I'll be out of town until Wednesday but I didn't want to leave
The Circle Pit hanging. So here's something I set up last week to kill
all the memory left on your iPod.
THIS IS THE FREE MUSIC MARATHON!
We've
helped promote a lot of free music over time. This is the cream of the
crop. And it ranges from big bands to the deep underground. Click a
link, any link. You may just find a new favorite. No matter what, you'll
find free music and tunes available for the price of your choosing. All
of these artists deserve support, so don't be afraid to throw some
dollars if something really makes you happy.
This is the third lap of four. 25 links a day.
We'll officially be back in full operation on Wednesday.
Pomegranate Tiger is back on the prowl with a brand new single. But it's probably not what you were expecting. After the incredible, driving debut "Entities" (read our review right here), the band has taken a side step with their new single "The Black Page". They took an expanded experimental approach this time around which yields interesting results. I personally enjoy it a good bit.
Turn "The Black Page" down below along with a few tracks from "Entities". If you enjoy, grab the greatness on Bandcamp or iTunes for a "name your price" download!
Whenever Pomegranate Tiger drops a new guitar play through, it's time to pay attention. Time and time again, this band doesn't fail to impress with their immense skill and impressive music. Their new double guitar play through for the track "Stars" in no exception. This was done in support of their debut album "Entities". You can check our review of that record right here and enjoy the goods down below. Highly recommended!
Cologne's Euroblast Festival doesn't need an introduction for many of you, so I'll put it this way... One of Europe's most mind-blowing metal festivals will unleash all of its energy on the crowd from the 11th til the 13th of October. It seems like this forthcoming ninth edition is going to be another blast!
In fact, the guys at the Euroblast Collective have announced a good portion of this year's line up and two of the headliners. Textures will be performing their only German show of 2013 here. The second headliner is Germany's very own The Ocean. The rest of the unveiled line up is stacked as well, making this an unmissable event. Euroblast 2013 will feature international names like Threat Signal, The Agonist, Twelve Foot Ninja, Arsis, Hacride, Benea Reach, Mnemic, Feared, Xerath, Lifeforms, Aliases, Humanity's Last Breath, Syqem, The Omega Experiment, Deathember, Der Weg Einer Freheit, Dawn Heist, Hord, Overdown, Pomegranate Tiger, Tardive Dyskinesia, Cyclamen, Kartikeya, Heights, and Third Ear.
Last year's line up featured more than 40 bands. This year is currently at 28. So the only thing you need to do is stay tuned for the announcement of the third headliner / rest of the line up, coming very soon. If you live in Europe, you should definitely start thinking about buying tickets. This is the kind of event you don't want to miss!
If you don't know who Pomegranate Tiger is by now, get with it! They were our first ever Artist of the Week and for good reason. These guys are an insanely talented, Instrumental Progressive Metal four-piece with a chance of being carried places by their intricate and intelligent music. You can check our review for their incredible debut "Entities" right here. Definitely a must listen for instrumental addicts. Also had a featured interview with lead guitarist Martin Andres which you can see here.
Pomegrante Tiger have been doing something awesome in support of "Entities". They've been delivering a series of high quality play through videos. You can go ahead and watch them down below. The latest addition comes from the bassist Keith Wilkinson breezing through the track "Stars". Great stuff.
Pomegranate Tiger have earned the bragging rights of being our first ever Artist of the Week! We have a FREE MERCH CONTEST for you to take advantage of and an in-depth interview with lead guitarist / extreme talent Martin Andres below. You can also read our full review of "Entites" right here and watch some videos of Martin doing what he does best down yonder.
We’re giving you the chance to win a FREE T-shirt and an autographed copy of Pomegranate
Tiger’s album “Entities”!
3 – Spread the contest whatever way you can and give both
Pomegranate Tiger and The Circle Pit a shout out!
4 – Interact for bonus points
This contest ends 3/14 at 9PM EST
YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO! LET’S GO!
* If you win, we will require your e-mail address.
*By participating, you acknowledge that you completely
release Facebook of all responsibility. This promotion is in no way sponsored,
endorsed, administered by, or associated with Facebook.
Mike Thall - One of the first things that struck me about your band was the name
Pomegranate Tiger. Not every day you find a band named after fruit
flavored jungle cats. How did you guys come up with the name? Martin Andres - We
actually came up with the name by looking through a Salvador Dali book.
