Want some irresistibly amazing free music? Here's the best news you'll hear in a while. Our favourite UK label Basick Records has been named “label of the month” by no less than Amazon.co.uk. That means for the entire month of November, you can get a ton of Basick releases at a specially discounted price - just £4.49 for albums and £1.99 for EPs.
But the best is yet to come (or this shouldn't be under Free Music Monday). The label is giving a 12 track sampler absolutely free! That includes Misery Signals, Circles, Skyharbor, No Consequence, Glass Cloud, Bear, The Algorithm, Uneven Structure, Aliases, Damned Spring Fragrantia, Dissipate and Chimp Spanner! That's a shit load of amazing free music! You still there? Click on that link!
Chimp Spanner lives! Wasn't too worried though. The musical genius behind the project, Paul Ortiz, recently issued a statement to the fans updating them on his current musical dealings and the future of Chimp Spanner. He left no stone unturned.
You can either read the full statement on his official website or down below. Awesome music included.
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As you guys know I’m currently working on the next full length album, but I’ve had a few questions lately regarding when the next tour will be, or what’s happened to Chimp Spanner…
Not this...
It’s been a quiet year or so on the live front, and for a few reasons. First and foremost I want to make sure that the next time I hit the stage it is with new material, as well as old. While I know there are still a lot of people who haven’t heard At the Dream’s Edge or All Roads Lead Here, they’ve still been doing the rounds for a fair while and I’ve been playing some of this material for the best part of five years now. Plus, in hindsight, releasing an EP probably wasn’t the best move in terms of getting more gigs. Without the up-scaled publicity surrounding a full length release it felt a little harder to get shows off the back of it. A lesson learned, although I’m still ultimately happy that you all got to hear new music without having to wait even longer.
Secondly, as is the case for most artists and bands out there, there’s a lot of work to be done outside of Chimp Spanner. One of my major long term goals is to get my music paired up with adverts, trailers, games and so on, and to that end I’ve had to spend a lot of time working on more musically diverse material before I can even consider putting myself out there. The plus side of course is that I’m learning some cool new stuff that will prove useful for Chimp Spanner. If you’ve been keeping up to date with my Soundcloud you’ll have an idea as to what that might entail.
It’s no secret that touring is expensive, so it’s vitally important that when it’s done, it’s for the right reasons and with all the supporting material to make it viable (a new album, brand new merchandise, etc.).
It’s also no secret that this is about the albums first. Touring is something that will naturally happen under the right circumstances, and with the right bands.
So in short, Chimp Spanner hasn’t “gone” anywhere, although a break this long in a genre evolving so rapidly would probably suggest otherwise. But for everyone who has supported me so far and seen the handful of shows and tours we have done, there will be more. It all hinges on the next album.
As to when that will be done, there’s no easy answer to that. Those of you who write & record will appreciate how quickly inspiration/motivation can strike…or evaporate. What I can tell you is that channeling my energies into other genres and projects has been a huge help. I’m spending enough time on non-Chimp material now that when I do come back to it, it’s fresh and it’s exciting. And ultimately that’s the best place to be in if the album is to be a worthy successor to my last two releases.
So again, thanks for supporting me and for being patient.
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Video and final report coming soon! Read up on Report 1 HERE, Report 2 HERE, and Report 3 HERE.
After the hard work of Saturday we were happy to have a relaxing and enjoyable day Sunday, even though we strongly started to feel the need to take a shower.
But as soon as the concerts started we immediately attended the Mask Of Judas performance. We also had an interview scheduled with them in the afternoon. They played songs from their latest mini album “Axis” and I must say I liked their live performance more than their studio material, which I definitely appreciate. After them it was the time for Chronograph's heavy performance on the main stage, followed by Basick Record's and Peterborough's very own Visions, and Monolith Music's Nexilva.
Later on the main stage, one of the funniest moments of the festival took place. Sadly Aliases performance had been cancelled, so the Tech-Fest team decided to replace them with a party. Stiff Bizkit, a Limp Bizkit cover band got on the stage to entertain the attenders for a half hour bouncing set! I was at the press area for my interview at that time so I couldn't attend most of the set, but it featured guests appearances from No Consequence, Linked, and other acts. In any case I recognized songs like “Nookie”, “My Generation”, “Break Stuff”, “Livin It Up” and more. As soon as I realized what was going on, I immediately ran from the press area to the stage to spend my last 15 minutes before the interview there as my friend was preparing the camera... Yes, I must confess I liked Limp Bizkit. They're one of the first "metal" bands I ever got into. And believe it or not, a lot of tech-heads loved that set. There were a lot of people moving, singing and jumping to those songs. It was a good way to slow down and take a funny break from the complicated proggy stuff played at the fest, and in the end everybody knows the lyrics of at least one Limp Bizkit song. You cannot escape.
