Our Favorite Rockers and a Free Guitar Album!

Elmo Karjalainen

Do you see that cool looking hairy guy in the picture on the left? You know the one playing the Fender, well he is one hell of a guitarist, and he just released a new CD. If you have read earlier blogs of mine you will probably already know a bit about him but just in case you don't keep reading.

OK, there are several reasons why you should keep an ear out for this Finish guitarists work... 

- First off he is Finish and he plays Metal, and we all know those Finns sure know how to play Metal! 

- plays in Deathlike Silence, Conquest, Seagrave and Helena & Kalevi.

- He has released a critically acclaimed instrumental albums under his own name, called “Unintelligent Designs”, and it's digital EP follow up, called “Unintelligent Leftovers”.

This all brings us to The Free Guitar Album. Yes you read me correctly The Free Guitar Album. As I have stated before I am a big believer in free music. It enables artists to spread the word about their talent and puts people in the seats at concerts. 

“The whole idea was to give people the chance to listen to a whole record of mine, without having to buy anything, pay for a streaming service, or download off some strange site on the net”, says Elmo. The album will be available exclusively from Elmo’s website, http://elmojk.com on the June 11, 2015.

The Free Guitar Album is a great album. Elmo not only manages to entertain his listeners with his fine flying fingers (Instrumetal) on this release but also manages to do so with some humor (Clark-stan). I quite like the tone of his playing, it has a smooth and effortless feel to it.  He manages to prove a talent for bending genres as well as he bends strings.

You can hear hints of Steve Vai in the tone of his guitar, such as in Don't Quit Yer Day Job. It is usually at this point I am reminded that all of the instrumentation on this album except the drums on the track She Sleeps on the Moon is Elmo.

Overall I found the CD to be a quite enjoyable listen. It will definitely be played alongside my other favorite guitarists instrumental albums. 

If you are one of the many of us who strum away on your guitar daily trying to chase that tune in your head or just a fan of great guitar playing you will want to not only pick up this album but follow Elmo Karjalainen online. 

On You-tube he regularly shares videos on his creative work that take you behind the scenes of his playing. If you want to get even more in-depth he publishes a guitar blog that covers everything from what he is listening to his influences for his instrumentals. 

SO ON 11 JUNE 2015 GO GET THE FREE GUITAR ALBUM AT

 http://elmojk.com

In the meantime check out the following videos from previous Elmo Karjalainen projects...

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The KiLLeR DWaRFs

Handstands, tricycles, Hard Rock, and High Energy and it is all coming to Limestone City. That is right The KiLLeR DWaRFs are bringing their kick ass rock and roll act here to Kingston, Ontario, Canada! 

Russ, Darrell, Gerry, and Johnny have been busy touring their headbanging hearts out in support of their Start @ One  album. These guys are busy keeping the rock and roll flame alive, so fan those flames and come on down to The Overtime Sports Bar for some alcohol fueled rock and roll.

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Will Black

Will Black is one hell of a great live singer and musician! He has just began his 10th season performing at Hog Penny Pub in Hamilton, Bermuda. 

Earlier this year he ended his first UK and Canadian Tour. I was fortunate enough to see him live here in Kingston. He is worth checking out if his next tour flies into a town near you.

He is getting set to host the  2nd Annual Will Black OPS: Escape To Bermuda 3 day fan event over the Canada Day Beach Party weekend of June 26 – June 28, 2015 on the beautiful island of Bermuda. It should be an amazing bash full of fun and great music.

You can keep up with Will's plans for his next tour on his Facebook page or his webpage. Until that happens he is constantly posting new material on YouTube . 

Go and check out his sites, he has one of those great classic rock voices that would make singing the phone book a hit record. 

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Alek Darson

Now, onto another one of my favorite modern day guitarists Alek Darson. This guy is simply Incredible on the six string. 

Recently GuitarWorld.com presented the exclusive premiere of Fingers Painted Purple, a new video by guitarist Alek Darson. It is a live performance played on a Wood Guerilla fretless guitar.

If you have not heard his PANOPTICON  EP than go to his website and get it! Recently the French site neoprog said that "It has a unique approach and sound, and his guitar playing is amazing.

Lately I have been checking out his earlier work with the progressive metal band Organized Chaos from Serbia.

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Well, that is what several of our favorite rockers have been up to lately. Thank you for reading and Keep on Rockin'.

