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Features Interviews Music

Interview with Peter Shallmin of ESCAPETHECULT

Peter Shallmin, bassist and orchestrator of this project, tells to FREE! Magazine Finland more about one of the most interesting rock bands that have seen the light during this ending year of 2014: ESCAPETHECULT, counting with a luxurious line up with members scattered all over the world from such prestigious bands as Primus or King Diamond as well as his personal views towards music and the future projects that could await the band for 2015:

Thanks a lot for taking your time to answer FREE! Magazine ́s questions! Can you tell us a bit from where came the idea to form the band, being all the members geographically so far away? I have read that Internet played an important part of putting the project together.

Thank you, Antonio! Yes you are right. Internet does the whole deal to make happen this extremely hard to realize project. Just imagine, we are from different lands USA, Sweden, France and Siberia and we can not simply now just communicate but also compose music and record together. Yes it takes a lot of time but, damn, it’s so exciting!

To say where the idea came I should make a flashback to my youth when I was a 14-years old boy when I’ve heard PRIMUS in the first time with their “Frizzle Fry”. My jaw was dropped when I’ve heard it. This was exactly what I wanted to play some day but through my own angle. A truly unique band I sincere love. I was dreamed to play with Tim Alexander someday, this idea has been not forgotten and finally it was happened through many years with ESCAPETHECULT.

Mike Wead is another pro I admire through the years and value so high from MEMENTO MORI era and then KING DIAMOND. I’m a lucky one to say he is my long-time partner in another band KAMLATH, I rely him on everything. After years of research for the vocalist I was rewarded with Matthieu Romarin of UNEVEN STRUCTURE – he is exceptional talent. It’s a great experience indeed and the result was mind-blowing.

In most of the media ESCAPETHECULT is announced as a new “superband”. What is your feeling when you read that, does it help that most of the members belong or have belonged to renamed rock bands?

It doesn’t have a sense for us. The main and the most important is the music we can create together and play to this world. Being “supergroup” or being called “superband” is mainly for mass media, we are too far from that. Without doubts the ESCAPETHECULT’s line-up is very attractive but, believe me, the main intention, my driving force was not to “collect” the names but to play with the musicians I sincere admire. I’m quite lucky to have a chance to work with such legends as Tim Alexander and Mike Wead. As for Matthieu he is a rising star, you’ll hear more about his talent.

Escapethecult

What is what this project adds to the members of the band different from their other current or past bands as a musical and personal experience?

I think, it’s my personal point of view, that it gives an opportunity to create something completely another, open the door into another universe and philosophy. Every person involved brings something different from what you are doing now or did in the past. The creative process is the most exciting thing that always brings unexpected results. You can’t plan, can’t specify and can’t control the idea when it becomes a part of the collective of creative minds. It’s magic. It expands beyond… Tim, Mike and Matthieu are top-notch professionals and their personal approach and contribution is priceless and unique.

How would you describe to a new listener what they would expect from “All You Want To” first album?

Actually “All You Want To Escape The Cult” is the full (hidden) title of the debut. Weird, bizarre, eccentric, eclectic, distinctive, hypnotic, beautiful, mature, multi-layered with many musical styles, full of hidden meanings and signs and finally not heavy/aggressive as someone expected/wanted reading the names of the line-up.

Your album was released last 21 of September. How do you feel that has been the media and audience response so far these first months?

We are keeping get different reviews and feedbacks. From the highest shouts to disappointment. Associations to other bands sometimes are very bizarre. We are fine with it. The reaction always different because our music is very complex and we’ve expected this…it’s normal. Everything goes natural and we are open for criticism. You never beat the fact that we did it and we are all loved making “All You Want To” the way we like, it’s up to you to accept or decline. Everything goes as it should go.

Do you have any favourite track in the album?

Every single song is the short but deep and sincere fragment that resonates with our souls. I’m quite sure that if we do not like the song it would never have appeared on the album. The whole thing went smooth, each song has own charisma. All of them are our favorites.

Will there be in the near future any possibility to see you all members sharing stage and playing your songs live?

We’d love to and some steps were already planned for the coming 2015 year. We’ve got some interesting offers for tours and we’d happy to play it for our kind audience. It’s very demanding project that requires a detailed attention, a serious management and many technical aspects to achieve. We still have to do many things together in the real time to confirm that we are ready: a new album, new videos. At least for now our concentration is mostly on the composing process and then to record the second album.

And a short fast questionnaire:

-Biggest influences as musicians?

From the old good days bossa nova to grind core, forward-thinking classics as Mussorgsky, Stravinsky, Schnittke, contemporary and experimental jazz, psychedelic, funk and SALSOUL disco.

-What are the current bands you enjoy the most listening to?

Depends on many factors. Last time I enjoy being in silence. This year I discovered CROBOT, ISAAC DELUSION, new NIGHTINGALE, BLOODBATH, SEBASTIEN TELLIER were amazing…

-What musicians you would love to share stage with?

PRIMUS, RUSH, TOOL, FAITH NO MORE, PORCUPINE TREE

Anything you want to add guys?

