STEVE MEDNICK - Two Days After Yesterday

STEVE MEDNICK
" Two Days After Yesterday"
( Cottage Sound Recordings / Hemifran ) 2012.
CD
Americana / folk rock / country rock - USA








Steve Mednick is a New Haven, Connecticut based singer/songwriter, whose carrear started out in 2006 year. During the forthcoming period, he was pretty bussy, and released with actuelle one a 9 albums. " Two Days After Yesterday", his actuelle product from this  2012 year, is a CD with 16 tracks in. Steve is a storyteller, and most of his songs are done in acoustic mood, but with colorfull  arrangments includings, and also with some so call " electric" additionals. He is a certain singer, and he use to combine older and newer elements of roots music, folk rock and americana as well. A productional work followed up a motorization of present songs, and most of performing materials are done in mid, rarely mid-up tempo. It seems, that a little percentage of energy is missin' in Steve's general offering, but professionally his author's message satrisfies in many aspects.  

Rating : 7 / 10
C / o : www.stevemednick.com
www.hemifran.com

PUZZLE KING - Anna

PUZZLE KING
" Anna "
( Self - released ) 2012.
CD
Progressive - FRANCE







Puzzle King is a band/project of French composer and multiinstrumentalist Francois Puzenat.He started to create a Puzzle King story in 2009 , and during the late April / May this 2012 year, he finalized a music for actuelle album entitled " Anna". This is a concept album about Anna and Anatoli, and their relationship and struggle during the Soviet communist revolution in 1917 year.
A songs are done in French language, where musical direction stands beetween newer and older progressive tendencies.
We can find also some Genesis / Anthony Phillips / Ange influences, but Mr. Puzenat sucesfully has avoided manniristical temptation. He has offered a complexive material, with expandier performing and playing passages, and uptempo changes.
" Anna" is a interesting release for progressive freaks, worth listener's attention.

Rating : 7, 5 / 10
C / o : www.puzzlekingmusic.com

THE KENN MORR BAND - Worth Imagining

THE KENN MORR BAND
" Worth Imagining "
( Fleets Cove Music /Hemifran ) 2012.
CD
Americana / folk rock - USA










Kenn Morr is a singer/songwriter from Colebrook Conecticut and a leader of his The Kenn Morr band. He is more than active continiously for a years, and " Worth Imagining " is his 6th release. Actuelle album are consists of 10 equalizing well-penned tracks, done in americana / folk rock manner, with pleasent vocalization and distant and certain playings. Kenn Morre lyrical occupation touches themes as a love, loss, relationships, loneliness. Some of reviewers compare his author's legacy with Gordon Lightfoot's method of composing and performing, but I would add that hidden Van Morrison influences exists " here and there" too. But, as a author Mr. Moore knows how to create a fine melody, and his album is full of pleasent places...

Rating : 8 / 10
C / o : www.kennmorr.com
www.hemifran.com

HERD OF INSTINCT ( USA )

HERD OF INSTINCT   ( USA )


Press / info




 Published by Djam Karet's label " Firepool Records", HEARD OF INSTINCT' s debut CD was four years in the making. Created in hot pursuit of the darkened, serpentine corridors of  contemporary instrumental progressive rock music, this self- titled release is truly for fans of King Crimson, Steve Tibbets, Djam Karet and big picture music.
 Following the 2007 dissolution of their previous band 99 NAMES OF GOD, drummer Jason Spradlin and WARR guitarist Mark Cookdecided to create a new group. They acquired guitarist and fellow Texan Mike Davison, whose chameleon like approach withNERVEWERKS added great depth to their musical vision. With their new metamorphosis now complete, the band went into session and began writing all new material, emerging only rarely for a few choice live performances.
 Pushing the limits of their own creativity, HERD OF INSTINCT drawas from a vast source of influences : multi-cultural music,
literary clues, Horror and cinematic film scores, and obscure elements of rock, avant-garde, electronic,prog, and psychedelic music.
Recording session took place in Texas, North Carolina and various global locations, from 2007-2010. As a live unit, HERD OF INSTINCTperforms as a trio, but during this recording process, the band decided to expand into a large-scale entity feauturing many guest musicians including Dave Streett, whose friendship with such luminaries as Jerry Marotta  ( Peter Gabriel ), Pat Mastelotto ( King Crimson ), Gayle Ellett ( Djam Karet ), Gavin Harrison ( Porcupine Tree ), and Marcus Reuter ( Tuner ) helped bring these all-star musicians into HERD.
 The results are very provocative as evidenced by such songs as " Room Without Shadows", the lysergic " Road To Asheville",
 the schizoid-frenzy of " Amnesis", the pagan majesty of " Hex", and the beautiful " Blood Sky". With looping samples provided by Steve Tibbetts, impeccable production, deep compositions, and impressive performances by all the musicians involved, HERD OF INSTINCT is well-crafted, landmark debut album...