Kevin Sweeney

More Damned Good Metal

Lostpray is a band formed in the Ukraine. Last year in spite of all the instability in their homeland these Metalheads pushed forward and produced a hell of a good kick ass album titled That's Why. 

Lostpray has everything that a traditional Metal fan wants; soaring guitars, heavy riffs, pounding drums, and Metallica-esqe vocals. These guys should be much more well known than they are here in the West!

From their Facebook page they have been quite busy since their release of That's Why. There are plenty of rehearsal pictures, live videos, and even a rehearsal cover of the Metal god Dio's classic Holy Diver.

They are signed to Pure Steel Records from Germany who represent such acts as Blood and Iron, Steel Prophet, Warrant, and Halloween. 

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Sonus Mortis is a one man dark symphonic death metal project." Kevin Byrne, a multi-talented musician/songwriter, released War Prophecy just recently this year. It is his second full length album and all instrumentation and vocals are him on this Metal assault. It is a rich mix of unholy anthems that work exceedingly well.

literary themes are easily seen in Kevin's work in songs such as A Pale Reflection, and The Children of Dune. If you want to hear some well thought out and executed Death Metal than crank up some of Kevin Byrne's Sonus Mortis, and Hail Satan!

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Methane is a four piece Metal Outfit out of Sweden. They have a Pantera-esque sound full of piss and vinegar. Tim Scott originally from Revenant, Jim Masterbo former Hell Patrol guitarist, Dylan Cambell, and Andreas Strom combine their talents into the Metal monstrosity that is Methane.

They are gaining great reviews right across Europe and pretty much wherever they end up playing. Last year they gained success with great gigs such as the Metal Inferno Festival in Kramfors Sweden.

Despite their initial release Southern Metal only having three songs on it there has been quite a bit of praise for the EP.  It has been getting reviews such as "3 tunes of just ass kicking metal"

If all this makes you want to hear more of these  headbangers you will not have too much longer to get their first full length album Spit On Your Grave. The Southern Metal masterpiece is due to hit the market this month.

Until then Methane's song Scars and Bars has been on the sound track of an E-novel, H8 Society - How an Atomic Fart Saved the World!! Download it entirely free from BitTorrent at this address

https://bundles.bittorrent.com/bundles/h8society ‪#‎endtheh8‬

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Season of Ghosts are an electroMetal group with a paranormal twist lead by Greek singer-songwriter, Sophia Aslanidou. If you are a fan of Evanescence than you will love this group.

Their album The Human Paradox was released last year and was met with critical acclaim. It has a rich and full sound that features members of the Millennium Orchestra. Sounding like a soundtrack to a sci-fi fantasy film the album leads you through a vast mindscape, propelling you ever forward with Metal force yet at the  same time enchanting you with Sophia's hauntingly beautiful voice.

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Talking about female fronted Metal bands leads me to Sanguine, a British outfit that have opened for the mighty Metal colossus Megadeth.

In 2012 they self produced an EP Black Sheep that displayed their forceful no holds barred sound. Don't let the sweet sound of Tarin Kerrey's sweet demeanor fool you, one listen to the single Black Sheep and and you will realize that this group can definitely rock out.

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Piranha is a Metal band from Minneapolis, MN. You can hear the influence of bands like Mudvayne, Korn, and System of a Down in their style, it gives them a punch that other bands are missing. It is quite evident in their single Dayzed off of their EP Junk Punch which you can find on Itunes

They are busy touring in order to spread the work that they are a high octane live Metal show.

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This next group is bunch of Metalcore musicians hailing out of Bluefield, WV. They are in the running to one of the featured bands on the 2015 Vans Warped tour.   

Curses combines guttural hardcore vocals with smooth pop style singing.  They have a five song EP out called Depth/Distance which you will want to check out. It manages to balance melody and grind into great mosh pit fodder. 

These guys are following in the footsteps of such great groups as Blowsight. I may just have to write a post just on the Metalcore/post-Hardcore scene. In the meantime check out Curses and get a taste of the new shit.

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Believe me there is more but I thought this was enough to keep you busy for now. Thank you for reading and keep that precious Metal flowing.

Kevin Sweeney

Great Rock & Roll for 2015

Remanon, a Prog Rock group out of San Antonio is a band that caught my attention when I began doing this blog. When I heard their song Justice-paige I knew that they were an exceptionally talented group. They have managed to further prove my initial judgement of them by  releasing an excellent album titled Episodes.