We came across this one crazy painting called “Dream Caused by the
Flight of a Bee Around a Pomegranate a Second Before Awakening” and
that’s where it derived from. We’ve always liked Dali and thought our
music could represent the entire concept of surrealism in one way or
another so it stuck. And also very strangely, it was the first band name
that came up that not everyone hated haha. Mike Thall - That's awesome man. Salvador Dali is one of my favorites and I can definitely hear some of that surrealistic inspiration in your music. It’s obvious you’ve
worked very hard on playing guitar. I have to say you’re one super
talented dude. Furthermore, I’d say just about anyone who’s seen you
play has been immediately impressed. How long have you been playing and
how often do you practice? Martin Andres - Thanks a lot! I’ve been playing guitar
since I was 6 years old and actually started on classical guitar. I had 2
hours of private lessons a week until I finished high school and my
parents made me practice 1 hour every day. I hated it at first until I
started to notice I was getting pretty good. I’m 25 now so…yea I’ve been
playing for a while. I haven’t seriously played the electric guitar
until only about 5 years ago. I actually took a percussion performance
degree at the University of Windsor because drumming is my true passion.
J but Pomegranate Tiger and guitar comes in at a close 2nd for me.
Currently my practicing is all over the place…I try to get a few hours
in every day but sometimes go days without being able to grab my guitar.
If I have time, I will practice/write for 12-16 hours a day. Mike Thall - You don't do too shabby on your second instrument. Any tips for aspiring stringsmen? Martin Andres - Decide
how good you want to be. From there the sky is the limit. The resources
for becoming a better guitar/bass/anything player are endless now and
have never been more accessible. If you truly want to be great at what
you do, you have to sacrifice a lot for it. Mike Thall - That's the truth. And it's obvious a good bit of sacrifice went into your recent debut “Entities”. Could you tell us a bit about that record? Martin Andres - The
songs on Entities are actually some of the first “prog” songs I’ve ever
wrote. And it took a damn long time. 80% of Entities was written in
2011 and the beg of 2012, and the other 20% was written from 2008-2010.
The record was actually finished in the early spring of 2012 but because
of management/label opportunities we decided to look for a vocalist.
When 2013 hit we said fuck it…Let’s do this instrumental. We’ve
always felt at heart that this was a natural direction for us anyway. Mike Thall - Do
you have any favorite songs off the album? And could you tell us why? Martin Andres - Many of the songs on Entities are a collection of riffs that were
carefully crafted into hopefully some kind of artistic coherence. But
the ones that have had further and deeper meaning to me have always been
“The Ocean Trilogy”, “Sign of Ruin” and “Regenesis”. The Ocean has a
specific storyline that I created and was the first time I actually
wrote music to an actual storyline that created some imagery for me.
Sign of Ruin is about Earth literally falling apart and the imagery that
goes with that. And Regenesis is about the recreation of Earth over
billions of years and the mysteries the future holds for it. Mike Thall - How do you feel about the response to “Entities”? Martin Andres - We
can’t believe the response “Entities” has gotten and how fast the word
is being spread. It’s totally mind blowing for all of us. We all worked EXTREMELY hard so it’s nice to see it all come back, but to see it
actually happen is really an amazing feeling that we can’t believe is
actually happening. Mike Thall - You write some very interesting tunes, both
musically and thematically. Just like you said, "The Ocean" trio is an example. What inspires
your music? Martin Andres - Haha kinda answered this already, but like I said The Ocean was the first piece of music that actually had further depth and
meaning to me than a collection of sounds that we thought sounded cool.
In short, the Ocean is about a big sea monster, and a white ship that
battles it out and gets caught in a maelstrom only to find a golden portal when they get sucked in that takes them to a different world. Mike Thall - You
guys are currently unsigned. Do you plan on seeking a label or keeping
up the do it yourself approach? And if you could be signed to any label,
which would you choose? Martin Andres - Depending what comes our way we are open to
different ideas. We’ve been doing well on our own and Protest the Hero
has definitely helped open the eyes of many DIY musicians as of late so
we’ll see what happens I guess. We’ve always seen ourselves on Sumerian, Metal Blade, or Victory. Mike Thall - What are your plans for the
rest of 2013? Martin Andres - We have MANY new things coming in 2013. Tabs, music
videos, playthrough videos…bonus unreleased songs…and we are already
working on new material. We are looking into touring and are definitely
looking to hop on something if it comes our way. Mike Thall - Sounds awesome.Any future music
in the works? Martin Andres - Many different concepts being thrown around already…the
most recent is a double EP release by the end of 2013. Mike Thall - Fun round – What would you do for a Klondike Bar? Martin Andres - I’d be a back-up tambourinist for Justin Beiber. Mike Thall - Damn. You must really like Klondike Bars haha. That’s all we have. Thanks for your time man. Do you have anything else
you want to say or any shout outs to give? Martin Andres - Thanks so much for having
us be your first ever Artist of the Week! Shout out to EVERYONE who has
helped support us through the release of this CD. We worked very hard on
“Entities” and it is the best feeling in the world to see people enjoy
it and directly support us. You guys/girls are the best!