After that we went back to some fast and furious technical death metal with the UK-based Dyscarnate, delivering one of the most virulent sets of the weekend (we got this on tape too...wait for it, it's coming soon!). After that we moved again to the main stage where we filmed what will be remembered as the most extreme mosh pit of this year's Tech-Fest during Heart Of A Coward's set. The band delivered a massive and devastating performance, confirming they're one of the most interesting hardcore bands to come out of the UK in recent times. They also recently signed a contract with nothing less than Century Media Records!
Shortly after, some quality instrumental music owned Tech-Fest's main stage. First, Basick Record's Chimp Spanner played a heavy and largely attended set, with a big crowd to appreciate the quality of their exhibition.
Immediately after, we saw the “only band not playing 8 strings guitars” as they defined themselves on stage. I'm talking about dutch fusion metal champions Exivious which did a virtuous and flawless exhibition with original and beautiful sounds. Unfortunately, there was just a small crowd to attend their set... The audience was probably tired from the long weekend and decided to take a break and come back for TesseracT performance, but I must say that this was probably the most clean set from a technical and instrumental point of view.
A few minutes before TesseracT's performance, Simon Garrod (Tech-Fest organizer / owner) and James Monteith (TesseracT and HoldTight PR) picked the winners of the contests to win an 8 string Ibanez RG8 and a coustom Double Slit guitar. After that, Simon delivered a small speech asking the crowd to celebrate the success of the festival with a big group hug that was one of the most moving and unforgettable moments of the weekend. Lovely. And TesseracT with the final performance? Well that was an amazing show with an exhausted but enthusiastic crowd enjoying one memorable set from the perfect band to end this festival. It was an intense, moving, and passionate performance to end Tech-Fest in the best way possible.
Yeah, because Tech-Fest, despite the timing troubles, the absence of showers and wi-fi connection, trouble finding power, and all the bands delayed or cancelled, was still the best Festival I have ever been to. And if I had to choose between finally sleeping in a bed and taking a shower the following night or sleeping for 3 more days on the grass, smelling like dirt, I would have definitely chose another Tech-Fest! If you missed this epic event, you better not make the same mistake next year. Be there!
You want to see something awesome? Here's something awesome. Chimp Spanner's drummer Boris Le Gal has been doing play throughs for the epic three part "Möbius" series from the band's latest offering "All Roads Lead Here". They're impressive to say the very least.
So far he's done part I and II with no confirmation for a cover of part III... yet. We can hope. You can enjoy the first two play throughs down below along with the EP version of "Möbius Pt III". Incredible music here.
The thing that sucks about living in States is that Europe gets all the great shows. And the problem with living in Europe is that the US gets all the great shows. If you catch my drift... You can't win either way.
For this reason I did not personally attend Euroblast 8 but there's no denying the line-up was insanely good. There was also an incredible tour alongside the main event with Scar Symmetry among others. So today we're gonna be taking a look back at some of the incredible sets that were played at the main festival itself along with prepping you for this year's Euroblast 9.
Euroblast 8 was stacked with names like After The Burial, Tesseract, Jeff Loomis, War From A Harlots Mouth, Vildhjarta, Skyharbor, Chimp Spanner, Monuments, Circle of Contempt, The Algorithm, Agent Fresco, Destiny Potato, and the list goes on... Check out footage from the bands down below! Also included possibly one of the coolest festival trailers ever made, featuring music from the incredible Akeldama.
Currently the line-up for this years festival is being announced bit by bit. There have already been several awesome bands announced including Benea Reach, Mnemic, Twelve Foot Ninja, The Omega Experiment, Cyclamen, Tardive Dyskinesia, etc. You can check the rest of the bands / get all kinds of info here. This years festival will be huge!
This year was packed with amazing music in all forms. EP releases were no exception. The competition on this list was fierce but it is finally settled. Here are the top 5 EPs of 2012.
1 CHIMP SPANNER - ALL ROADS LEAD HERE
Hailing from the UK, guitar and composition wizard Paul Ortiz has been creating
some of the most mind bending, out of the box tracks known to man since 2005 and
he hasn't even remotely slowed down. If anything, he's sped up with his newest "All Roads Lead Here". This is a multi-dimensional aural adventure teeming with musical genius and complete excellence. And it's all crammed into 25 minutes of explosive audio perfection. From "Dark Age Of Technology" to "Cloud City",and the three massive parts of the epic "Möbius" in between, this is one you don't want to miss.This release deserves your full attention as the EP of the year.