Episodes is a wonderfully textured dream that envelopes you and pulls you deeper the longer you listen. Full of sonic twists and turns the EP shows off Remanon's musicianship mastery. It is a product that is worthy of a band with a much longer pedigree than Remanon's few short years.

If you like your rock intelligent and diverse yet still able to deliver it in a palatable manor you must pick up this gem of an album.

Before I give my opinion on Sweet & Lynch Only To Rise I should confess that I am biased. I have been a fan of Micheal Sweet's majestic voice since his meteoric rise to fame with the yellow and black garbed metal band Stryper.

So, here it goes...what do you get when you take one of the best Metal singers of all time, Micheal Sweet (Stryper), join him up with an amazing guitarist George Lynch ( Dokken + Lynch Mob), then add James Lomenzo (White Lion + Megadeth), and Brian Tichy (Whitesnake)? You get one hell of a Rock and Roll group.

This band is a dream come true for all of you 80's Metal fans. The album is a polished hook-filled delight.

Our Future Leaders is an Orlando based rock band whose album We Don't Always Have To Be Machines has been gaining praise for its intricate guitars, heart-pounding rhythms, and emotionally-charged vocals.

I really like the guitar work on this album. There is a good balance between soaring solos and crunch laden rhythms. It is an excellent album to rock out to.

It is finally out! Washington D.C. rock band Thirteen has released their compilation of rock tunes that they have been working on and sharing with their fans.

It has been a project that has been guided by the desire for the band to involve their fans in the production of the final product. By letting the public hear the songs and give their two cents they have ensured that this album is a fan favorite. Now all the Thirteen addicts can get the rock and roll fix that they have been given glances into.

With the guidance of producer Rocco Guarino (STP, Velvet Revolver, Slash) the Thirteen have delivered what they have promised - one hell of a rock album.

Thank you for reading and keep  Rockin'!

Kevin Sweeney

Metal Covers POP and Kills It!

There has been forays into Metal covers of POP tunes before that have failed miserably, but this is not a list of those. Instead I have decided to focus on some Metal Artists that have proven that they can take a radio POP standard and make it even better by cranking up the distortion.

I would be remiss if I did not begin this with the amazing cover of Diamonds by AnyGivenDay. These German Metalheads did what I never thought anybody could do; they made a Rihanna song worth listening to. Their cover is 200% better than the original arrangement.

The contrast of singing and growling works perfectly along with the excellent guitar work and pounding drums. It makes you want to yell out at the top of your lungs  "Shine bright like a diamond."

Next up is the master musician Andy Rehfeldt. This Los Angeles multi-talented artist's hobby is making covers of songs that range from Metal to smooth Jazz. For this article I will be concentrating on his forays into Metal.

Rehfeldt has made too many great covers for me to mention all of them here.  Apart from his Death Metal covers he manages to link the original artists vocals to the songs. Most of them are quite humorous: how could you not get a chuckle out of Mary Poppins singing a Death Metal version of "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious?" 

He manages to make singers like Kesha, Nicki Minaj, and Katy Perry sound damn cool. Considering how much better he makes several artists sound it is a wonder one of them has not snatched him up to produce an album for them. 

Deniz Sayman is a talented guitarist to say the least. He works with the beautifully sounding singer İzgi Gültekin in producing Metal covers of POP songs.  We are talking everything from the song from Frozen to Lady Ga Ga.

His youtube videos of their Metal covers are quite popular, thanks to the excellent quality of the arrangements and İzgi Gültekin's great voice.   

Check out Sayman's web site and you will see that he keeps himself very busy balancing several music productions at once.  If you really like what you find you can download his songs from his Patreon site.  Hell, you can even get him to play on your band's CD.  

I have always loved to check out Metal covers of other genres of music.  Sure there are quite a few doozies out there but I have always been able to find some that prove that the song sounds better Metal. As I find out more I will keep you informed.  

My fingers are crossed that Weird Al Yankovic will make a Metal album one day. In the meantime check out the musicians I mentioned above.

Thank you for reading.

Kevin Sweeney

Some Killer Stoner Rock

I have to say that I love the reemergence of the 1970's style Rock and Roll.  Gorilla Pulp is an Italian four member heavy stoner Rock band that is an excellent addition to that style.

When they say heavy they mean it.  These guys have a kick ass Motörhead feel to them; we are talking amps cranked to 11 and no holds barred.  