Our friends in Pomegranate Tiger have been doing some very big things this year. It started out with them releasing a very impressive debut album entitled "Entities". If offered up a very unique, complex instrumental sound reaching on levels that aren't typically heard. You can read our full album review right here.
In support of the record, lead guitarist / composer Martin Andres has been releasing awe-inspiring, masterfully skilled guitar play throughs of the singles. At first, he did this for the nearly 11-minute epic "New Breed" and more recently for the track "Maxims". The band also releasedthe entire album for streaming! All of the above will most likely make your jaw drop. Give Pomegranate Tiger a watch & listen below, and if you have trouble keeping your mouth closed, be sure to support the band, and buy some Merch if you can. Support DIY artists \m/
Instrumental bands beware... There's a heavyweight newcomer on the loose. Hailing from Ontario, Pomegranate Tiger show their teeth through the band's debut full-length album, "Entities". This is a beastly record, displaying immense skill matched only by the creative drive behind it. After enjoying Pomegranate Tiger's emergence all week, it's safe to say listeners should be looking forward to it's official release on January 31st.
In many ways, this band reminds me of an instrumental fusion of Animals As Leaders and Between The Buried And Me. Taking neo-classical dives into the currents of an ever-changing, modern, progressive approach. All while providing a unique, experimental sound of their own. Pomegranate Tiger has the ability to take twists and turns that will catch the listener off guard and leave them wanting more. They also have a classic quality to their music as they touch on Thrash and Death Metal elements diligently. Adding all of this together, the band has successfully created an awe-inspiring musical package. This is by far one of the most mature debuts to bless my ears in awhile.
Martin Andres leads the march with virtuosic flair and technique as the lead guitarist, weaving through songs at the speed of sound. Matt Shaheen also displays incredible talent as the rhythm guitarist , keeping up with Martin while adding a spark of his own. Bassist Keith Wilkinson refuses to stay behind his fellow strings men, providing several stand out bass lines. And you can't forget the rhythm machine Phil Gatti behind the kit, drumming out unreal complexities and laying in the groove. All four members make big time contributions, coming together as a musical force.
"Entities" provides a vast amount of content, clocking in at over an hours worth of greatness. The actual tracks can be split into one of three categories, all of which deliver amazing aural pleasures. First, you have the three epics. The phenomenal, attention grabbing single "New Breed" (aka the reason why I'm currently writing this review), the three incredible, melodically driven parts of "Ocean", and arguably the heaviest track on the record, "Sign of Ruin". They collectively span half of the entire album in the best way possible. Next up, you have the core tracks. All ranging over 5 minutes, they could be considered epics themselves. "Maxims", "Stars", "Mountains In The Sky", and "Not To See The Sun" all deliver in various ways as stand out segments of the record. And finally there are the support tracks, complementing and lacing the package together. "Gift Of Tongues", "Drifting", and "Regenesis" all serve in wonderful support of the album as a whole.
I have no real criticisms of this album. Objectively, Pomegranate Tiger chug more than expected considering the immense instrumental skill driving this band, but it's never redundant or done in poor taste. There are creative ideas fueling even the simplest segments of "Entities". On the other hand, there's such an abundance of intriguing ideas packed into this lengthy debut that it may lose some. But honestly, that's their own loss. With the vast amount of content found on "Entities", serious listeners are pretty much guaranteed to find something new every time they press play.
Pomegranate Tiger is one of the most promising instrumental acts to come out recently, if not the most promising. The music found on "Entities" backs up that statement entirely. This album is easily the best instrumental release of the year so far, serving as an absolute must listen for prog-heads and anyone who loves great music in general. If you fall into one of those categories, it's highly recommended you blast the singles above and grab a pre-order of "Entities" right here.
Ohhhh yeeeaaah. If you even remotely appreciate guitar skill, you should check this out. Martin Andres of the amazing, upcoming band Pomegranate Tiger just released a phenomenal play through video for their single "New Breed". Watch them spidery fingers at work! This play through is in support of the band's debut full-length album "Entities" hitting your eardrums on January 31st. I just gave the record my first listen and it's awesome! It's safe to say you should get stoked and grab your pre-order of "Entities" right here! While you're waiting, check the singles below and watch Pomegranate Tiger destroy the studio here.
This band was brought to our attention by lead guitarist Martin Andres and I thank him for it! Pomegranate Tiger is a beastly (pun intended), experimental, Progressive Metal band hailing from Windsor, Canada. This musical unit brings a lot of potential to the table with ridiculous talent. Currently, they are constructing their full-length debut "Entities" which is sure to be awesome. They just released the third in a series of video updates for this record. Have a look below. You can download two free instrumentals from the upcoming record right here.
Pomegranate Tiger are also currently accepting vocal auditions. So any aspiring vocalists should bust out their golden pipes and try out. This is your band!
Feast your eyes on skill as these talented musicians bring the rumble from down under.
