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Sunlight was an (unsigned) Indie band I played with in the early 1990s.
We did some great gigs, recorded a pretty cool demo, had a lot of fun and utterly failed to make
it big, probably because that was the furthest thing from our minds in those days - we just liked to
hang out, play music and have a laugh.
Our music was an eclectic blend of musical
flavours; bringing together elements of indie, punk, goth, metal and retro music - we just
played what we liked to hear and if other people liked it then that was an added bonus.
I have made the four songs from the 'Haven' demo available as mp3 files and have a short biography
and small photo gallery of the band - it's all in the projects section.
Have a listen - I still love it :-)
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For over two decades Slayer have been delivering stark and viscreal horror stories underpinnned by brutally precise and powerful music. From the biblical terrors of armageddon and damnation to the man-made horrors of Flanders and Auswitch they leave no raw nerve unexposed, no festering wound unexamined. The band's conviction in itself and it's music is evident in every scalpel-sharp riff, machine-gun drum fill and tortured vocal line. Their latest album, 'God Hates Us All', is on a par with earlier classics such as 'Reign In Blood' and 'South Of Heaven' and the new live DVD 'Still Reigning' is just awesome.
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I know it's fashionable on both sides of the razor-wire to hate Marilyn Manson but when did I ever care about fashion? Ok, so they play the media like it was just another instrument but to me that seems more like a subversive act of infiltration rather than the simple prostitution many portray it as.
Whatever the motivation Marilyn Manson's music exposes the hypocrisy of 21st century western civilisation; laying bare the dirty secrets that society would rather ignore and shouting about those things 'decent' people dare only whisper. And they use society's own tools to deliver their message. Is this intellectual subversion or crass pop marketing? I wonder; why can't it be both? After all, Mr Manson would not be the first guy to have used a society's tools of control to try and make a point, subvert that society and start a revolution - or to have followers who wear long black coats and dog-collars..
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I love a lot of the punk bands that sprang up in the US in the 80's and The Dead Kennedys are the cream of the crop.
Their intelligent, passionate and just-plain-weird social angst makes uneasy listening but beautifully
captures the side of the 80's we don't talk about in polite society - from the paranoia and abuses of power in the cold war
to the unfettered consumerism and brand-driven narcissism that stole the heart and soul of America and sold it cheap.
The Dead Kennedys wore their liberalism like armour and wielded their intelligence like a mace.
They were geek-punk evangelists, preaching not only against the power of Big Brother but also against the apathetic masses
that accepted the insanity of the times in return for a quiet life and a big car.
Listening to them in retrospect it's disturbing how little has changed.
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In the early 80's I fell in love with Dirty Rotten Imbeciles, a 'hardcore punk' band from the U.S.A.
While many bands of that era tried desperately to cling to thier 'harder-core-than-thou' image D.R.I
matured into one of the most successful punk/metal crossover bands. While their music evolved from manic, 30-second rants
to sophisticated, tightly executed metal their harsh social commentry and uncompromising attitute seem to have survived. If one
requires a concise example of the evolution of U.S. metal from punk one could do a lot worse than D.R.I's back catalog. Although I last saw them play live in the 80's (sorry. can't be more specific due to beer) the band are apparently still going strong.
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Washington's Godhead produce a sinister and compelling fusion of electronica, goth and metal. Back when metal and techno started competing for club space I wondered whether a fusion of the two could work. Mostly it doesn't - too many bands combine the worst of both genres. Godhead get it right though, allowing the influences of the metal, ambient dance and goth genres to mould memorable and distinctive tracks lacking the more obvious crossover cliches. It took a while for US audiences to catch up with their european conterparts in accepting Godhead, possibly due to the difficulty in pidgeon-holing their music but they are gaining popularity all the time.
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cool artists
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Slayer
White Zombie
Cradle Of Filth
Marilyn Manson
Fear Factory
Dead Kennedys
Dirty Rotten Imbaciles
VoiVod
Ministry
Godhead
Sunlight
Motley Crue
Rob Zombie
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cool albums
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Slayer
Hell Awaits
White Zombie
Astro Creep 2000
Kreator
Enemy Of God
Ministry
Houses Of The Molé
Godhead
Evolver
Fear Factory
Archetype
Marilyn Manson
Golden Age..
Marilyn Manson
Antichrist Superstar
VoiVod
VoiVod
Dead Kennedys
Bedtime..
D.R.I
Dealing With It
Slayer
God Hates Us All
Motley Crue
Too Fast For Love
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cool songs
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Cradle Of Filth
Twisting Further Nails
Slayer
Hell Awaits
Ministry
No W
Marilyn Manson
Don't Pray For Me..
Marilyn Manson
Coma White
Fear Factory
Act Of God
Fear Factory
New Breed
Dead Kennedys
Chickenshit Confirmist
Dead Kennedys
Trust Your Mechanic
D.R.I.
Violent Pacification
D.R.I.
I Don't Need Society
Slayer
Disciple
Motley Crue
On With The Show
Motley Crue
Find Myself
Faster Pussycat
Too Fast For Love
Slayer
Disciple
Motley Crue
Brandon
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