I love the rough and dirty feel to their EP that was just released last December. Titled Hell In A Can, It incorporates both speed and slowness in a fuzz filled intoxicating cloud.

So light the fire in the back forty, fill the cooler with beer, and light up the smokes while you crank the hell out of Gorilla Pulp.

Next up is another Rocking group known as Moses Nose.  They hail from Monterey CA, which I found strange since they have a song called "Kings of Nova Scotia" which is up here in Canada.  Still I can't find anything bad to say about these Rockers.

Their Album The Burning Bush is excellent. As they say "Prepare to Rock or be Rocked upon" when you listen to it.  It is full of great riffs and a straight forward Rock and Roll feel. 

I encourage you to go to their soundcloud page and check them out.

Next up are Nuns Of The Tundra.  These habit forming UK musicians have a smooth polished sound that echos of earlier stoner Rock. They exhibit just enough distortion and fuzz to allow you to slide comfortably right into the pocket.  

Their upbeat catchy sound will get you wanting to groove right along with them.  As it says on their soundcloud page "the Nuns will make it their holy mission to get you moving."  

As I mentioned before I love the resurgence of 70's stoner Rock and Roll, and these nuns make some killer stoner Rock.

Thank you for reading and I hope you keep trying to find new and cool tunes to Rock out to.

Kevin Sweeney

A 2005 Masterpiece, Something New, And A Checkup

A 2005 Masterpiece

 The Evil Queens were one Hell of a Rock band out of Columbus OH. The four piece outfit put out what I consider to be a genuine Rock and Roll masterpiece in 2005.  First It Boils, Then It Spills is an alcohol infused, dirty, balls to the wall album that lives up to their namesake. 

I found it several years ago crammed among a bunch of unknown crap albums in a dollar store, of all places. What drew my attention was the beautifully simple artwork with an occult flair. Once I managed to wedge it from the shelve I knew I had to hear it. Let's just say it was a great buy for a buck.

From the first listen I fell in love with this CD. There is not a song on the album that I do not like, and that even goes for the bonus tracks. It is difficult for me to choose a favorite tune from the tracks. If you like your Rock and Roll dirty and raw than this is an album you have to hear!

 They were originally well known in the Columbus bar scene and were later discovered by Addison Records due to a podcast from Ohio from Donewaiting.com.  First It Boils, Then It Spills went from a self-released CD to a nationally produced album within a month due to a great podcast. 

Unfortunately Mike Eckhardt, Eric Hinterschied, George Hondroulis, and Jacob Sundermyer called it quits for The Evil Queens in 2008. Even though I will never be able to see these guys live I am content to be able to crank up this great album whenever I just want to Rock out.

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Something New

The Washington Rock band Thirteen was born out of the love of the Rock and Roll stylings of Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and Guns and Roses. Guitarist Daniel Mahanger has gathered a group of like minded rockers with the goal  to "Save Rock and Roll from the one hit wonder shit (Justin Beieber, One Erection) that dominates the radio today."

At present they have released several singles in hopes that the band can get reactions from the fans on the process of the bands recording. They are all very well produced and recorded at Scott Weiland's Lavish Studios, where many of the Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver songs were recorded. 

The ballad "I Let GO" Her Goodbye is an exquisite song. Their female singer brings a sultry fire to everything she sings.  Her acoustic rendition of the ballad "Time" is even better than the full version, and both are top notch.

I like both of their "Romeo Kiss" versions, though I like the male sung version best just because it seems to feel heavier.

As I usually like to say: don't just take my word for it, go to their website and listen for yourself.  They sound really good and I can't wait to hear what else they come up with. 

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A Checkup

The Rock band NAPALM out of Hemel Hempstead, UK is no longer together.  James O'Connor, Josh Robinson and Josh Deeley; the three teenagers that released very promising singles such as "I Can't Stand" decided to go there separate ways.

The track "I Can't Stand" was released April 2014 as a charity song for the Canadian Cancer Societies awareness for cancer. It is a really good track. 

I was fortunate enough to design their logo and do some other artwork for them before they called it quits. 

I was really impressed by the quality of the music that they released especially considering all three of them were only 15 last year when they produced the singles.

James O'Connor, lead guitar, briefly joined with drummer Joel Felsenstein to form a Metal band 
called Bloodfury whose lineup is still under 
construction.

