veers into an almost Fire With Fire territory. "Furnace" picks things back up with its immediate guitar work and powerful lyrics. The track has a very Breaking Benjamin vibe. "Deceiving Tides" is an immediate hit as it takes the listener on a wonderful journey of sound. "Standoff" is more upbeat, fast and heavy. This track is screaming for radio airplay. "The Pull" is a mellow track but still very powerful. This would be a great track to listen to if you want to chill and enjoy some great rock music. "Pulse" is very comparable to Chevelle and its still catchy and rocking. "Resilience" is more uppity and will get your head bobbing. The track would make for a great live track as its sure to get the crowd moving. "Reason And Free Will" once again slows things down for a ballad. The guitar solo near the end of the track is something special. "The Recognition Of Existence" has an almost The Apex Theory quality about it with its frantic riffs and drum work. "Immovable" closes out this spectacular rock album. The track is full of great, pure, rock.

Verdict:
It's been 4 years since this albums release. Nigh Horizon will cause a dent in the rock scene with their upcoming release. Nigh Horizon have all of the characteristics of the next great rock band.

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-Interview- Ashes Of My Regrets (6/10/13)

Ashes Of My Regrets
www.facebook.com/ashesofmyregrets
From: Dumont, NJ
Sounds like: Electronic Metalcore





1. How did the band come together and form? Who thought of the name “Ashes Of My Regrets” and is there any meaning behind it?

The band was formed after the five of us had the idea to start a new band with the name of a former band that Brian and Chris had about a year prior. Brian and Chris thought of the name when they started the band a year before. The meaning behind the name is to live life with no regrets, to not dwell on the past because everything happens for a reason and everybody learns and grows from their mistakes.


2. What do you want listeners to take away from your music?

We want the listeners to remember that life is only lived once and do what you please, be you and don't worry about other people's perspective. Live life to the fullest and give them a reason to always smile and live one more day with the full potential to enjoy it.


3. How would you describe your music to the average listener?

Our music is a heavier style of the hardcore scene ranging from brutal breakdowns and catchy choruses to dubstep drops and soft singing melodies. Fans of bands such as Asking Alexandria, The Word Alive, and I See Stars would enjoy our music.


4. What can people expect from your live show? Any crazy show stories?

People can expect a really high energy performance with a lot of crowd interaction. The craziest show story we had was one show we were playing a cover of Closure by Asking Alexandria and some fans started a circle pit and they started running up on stage.


5. Who are three bands you’d like to tour with?

Asking Alexandria, Memphis May Fire, and Miss May I.


6. What’s your favorite track to play live? Favorite crowd track?

Overall "Jealousy's A Killer" is the favorite for us to play live, although our new song, "The Outcome", is starting to become one of our favorites. Overall our cover of "Closure", along with "Jealousy's A Killer", seems to be getting the best reception live from the crowd.


7. What’s your take on the current state of metalcore?

There's a lot more acceptance with the genre as a whole. Bands are starting to incorporate more diverse styles of music. I See Stars is a really great example of this because of the way they blend electronic and hardcore elements into their songs.


8. What’s the current music scene like there in New Jersey both locally and state wide?

Locally speaking, its tough because big bands don't come around very often to North Jersey. The biggest thing that we've had around here is Miss May I at School of Rock in Hackensack, NJ, and Close To Home's show in Nutley, NJ, which we played. In terms of state-wide, its actually really good because of the few big venues that we have in Central and South Jersey like Starland Ballroom and The Stone Pony; plus we get Skate and Surf/Bamboozle and a few different dates off of Warped Tour.


9. What’s your take on legal/illegal music downloading?

It's not as bad as everyone makes it sound. Sure it supports the band which is really awesome. We always buy CD's but just getting the music out there to make people come out to shows is more important.


10. What’s next for Ashes Of My Regrets?

Couple new songs, hopefully our full EP in the summer and definitely a lot more shows.


11. Any shoutouts?

We would like to give a shoutout to all the people who have come out to our shows, all the supporters and true fans, and anyone who believes in us. We would also like to give a shoutout to Brandon Wallace, ex Paramedic member, who's going through a tough time right now, Andrew Bartolone who's supported us from the beginning, Andrew Boyle for being an awesome fan, and Brandon Rodriguez for helping us make this band and put us where we are today and our parents for being there for us.

