Think about blending metalcore and melodic hardcore... What you get is First Blossom In Spring, a young band from Münster (GER). Since I am familiar with First Blossom In Spring I already knew that listening to 'Don't Look Back' would fill my head with shiny and catchy melodies. The first song 'Who I Will Be' is a good start off, because it introduces the band's sound without revealing everything at a time.
While listening to the rest of the EP you will be surprised about bassplayer Ricardo's singing skills in 'More Than Life'. Also the riffs will not let you go that easily. These people speak one and the same language while playing their instruments. Honestly, I believe this is a surprisingly good first EP.
'Don't Look Back' was recorded at Pitchback Studios in Köln, same studio where Nasty is recording new songs right now. Pitchback Studios is specialized in a few genres, such as hardcore. First Blossom In Spring is a band that keeps surprising me in any way. Last summer they blew my socks off at Sputtenmosh X by creating an amazing atmosphere out of nothing. What in this case certainly must be mentioned is that they opened the festival as voting winner and they had not played lots of shows before.
Curious? Check out their facebookpage and have a listen at a few songs.
A real family EP if you ask me. Isn't it mothersday in a little while? Well, this is the golden tip of today: Make your mom happy or your aunt, your sister, the old lady next door or your pet with this great EP! Send those guys an e-mail and you will get free autographs as well. Spread the fucking word!
This is my personal favourite: More Than Life. The video is from the Sputtenmosh X gig last summer in Münster.
Meet Kalypso, a German metalcore band located in Lingen, Nordrhein-Westfalen. They united in 2009 and last month they released their second EP ‘Neue Chancen’. The EP was recorded in Kiel at Blastbeat Production AND can be downloaded for free, just like their previous EP ‘Nyktophobie’.
Every single word is sung in German, which strengthens the poetic structure of the lyrics. Even if you do not speak the language it will still be a swaying accent pleasant for the ears. The lyrical content of the songs are in fact summaries of what happens in life, but seen from a different point of view.
Kalypso has a strong metalcore sound, with here and there some remarkable deathcore accents in it.
In the mean time, Kalypso recorded a videoclip for their song ‘Bäume wachsen nur auf stärken Herzen’ in cooperation with Doom Design who offers professional graphic-, video- and webdesign without sucking your wallet dry.
As you can see the videoclip is shot on a frozen lake. During the shooting, the ice cracked heavily underneath the boy’s feet. In the end both the band and camera guys left the ice even though they do some more shots at this location, but they did not want to put themselves into danger.
Curiousssss or wot? Check out their video or even better: Go and check them out tomorrow at the 'The End Is Near Tour' in Paderborn, NRW, Germany. Kalypso will tear the place (Kulturwerkstatt) down together with All You Can Bleed, Hate Embraced, Tribe and Science of Sleep.
Enjoy!
Funny (unrelated but not senseless) fact: Kalypso’s rehearsal room is located in an abandoned elementary school. Spooky stuff.
2012 just started, what do you want to accomplish this year so you will be able to look back with a good feeling?As every year, we want to put everything on a completely new level in 2012. No compromises, no time outs. Because we are not big fans of empty promises, we will start this year with a completely new release and a Europe tour! We will officially announce everything within the next few weeks! Keep your eyes open!
Which of those plans and tour dates are already confirmed yet?
We’re currently booking a Europe tour with the help of Avocado Booking. BUT we expect another tour within this year and we will for sure play as many weekenders as possible again!
With which bands do you want to go on tour with? What was your most memorable happening on tour?
I would go for Comeback Kid as our absolute dream-touring-partner. We already shared the stage with them twice and it was always amazing. One of these shows was the Never Say Die Open Air in Trier last year. Legends like Madball and Shai Hulud played there as well, just like the current heavyweight champions in Parkway Drive. It was definitely a pleasure to hang around and chat with all these bands you are looking up to.
Myspace was clearly more focused on music than Facebook is now, do you see any differences in communicating with your fans and or do you have any alternatives to stay in touch with them?
The difference between Myspace and Facebook is huge. But because everyone on this planet is using Facebook all the time, you can reach a lot more people through it. For sure, sometimes a post gets lost, but it was the same with bulletins on Myspace, wasn’t it? Another good way to keep connected with your fans is through Twitter and Tumblr! Check out our profiles and follow us!
How is your view on the contemporary german music scene and hyped bands like e.g. Eskimo Callboy?
There are a lot of cool bands from Germany. For example our Bros in A Traitor Like Judas and Elude The End to name just two of them. All in all the German Hardcore and Metal scene is pretty booming. Just look over to the Ruhrpott where a lot of awesome new hardcore bands come from. Keep your eyes and ears open!
The music of Eskimo Callboy is totally not our cup of tea. Bands like them haven’t got anything in common with the Hardcore and Metal bands we love. But I’ve never been interested in them, so I don’t really know a lot about this band. I started listening to a song of them a few months ago and turned it off after 30 seconds. As always: Not every band with a hype is a good band.