Circle of Contempt have grown in
many ways since their debut while maintaining the edge they are known
for. Technical and creative with an increased focus on musical execution, Circle of Contempt have achieved classic status with the phenomenal "Entwine The Threads". Tracks such as "Transient Belief", "Perceive The Mendacity", and "Entwine The Threads" really set it apart. This is definitely an EP that's worth your time and money. More than that,
this is an EP worth recognition among the best this year has to offer.
"Entwine The Threads" is like the metal cherry on top of 2012 \m/ It is a
massive and inspiring musical experience.
This is the kind of band that will either inspire the hell out of other
artists or make them want to give up on their respective instruments. The Ascariasis debut was one of the most impressive Death Metal EPs to come out in awhile. "Ocean Of Colour" is filled with shreddy, razor-edged metal combined with a creative, tasteful
side. This band has the ability to combine a chaotic, heavy sound with a classical, melodic flavor. They even throw in some ambience. Altogether, it makes them really stand out
amongst the Death Metal pack. "Shatter", "Eleven", "Carving The World" and the title track all demonstrate why Ascariasis is the cream of the crop.
Coming
from Serbia, David Maxim Micic has both re-defined and set the bar
high for other "bedroom producers" worldwide. The Berklee trained
multi-instrumentalist followed up his debut in the biggest way possible.
"Bilo 2.0" borrows elements of the original release while being a beast
of it's own. Bringing together genius, progressive metal,
jazz fusion, huge atmosphere, electronics, technicality, tasteful
writing, and cutting edge experimentation, this EP creates a musical
journey
for the listener. Every track on "Bilo 2.0" will bring you "Along For A
Ride" like nothing you've heard before. This is easily one of 2012's
best EPs.
Novallo sounds like a combination of Periphery, The Human Abstract, Mute Math, Maroon 5, and lord knows what... The music these guys make, although random at times, is damn impressive. Their debut is easily one of the strongest EPs to drop this year. Packed with tight instrumental work, amazing vocals, and infectious ear candy, Novallo will leave you hooked. Every track on this release has something interesting and unique going. To name a few - "Angle of Perception", "4 Eyes Win!", and "Visually Silent" really stand out. Definitely give the EP a listen. Warning: It will get stuck in your head in the best way possible.
In the weeks leading up to the end of 2012and our top 10 list of the year, we decided to give credit to the past couple years too. Here's the top ten albums of 2009, no shits given about whiny elitist opinions.
1 ANIMALS AS LEADERS - SELF TITLED
The album that almost didn't happen is our top album of 2009. Thank the metal gods it did! The Animals as Leaders self-titled debut is nothing short of perfection. Powered by Tosin Abasi's incredible songwriting and unreal, virtuosic talent level while backed by Misha Mansoor's superior production skills, this album is pure intellectual ear candy. Boasting solid gold masterpieces such as "CAFO", "On Impulse", "Tempting Time", and so on, this record pushed musical boundaries from beginning to end. There was a lot of amazing music in 2009, but no real comparison to the genius complexities of "Animals As Leaders".
This album is a devastating, ruthless tech storm which ripped minds apart nerve by nerve. Circle Of Contempt emerged from Finland as immediate heavyweights of the metal underground with this absolute genius contribution to heavy music. "Artifacts In Motion" was serious, groundbreaking material for the time. And this record is still scary good, featuring some of the biggest skull cracking segments in metal to date. Songs such as "Color Lines", "The Pendulum Swing", "Concealed", and "Nothing Imminent" among others were responsible for several hospital visits over the years. Complex and solid, "Artifacts in Motion" is a classic.
Without a doubt, musical genius / producer Paul Ortiz brought his very best on this Chimp Spanner record. "At The Dream's Edge" sounds like a dream itself. Technically proficient and musically sound with perfect use of ambiance, this album is a treat for the ears from "Galaxy Rise" to the ender, "All Good Things". In between, the album packs several other classics such as "Supererogation", "Far From Home", "Under One Sky" and the three epic parts of "Terminus". Chimp Spanner's "At The Dream's Edge" easily stands out as one of the year's brightest and is highly recommended for anyone who loves awesome music.
North Carolina's Between The Buried And Me always brings an interesting listening experience with their music. "The Great Misdirect" is no exception. One of the best things about this band is they don't just think outside the box, they live way out there with an unusually high talent level to match. This is an hours worth of incredible, original heavy music. The lengthy tracks found on this record all bring a classic quality with them. In particular, "Obfuscation", "Disease, Injury, Madness", "Desert of Song", and the huge closer "Swim To The Moon" stand out. If you enjoy outgoing, intelligent Progressive Metal, you'll enjoy this record.
Converge's "Axe To Fall" hits like it already fell. This extremely talented chaotic hardcore four piece pulled off a whirlwind of a record with this one. Absolutely ruthless, energetic, and creative with it's delivery, this album spread across the heavy music community like wildfire. Most of the songs are very short in the typical hardcore fashion but they all pack one helluva punch. However, there are a few that span up to 4-7 mins of pure original greatness. Tracks such as "Dark Horse", "Reap What You Sew", the title track, and the lighter epics such as "Cruel Bloom" stand out. Get chaotic with Converge if you haven't already.