 C / o : www.herdofinstinct.com
www.djamkaret.com

TOUCH THE SPIDER - Blood On The Wallpaper

TOUCH THE SPIDER
" Blood On The Wallpaper "
( Whereareyoufrom )  2012.
CD
Doom /  psychedelic - GERMANY







  Unholy Ghost and Cosmic Energy, a two persons who stand behind Touch The Spider band, are discographically in the saddle
                      again. " Blood On The Wallpaper" is their 6th product, a full-length with 14 tracks in, done in reckognizeble doom / psychedelic / dark mood. Touch The Spider are faithfull to their " music from the dark side of life" conception, and similiar atmosphere dominates in actuelle album, like the case was with their previous issues. I have an impression that mentioned atmosphere on their newest CD, is judging by productional oriantations and threathenings of arrangments includings, stylistically is more stronger and clearlier than before, and that's are new moments generally. On the other side, it seems than " Blood On The Newspaper" is more listanable
                      album than previous CD's, but that's not bad at all. Interesting and fine work as usual, and recomandable too....


Rating : 7 , 5 / 10

C / o : www.touchthespider.com

SEIZURE CRYPT - You' ve Been Had !

SEIZURE CRYPT
" You' ve Been Had ! "
( 316 Productions )  2012.
CD
Crossover - USA










Out of Queens, NYC comes a Seizure Crypt band, continiously more than active some years. With actuelle one, this quartet has released a 4 albums, latest " You' ve Been Had!", firstly digitally, and now also in CD format. Seizure Crypt is agressive, also uncompromised and brutal crossover act, and in its performing conception we can find speed metal , punk and hardcore influences as well. During their carrear, they didn' t try to so call comercialize basic conception, and the same situation we can hear and feel with the actuelle album. A tons of rough blast beats and upbeats, raw vocalization, but certain performings with modern productional work, characterize complete materials in general. Seizure Crypt satisfies again, and " You' ve Been Had!"proudly stands in the same line, like group's previous albums.



Rating : 8 / 10
C / o : www.seizurecrypt.bandcamp.com

PLUTONIUM - Devilmentertainment Non-Stop

PLUTONIUM
" Devilmentertainment Non-Stop "
( Self - released ) 2011.
CD
Industrial black metal - SWEDEN








Plutonium was formed in 2003 year as a band / project of key person J. Carlsson , and the complete authors connception belong to his creativity. A material for actuelle , second album was finished in 2009 year, but CD with 9 tracks in, looked the light of day during the July of previous year, as a self-financed product. Mr. Carlsson combine elements of industrial music / legacy and  black metal on very unique uncomparabille way. Apocalyptic atmosphere, harsch sounds, often uptempo changes, characterize album materials in general. The sound is brutal, but arrangments are colourfull, and at the same time complexive. I have found some similiarities with Laibach and even King Crimson legacies in Mr. Carlsson conception, but funaral and apocalyptic tensions in songs confirms that author has accepted a newer standards of black metal as a genre. " Devilmenentertainment Non-Stop" realistically describe author's messages, and this is undoubtlly an interesting offering.

Rating : 8 / 10
C / o : www.myspace.com/theplutonium