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I unfortunately was not able to catch Return For Refund's Kingston gig last week. CFRC broadcasted acoustic tracks from them on 12 Feb and I was able to get a copy of that recording. 

They were excellent as usual. It was great to hear some tunes by them that were not on their EP, along as a few from it. They even played an old classic Talking Heads tune. If you would like to hear it you can download it from the CFRC website.

Their EP is making the band plenty of fans on the college radio circuit. It has also garnered very favorable reviews, such as the one by Kevin Barber from Music Existence: " This is just the beginning for Return For Refund. With such an impressive debut EP, hopefully a new full-length album is just around the corner."

Check out the fan made video of their song "Some Is Better Than None" that I made posted below.

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Metal in the 2015 Grammy's and in Kingston

Metal in the 2015 Grammy's

For years it has been quite obvious that whoever decides on the winners of the Grammy's does not have a clue what metal is. It is bad enough that the numb-nuts who organize the event don't think any type of music is worth while unless it has a rap track, but the way they have completely dismissed Metal or Hard Rock as important genres is deplorable.

Take for instance their winner for Best Metal Performance for 2015. They picked the least Metal sounding track from a tribute album. At least it was from a tribute to the great Ronnie James Dio, but they picked Tenacious D instead of any of the great Metal acts that fill the album.

The other nominees for their Metal award at least had real Metal acts this year with rightfully pedigrees: such as Thrash innovators Anthrax; the crushingly heavy Mastodon; alternative modern Metal monsters Slipknot; and the Gods of Speed Metal Motörhead. Looking at these amazing nominees it makes their decision as winner for the award all that much more absurd. 

Also, what the hell is this "Best Performance" crap? None of the nominees are from a live performance of any kind, so what are they trying to say? There is no award for best Metal album or song, just a bullshit "Best Performance" crumb. No wonder we have had to go to other venues to get some recognition for Metal music like the Golden God Awards.

As Far as Rock the Grammy's have not been much better. At least they did one good thing this year; they had the King's of Hard Rock AC/DC open the TV show. It is by far the best opening for the show I have seen.

Unfortunately now I will have to come down off of that high to endure a show full of new rap and rnb pop hits. It all leaves a disappointing taste in a Rock and Metal fans mouth.

It is sad that the fat cats that get the say at these awards have such a limited idea of what  constitutes good music. 

Metal In Kingston

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First we have the Progressive Metal outfit Ponderous Chain. If you have not heard their album Shackled then you should check it out, it is available on itunes. Shackled has garnered praise for its strong musicianship and complexity.

From what I have been able to see through social media the last time they have publicly posted anything was September of last year. I hope that does not mean that they are defunct, but even if they are they at least gave us one great sounding heavy album.

Check out their facebook page to see the rich history of this band and their impact on the local Kingston music scene.

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Next up is a Heavy Metal band Rise Of Dissension. How could you not like a Canadian group that states that they formed up in the early fridged months of 2014? Besides that these guys kick out a catchy straight forward Metal assault that brings to mind Zakk Wylde and Black Label Society.

Their album Rise Of Dissension includes 11 of their Rocking tunes and is available on itunes. It was released just last year and keeps these delinquents busy playing. In fact you can catch them this February 20th at The Mansion.

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Basalisk is a Progressive Metal band that channels the wild Metal-mania that ran rampant in the Heavy Metal heydays of the 1980's. Their sound flows with Iron Maiden-esk layered guitar solos and even some keyboards.

Formed in 2011 they have been roaming the countryside entertaining crowds with their impressive live shows ever since.

If you think you are the next Nicko McBrain and desire to drum your ever living Metal heart out for a Kingston band you could become part of the phenomenon known as Basalisk: As of November 25th 2014 they have been in search for a new drummer since Keegan Compagnon left the band due to unforeseen events. 

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Sovereign Council is a seven member Metal band that are all about bridging the gap between Classical, Rock, and modern Metal according to their facebook page. They have a fan-base that covers more than just Southern Ontario, but includes South America.

Their 2013 album New Reign is "a very relevant work in the Canadian scene and... in the worldwide heavy metal scene according to Heavy Metal Brasil. 

From the reviews on Sovereign Council expect to see more about them coming to light worldwide.

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Thanks to Matt Heartwick's Kingston Music Reviews for giving some incite into the Kingston music scene. I recommend anyone interested in the Ontario Canada music scene to check out Matt's blog. 

Thank you for reading and keep the Metal flowing!

Kevin Sweeney