Last but not least: what does it mean to you to be a part of this band?
Da das Jahr grad erst angefangen hat, haben wir uns natürlich gefragt was wir 2012 von LET IT BURN Records besten Sign des letzten Jahres: The Haverbrook Disaster alles erwarten können. Ich bin mir ziemlich sicher, dass man kaum an den Jungs vorbeikommen wird.
Checkt twitter: @whatsupthd / tumblr: http://thehaverbrookdisaster.com und seid gespannt. Bis dahin könnt Ihr hier ein bisschen was über die 5 lesen.
Was wollt ihr 2012 alles erreichen um am Ende des Jahres sagen zu können, es lief gut?
2012 wollen wir wie auch die Jahre davor alles geben um alles auf ein neues Level zu bringen. Keine Kompromisse, keine Pausen. Damit die Versprechungen auch nicht leer bleiben, haben wir für die erste Hälfte 2012 gleich ein kleines Release und eine Europatour geplant! Ankündigungen kommen innerhalb der nächsten paar Wochen! Haltet die Augen offen!
Was habt ihr tatsächlich alles an Touren etc. geplant dieses Jahr?
Bis jetzt ist fest in Planung eine Europatour mit der Hilfe von Avocado Booking! Rechnen allerdings noch mit einer zweiten Tour im Laufe des Jahres und außerdem natürlich wie immer so viele Weekender wie möglich!
Mit welchen Bands würdet ihr gern einmal zusammen auftreten und wieso? Hattet ihr bis jetzt schon ein prägendes Tour/Konzerterlebnis?
Ich denke Comeback Kid wäre nach wie vor unser absoluter Traumpartner in Sachen Tour. Wir hatten schon zweimal die Ehre mit ihnen die Bühne zu teilen und diese zwei Shows waren auf jeden Fall auch zwei unserer coolsten Shows! Eine davon war das Never Say Die Open Air in Trier letztes Jahr, auf welchem auch Legenden wie Madball, Shai Hulud und die derzeitigen Schwergewichtschampions Parkway Drive am Start waren. War definitiv eine Erfahrung mit all den Bands zu denen man aufblickt Backstage abzuhängen und zu labern!
Myspace war ja früher viel mehr auf Musik ausgelegt als Facebook jetzt, empfindet ihr da einen Unterschied? So ein 'Post' kann ja leichter mal untergehen. Habt ihr noch andere Methoden eure Fans auf dem laufenden zu halten?
Der Unterschied zwischen Myspace und Facebook ist natürlich enorm! Allerdings bietet Facebook aufgrund der absoluten Dauerbenutzung eines jeden Menschen auf diesem Planeten eine viel bessere Möglichkeit Massen zu erreichen. Natürlich kann so ein Post auf Facebook mal untergehen, das konnte ein Bulletin auf Myspace allerdings auch!
Eine weitere Methode seine Fans zuverlässig auf dem Laufenden zu halten ist natürlich über die zwei Social Network Kings die derzeit direkt nach Facebook kommen: Tumblr und Twitter! Schaut da vielleicht einfach mal bei uns vorbei!
Was haltet ihr von der momentanen deutschen Musikszene und von gehypten Bands (wie zum Beispiel Eskimo Callboy)?
Aus Deutschland kommen ein paar echt coole Bands die mit uns befreundet sind und ihr Handwerk 1a verstehen! Ganz vorne sind da beispielsweise unsere Homies in A Traitor Like Judas und Elude The End, um nur zwei zu nennen, und alles in allem kann man die deutsche Hardcore/Metal Szene zurzeit schon als sehr florierend bezeichnen. Gerade aus dem Ruhrpott schießt zurzeit wieder eine nach der anderen freshen Hardcore Band aus dem Boden! Augen und Ohren offen halten!
Bands wie Eskimo Callboy machen Musik die uns absolut gar nicht zusagt. Solche Bands haben in unseren Augen nichts mehr mit dem Hardcore und Metal zu tun den wir lieben, jedoch lässt sich auch hier über Geschmäcker streiten. Ich habe mich um ehrlich zu sein bis jetzt auch zu wenig mit der Band befasst um ein ausführliches Feedback geben zu können, das Interesse ist aber auch nicht da. Ich hab vor ein paar Monaten angefangen einen Song zu hören und ihn nach 30 Sekunden weggeklickt. Nicht alles was einen Hype hat ist zwangsläufig auch gut.
Und zum Schluss: Was bedeutet es euch in dieser Band zu sein?
Alles.
Just two years ago you founded SOS and this year you will share the stage with Suffokate & Blind Witness. Did you ever dare to think things would go so fast?
First of all: Thank you for doing this interview!
Even though we started just two years ago we have always put a lot of hard work into our writing and the hell lot of shows we played yet (about 100 in the first 2 years) . We always wanted to become more than just "one of those bands", so we really appreciate the response we get by being supportact for bigger bands. We have had the honour to play with Suffokate, death metal kings Obituary, The Ghost Inside and other rather famous bands. We are kind of getting used to it.