In
many ways, this album was before it's time. Bringing a ridiculously
tech heavy sound with an energetic hardcore edge, The Arusha Accord debut is one for the record books. "The Echo Verses" came
across with the subtleness of a bomb, striking many listeners off guard
with it's rampant chaos and creativity. Big time stand outs "Dead To Me", "Night of the Long Knives", "The Tightrope", and the epic closer "The Last Rise of the Fallen King" are all reasons why this album is still relevant to this
day. There's no doubt "The Echo Verses" is an explosive heavy listening experience from start to finish. A real classic through and through.
Dream
Theater has been going strong for a long time. Their tenth studio album
"Black Clouds & Silver Linings" is an epic musical experience to
say the least. It clocks in at well over an hour of absolutely solid
Progressive Metal. Not to mention this was back when Mike Portnoy was
still drumming in the band. There are so many awesome moments on this
record from the edges of "The Shattered Fortress" to the mind blowing closer "The Count of Tuscany". Even the more accessible tracks such as "A Rite of Passage" and "Wither" are outstanding. All in all, it would be a crime not to include this Dream Theater record among the best of 2009.
In many ways this was August Burns Red's transitioning record between the revolutionary "Messengers" and their latest juggernaut "Leveler". "Constellations" marks when the band began discovering their own unique musical push instead of going for crazy breakdown after breakdown. There's still plenty of that, but ABR really put their all into this record to grow as musicians. Tracks such as "Marianas Trench", "Meddler", "Thirty and Seven", and "The Escape Artist" showed how far this band stood above the Metalcore pack. And they still do. "Constellations" is an absolutely phenomenal heavy listening experience.
The Within The Ruins debut full-length emerged to breathe new life into an ever staling sub-genre of metal. The band immediately became top notch innovators with their classic "Creature" feature. Boasting next level talent and technicality to match their intense rhythmic segments and driving riffs, they put themselves on the map with a signature sound. Heavy as hell segments made ears bleed without mercy (in a good way \m/). For example, the intense opener "The Book Of Books", and stand outs such as "Tractor Pull", "Arsenal", and "Extinguish Them" all caused major blood loss. Within The Ruins will satisfy your heavy cravings.
Long Island Hardcore giants Stray From The Path certainly made their own history with this stand out album. "Make Your Own History" is pissed off beyond words, but it has a lot to say. In the
tried and true hardcore fashion, Stray From The Path packs honest,
gritty commentaries while musically pushing the limits of the genre itself with creative off time rhythms and chaotic guitar work.
Titles such as "Negative & Violent", "Fraudulent", "Black Anchor" and "Lucid
Dreaming" all pack a punch. And I have to say there's nothing like moshing to
"Damien". If you consider yourself a fan of hardcore, this record is a must for your music collection.
I've been listening to Chimp Spanner all day so naturally I need to talk about them. Actually, Chimp Spanner isn't so much a band as an amazing solo project with touring members. From the UK, guitar and composition wizard Paul Ortiz has been creating some of the most mind bending, out of the box songs since about 2005 and he's still going strong today. Paul and his troupe of traveling troubadours recently made a trip over to the United States... which I missed due to distance... But apparently he's having his last show of 2012 very soon. This might mean new music! Stay tuned and listen to the greatness off his newest EP "All Roads Lead Here" below.
To anyone going to this festival, you're a lucky bastard. Euroblast is the kind of event that would make me consider moving to another continent for good if I had the money. It is the prog-metal festival of dreams. Euroblast 8's line up is beyond ridiculous. Featuring acts like Animals as Leaders, Scar Symmetry, Tesseract, Jeff Loomis, Vildhjarta, Monuments, Sybreed, Skyharbor, Chimp Spanner, Scale the Summit, Uneven Structure, Long Distance Calling, The Algorithm, Red Seas Fire, Stealing Axion, and Akeldama among many others. And with the recent addition of After the Burial and Circle of Contempt this show is looking better than ever. If you live nearby, it should be considered a crime not to attend. If you don't live in Europe and don't have money to travel, you should be jealous... like me. The 3 day festival kicks off October 19th, 2012 in Cologne, Germany. Watch the awesome trailer featuring an exclusive Akeldama clip below.
Want some irresistibly amazing free music? Here's the best news you'll hear in a while. Our favourite UK label Basick Records has been named “label of the month” by no less than Amazon.co.uk. That means for the entire month of November, you can get a ton of Basick releases at a specially discounted price - just £4.49 for albums and £1.99 for EPs.