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-Interview- The Rift (6/9/13)

The Rift
www.facebook.com/theriftmusic
From: Los Angeles, CA
Sounds like: Rock





1. How did the band come together and form? Who thought of the name “The Rift” and is there any meaning behind it?

The band came together originally by me and my brother John forming it in high school. We struggled for a few years developing our sound and finding other good players until I met my friend Tyler Holsclaw. He and I just started jamming all the time then I asked him to join the band and he introduced me to Matt and Tesh. The chemistry between all of us was immediate and we have been making leaps and bounds with our music ever since. I came up with the name and I thought it just really fit what we do. It doesn't force us to be any one genre and it has a great ring to it.


2. What do you want listeners to take away from your music?

We want all of our fans and new listeners to really connect with the music, just as much as we all do in the band.


3. How would you describe your music to the average listener?

I would say that we are an alternative rock band something along the lines of 30 Seconds To Mars mixed with Linkin Park and more guitar driven.


4. What can people expect from your live show?

A gaggle of sweaty dudes… no seriously speaking we put in a ton of energy to our live shows and really care about how we sound live. We also wear these LED lights on our fingers that look cool in the dark. And in general we love to perform and meet every fan that comes out to see us.


5. Who are three bands you’d like to tour with?

We’d like to tour with Story Of The Year, Coheed and Cambria, and Affiance.


6. Any crazy show stories?

We have a lot of crazy show stories but one recent one was when we played at the USC pregame football party. There were so many people walking by and listening to us that it was a crazy experience just playing. After we played it got crazier because we had to tear down our equipment. At the LA Coliseum there is only one road that goes in an out of the stadium so when we were packing up our gear our drummer nearly got run over while he was carrying his drums to the car.


7. What’s your take on the current state of rock?

Current state of rock well there is a lot of great music out there especially online you can find tons of great independent bands. But the problem is there is so much online that it’s super saturated. This means that good independent bands have a hard time getting anyone to find there music. Bands that are signed or having success are the ones sticking to the small niche where rock is surviving. New bands that are sounding like successful bands are doing well. But we are trying to do something a bit different. Were not trying to be one genre or sound like any one band, we all have a wide array of influences and styles that we like. So when any one of us comes up with a song or a cool riff it doesn't matter what style it is, as long as its something we believe in we know it will come out good. We also think were doing alright because of how important live shows have become, and how we make a real effort to knock each show out of the park.


8. What’s the current music scene like there in California both locally and state wide?

Locally music scene is pretty small in the suburbs. In LA it’s very saturated and there are a lot of really shady promoters who don’t care about new artists, or promoting their shows for that matter. Many clubs in LA don’t care about new bands and actually charge them to play at their venue. We have been somewhat luck of late to meet a few good promoters they have high expectations but they deliver.


9. What’s your take on legal/illegal music downloading?

We think its good and bad. For new artists it can be good exposure to have a track be spread across the internet quickly. But it takes away the value of music financially and as a new artist that is frustrating. I’m sure that it hurts big artists as well, but not nearly as much as new artists. Illegal downloading isn't going anywhere soon and there are a lot of good things about it, but I think it has also been one of if not the sole reason why the music industry has been in ruins for that last decade or so.


10. What’s next for The Rift?

We’re going to be recording soon, and keep trying to get known any way that we can.


11. Any shoutouts?

Chuck our producer, T-Roy a promoter of ours, Rigo and Tony for being great buds and fans, and our local band buddies Vengeance For The Fallen.

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-Interview- Beneath The Machine (6/9/13)

Beneath The Machine
www.facebook.com/beneaththemachinema
From: Haverhill, MA
Sounds like: Deathcore

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-Interview- LukeWarm Swab (6/3/13)

LukeWarm Swab
www.facebook.com/lukewarmswab
From: Copenhagen, Denmark
Sounds like: Melodic Metalcore