What is the secret of your succes?
As said before: hard work. We put an awful lot of time in the whole "band thing", by which I mean the songwriting, the whole bookingshit and mailing stuff, organization, merchandise and whatever but many bands do that too. The reason of our, if you want it to call "success" is a secret to me too! I think we just started at the right time. And we do not cover shitty pop songs to become popular... Maybe we are just awesome or people are stupid, haha.
What is your message to the people reading this?
To all people who read this: Please check out Science Of Sleep for maximum deathcore sickness, come to our shows and have a good time with us! We are very thankful for all kind of support, so go ahead and show us your love!
It is official now: Parkway Drive has planned a EU tour in April 2012. The tour will kick off on April 6 in The Netherlands and will end in Belgium at the Groezrock hardcore- and punk festival on the 28th of April. Eleven blessed countries will be witnessing PWD’s tour with The Ghost Inside and Miss May I as support acts. After this tour, the band will return to Australia to start working on their new album.
The tour will look like this:
06.04.12 Holland Amsterdam @ Melkweg
07.04.12 UK London @ Indigo2
08.04.12 UK Birmingham @ HMV Institute
09.04.12 UK Glasgow @ ABC
10.04.12 UK Manchester @ Academy
11.04.12 UK Cardiff @ Uni Great Hall
12.04.12 Germany Oberhausen @ Turbinenhalle
13.04.12 France Paris @ Bataclan
14.04.12 France Lyon @ Transbordeur, Rockstorm Fest
15.04.12 Spain Madrid @ Sala Heineken
16.04.12 Spain Barcelona @ Sala Razzmatazz
17.04.12 France Toulon @ Le Vox
18.04.12 Italy Milano @ Alcatraz
19.04.12 Germany München @ Tonhalle
20.04.12 Austria Wien @ Gasometer
21.04.2012 Germany Leipzig @ Agra, Impericon Fest
22.04.12 Germany Würzburg @ Posthalle
23.04.12 Denmark Copenhagen @ Pumpehuset
24.04.12 Sweden Gothenburg @ Trädgårn
25.04.12 Norway Oslo @ John Dee
26.04.12 Sweden Stockholm @ Klubben
27.04.12 Germany Hamburg @ Große Freiheit 36
28.04.12 Belgium Meerhout @ Groezrock Fest
On Saturday November 26 you NEED to move your ass to Café Gonzo, the legendary place that got entirely destroyed by The Dillinger Escape Plan.
"Refused Party Program is a temporary tribute to one of the best records ever made: 'The Shape Of Punk To Come' by the Swedish band Refused. We will play a few shows in 2011. After that, we'll be fucking dead."
Yes, you got it right, it is your last and only chance to see these awesome guys plays one of their last shows. Bring your family, friends, neighbours, patients, teachers or teddybears.
Perceptions was founded in 2009 and after only two years you can proudly say you already shot your own videoclip.
We couldn't have been happier with how the videoclip turned out. It was posted on Blanktv, which gave us a lot of exposure abroad and we got loads of positive feedback from around the world. All this is pretty mindblowing for us, considering we are a pretty new band.
The video was shot by Frederic Van Zandycke, a pretty talented guy who knew exactly what we wanted and delivered a product that suited our expectations perfectly. Frederic is an awesome dude.
You already faced lots of criticism, especially on Youtube because the videoclip has so many views. Especially the vocals are a hot topic. How do you, as a young band, see this and what do you do with it?
As long as it is constructive criticism it is good criticism. We actually learned a lot from the great amount of feedback we received. We are still an upcoming band that is still searching for its own sound and identity, so the criticism we faced regarding the vocals (apart from comments like "Omgz that singer is the Asian version of Justin Bieber lolz") really helped us to push ourselves in the right direction.
Your drummer Michiel left the band recently, what happened? How is the cooperation with the filling in drummer (The Zygoma Disposal) working out?
It pretty much comes down to the fact that Michiel grew kind of tired of drumming in a metal/hardcore band. We were pretty gutted with his departure, but sometimes decisions have to be made for a greater cause. A demotivated drummer that would just have dragged the rest down. The cooperation with Gert is going really smooth, he nailed our set in less than a week time and we couldn't happier with his job filling in.
It is hard to be different in the scene because of the great amount of bands today. What is it that makes Perceptions so outstanding?
We don't claim to be the most original or renewing band around but everything comes straight from the heart, because we love to put all kinds of emotion into our music.
Our lyrics actually stand for something and we really spend our time to get them right instead of just shouting random words about killing people. Every song is written with the same idea of getting everything to fit perfectly. There is a real work ethic behind what we do and I think that really shows.
Anything you want to say to the people reading this?
Expect a new record coming out early 2012 and we will be hitting the road again with a new drummer.What this new record is about is still sort of a secret, but expect something really heavy, fresh and totally different from anything we brought out before. Stay evil!
