It took blood, sweat and tears to put the upcoming Alcatraz festival together, where we had some bands in mind to program. In conjunction with the sensational and differentiated program we have made so far, CRADLE OF FILTH should not be missed. The controversial British band – revered by many as idols, torpedoed by others to the damnation of hell, a hell where they are unabated flirting and showing their satanic smile on a subsequent successful tour. They marked the nineties for the older generation as well as for the youth with their pioneering albums “Dusk…And Her Embrace” and “Cruelty And The Beast”. Against the will of the ‘normal’ people they succeed to connect with the genius “Midian” and “Nymphetamine” and managed to extend their musical spectrum. Their own inspired by Scandinavian black metal roots are embellished with some gothic influences, punk and classical music, with an overwhelming cocktail as a result.
We know for sure Cradle Of Filth is a unique band, impossible to imitate in the extreme metal scene. Who effortlessly navigates between “Thornography” and the vehemence of the latest “The Manticore And Other Horrors” and meanwhile have some interesting stories to tell, knows to write history. In this case not only for the British Empire, but worldwide. We have spread our white sheets to get smudged by the morbid and decadent horror from Dani & Co and the masters of horror will make an alliance with Marilyn Manson. Behind the scenes there will not only be wine and beer but also pure virgin blood. Officer Nice has spoken…
Avatar completes amf friday
Let’s be honest here, this band was recommended to us by Aardschok editor Metal Mike with the words: “They have good albums, but live this band is an outright bomb”. And who are we to doubt those words? Also here with Rock Tribune some editors were talking about the remarkable achievements from this Swedish band. People who already have the May edition from Rock Tribune will certainly have noticed the track from AVATAR on the cd sample. The success was inevitable and it was already clear when “Black Waltz” was published in 2012, a record which was not that popular in Europe but received especially favourable comments. In the United States the Swedes have been quite popular for a few years and now Europe cannot longer lag behind. The intense live performance from Avatar also took the attention from the guys from Avenged Sevenfold and drew the five Swedes, led by John Eckerström, through Europe (replacing Device) in the wake of A7X and Five Finger Death Punch. Avatar even gained a spot at the prestigious Download festival before start working on new material
. For the recording of “Hail The Apocalypse” they went to Thailand and Jay Ruston (Stone Sour, Anthrax, Steel Panther) was allowed to mix the album while Paul Logus (Volbeat, Clutch, Killswitch Engage) took care of the mastering. The result will be in stores as of next week (May 14th). Initially Avatar brought melodic death metal (think In Flames) but over the years they added ingredients from bands like Rammstein, Marilyn Manson, Alice Cooper and System Of A Down which resulted into an exotic cocktail, not only musically but also image-wise. Rumours told us nobody leaves an Avatar concert before the clown has finished singing, and we are curious too. You know what, check it out yourself and listen/watch the new song from our new favourite Swedish band.