1. How did you guys come together and form? Who thought of the name “LukeWarm Swab” and is there any meaning behind it?

Well, the band originally started as a 3-man-band in 2010 with the purpose of playing cover songs from bands like; Three Days Grace, Nickelback and originally Linkin Park. At that time, the band consisted of The Bob (rhythm guitarist), The Dohan (lead guitarist) and The Tobi (lead vocals and drums), but we soon discovered that we needed a bass player, so a few months later The Countryman joined in on the bass. At this time, we started writing our own tracks alongside our cover-project, and then played our first show (WARNING: if you attempt to find footage of this on youtube, you’re gonna’ have a bad time!) After another six months, we decided to go look for a new lead singer so that The Tobi could focus on drumming. We had a few laughs with a couple of auditions, when The Tobi came to think of his classmate, The Kaae, who he remembered had struck him with awe playing drums in 4th grade. The Kaae accepted the challenge, even though he had never really played drums for more than that concert in 4th grade, and The Kaae passed his audition with an A++, and the drumsticks immediately grew onto his hands. And there we have it: LukeWarm Swab.
Oh, speaking of the name LukeWarm Swab, it’s a funny story.
Emerging from the halo of the universe, deep into the core of creation, a spirit arose from clusters of dark matter. The dominator of dimensions, the blissful creator of music. It was the spirit of The Swab. The Swab habited several planets, but only briefly. He then found Saturn, from where he would transmit his passion. The Lunatics invaded Saturn, and The Swab was forced to flee to the earth. He then split into 5, for better hiding, but found himself lost for a long time with no people suitable for possession. During the years of 2008 and 2009, evidence of habitable hosts appeared in the kingdom of Denmark. Five particularly handsome guys unknowing of their destiny showed up and the spirit of The Swab had finally found his crib. The spirit of The Swab granted a subliminal urge to explore the beauty of music to the five apprentices. On an ordinarily sunny Tuesday, The Dohan and The Tobi, who’s friendship went years back, finally decided to sit down and figure out a name for a band. At that time, the two aspiring musicians were fascinated by the arts of Linkin Park, and decided to have a band-name similar to that. They came across the name Lunken Pik, which in English is translated to Lukewarm Schlong. The name wasn’t right, and they both randomly and simultaneously came across the name LukeWarm Swab. The spirit of The Swab was satisfied.


2. How would you describe your music to the average listener?

Our music is very different, which is reflected in our different tastes of music. We combine oldschool rock and metal with modern metalcore, with hints of funky and jazzy features. We appreciate diversity and we like to think we project that in our music.


3. What can people expect from the upcoming EP? When are you hitting the studio again?

People can expect a very new and exciting side of LukeWarm Swab. We are finally beginning to set the course of our ship and we are extremely satisfied with how our music is advancing. We have some very cool and unique tracks in store for you all to enjoy. We hope to record the first single of our EP in August, and hopefully finish it all during the end of the year or the beginning of next year, but the sooner the better.


4. How would you describe your live show?

We would first and foremost describe our live shows as being spontaneous. We are relaxed and chilled out on stage, and we let us embrace by the music and the people around us. We really love to have fun and go nutts, and we strive to let it all come naturally rather than faking an image on stage. We believe that the more you let the music lead you on stage, the better the sound and the more enjoyable the overall experience for the fans.


5. What’s your favorite track to play live? Favorite crowd track?

Actually, our favourite crowd track must be All Night. It is not one of our most advanced or performed tracks, but it is catchy as hell and people tend to down their drinks a lot more during this particular bad boy.


6. What’s your take on the current state of metalcore?

We really like a lot of the modern metalcore bands that are around, but we feel that people forget their roots, and forget to stay metal. We think a lot of bands hide too much behind mixes and samples and end up sounding too much the same. Uniqueness is rare these days, and we hope to see more bands experimenting with their own sound.


7. What’s the music scene like there in Denmark both locally and country wide?

In Denmark, you have to play either hardcore or death metal to get booked a lot. Small bands are having a bit of a hard time playing on festivals and concerts, unless you book entirely on your own. It is flourishing quite a lot for some of the scenes in Denmark with booking big international bands, which is awesome and we hope it stays like that.


8. What’s your take on illegal/legal music downloading?

We believe the only kinds of pirates that should exist are the ones with schimitars, eye-patches and parrots. We support the music we like, but also respect the musicians that hand out their music for free.


9. Who are three bands you’d love to tour with?

We are all big fans of Avenged Sevenfold, and it is a dream of ours to get the honor of sharing stage with them. Tenacious D is another band we would love to tour with, because we can recognize their insanity in ourselves. And of course Linkin Park. You always pick Linkin Park.


10. What’s next for LukeWarm Swab?

Other than a few shows, we are all finished studying for now, and we can really focus on evolving as a band. We will dust up some old songs and fix them up, as well as write new material. We have countless ideas and we can’t wait to share them with everyone. As mentioned, we will hit the studio later this year, and we might have some special things in store for the autumn and winter of this year. Might.


11. Any shoutouts?

We would like to give a shotuout to some of our friends from Denmark whom we have played with. A shoutout to E’nemia, who are all wonderfully crazy people, to Cold Black, who never seems to run out of bodypaint, and Out of Autumn, for being the second best party-band in Denmark. And last but not least, a shoutout to our man Michael for encouraging us to keep getting better, stronger and to slap the bass. Where’s the mouse at Michael??? Stay fresh.

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