Few words to our new listener: We will be glad to hear that our debut has touched you, transformed something within, given strength, returned from somewhere, unlocked a “window” or even just brought a fresh breath. Every single word will inspire us to create new music. And thank you, dear Antonio, for this interview. We wish FREE! MAGAZINE the best of luck!

Categories
Concerts Music

Dragged Into Sunlight embarked on a European Tour!

Dragged Into Sunlight have left a permanent scar on the extreme metal community ever since they emerged with their debut, Hatred For Mankind. Countless live shows (including prestigious festival slots at Maryland Deathfest, Incubate, Damnation and their recent Japanese tour) have further cemented their place as one of the most visceral and cathartic live bands in extreme music. Their latest album, the eerie masterpiece Widowmaker, revealed a darkly beautiful side to their songwriting, creating much anticipation for their upcoming new full length, which is rumoured to arrive next year.

This November, Dragged Into Sunlight shall embark on a European tour, preceeded by two shows in the UK. Here are the final tour dates which can now be made public:

DRAGGED INTO SUNLIGHT EUROPEAN TOUR NOVEMBER 2014

8th – The Dome w/ Hooded Menace, London, UK
9th – The Exchange, Bristol, UK
11th – Decadence, Ghent, BE
12th – Le Klub, Paris, FR
13th – Les Pavillons Sauvages, Toulouse, FR
14th – Mogambo, San Sebastian, ES
16th – The Blacksheep, Montpellier, FR
17th – Freakout Club, Bologna, IT
18th – Sidro Club, Rimini, IT
19th – Le Romandie, Laussanne, CH
20th – Lo Fi Club, Milan, IT
21st – Blue Hell, Budapest, HU
22nd – Kokpit Club, Prague, CZ
23rd – Exzess, Frankfurt, DE
24th – Ciemna Strona Miasta, Wroclaw, PL
25th – Cassiopeia, Berlin, DE
26th – KB18, Copenhagen, DK
27th – Bambi Gallore, Hamburg, DE
28th – dB’s, Utrecht, NL
29th – Romein, Leeuwarden, NL

For tickets go to www.bandsintown.com/DraggedIntoSunlight

http://www.draggedintosunlight.co.uk

Categories
Concerts Music

Qui Announce European Tour

Alt Rock Duo Heading Out For Lengthy EU Run Of Dates

US mentalists Qui have announced a lengthy run of dates in support of their latest record “Life. Water. Living”. The duo are set to hit the following cities:

27.09 Vsetin @ Vesmir – (CZ)
28.09 Kosice @ Tabacka – (SV)
29.09 Budapest @ tbc – (HU)
29.09 Oradea @ Cafe Moszkva
30.09 Szeged @ Live Music Club
01.10 Vienna @ Rhiz (+Arktis/Air)
02.10 Prachatice @ Pub Za Radnici
03.10 Ceske Budejovice @ Ostinato – (CZ)
04.10 Prague @ 007 Klub (+Hammerhead +Vaz) – (CZ)
05.10 Halle @ Hühnermanhattan
06.10 Hamburg @ Hafenklang – (DE)
08.10 Den Haag @ Haags Pop Centrum
09.10 Brussels @ m4 (+Zs) – (BE)
10.10 Paris @ Nouveau Casino (+Off!) – (FR)
11.10 Gerardmer @ Le Grattoir
16.10 Geneva @ L’Usine (+Vaz)
18.10 Valeggio sul Mincio / Verona @ Villa Zamboni
19.10 Loreto / Ancona @ Circolo Reasonanz – (IT)
20.10 Bologna @ Freakout
21.10 Osio sopra / Bergamo @ Joe Koala – (IT)
22.10 Torino @ Blah Blah Club
23.10 Milano @ Bloom (+Sebadoh)
24.10 Cagliari @ Bohemien
25.10 Sardegna @ tbc – (IT)
26.10 Pisa @ Borderline Club – (IT)
27.10 Cremona @ Il Fico – (IT)
28.10 Brescia @ Lio Bar – (IT)
29.10 Zoppe di S.Vendemiano / Conegliano @ Bar Barbone
30.10 Crnomelj @ MKK
31.10 Velenje @ Klub eMCe plac

Qui

After a 5-year absence, Qui is once again back to the original duo formed in 2000 by drummer/vocalist Paul Christensen and guitarist/vocalist Matt Cronk. Life, Water, Living… features inventive song structures and warped pop sensibilities reminiscent of early Sparks and Frank Zappa with Queen-style harmonies… or something like if Badfinger were the Melvins. Throughout, it’s an album that subtly commands attention as it shifts from a soft whisper to a chuckle to a scream.

Categories
Albums Music

Chaotic Systems from Romanian band Paradigm

Paradigm, the Progressive Thrash Metal band from Târgu-Mureş, Transylvania, Romania released their first EP earlier this year entitled Chaotic Systems. All five songs from the EP is available for streaming on their official website and their social media sites.

The EP is the first recording with the new line-up. The band was formed in 2002 as a five piece, the following year they played as an instrumental act than in 2004 they recorded a demo with a new singer. Tudor Turcu was their second singer, who eight years later, in 2012 won first place on the Romanian X-Factor.

Unfortunately they split-up in 2005 and only after four years of pursuing other projects have they decided to reform the band with new members; this time with three guitars to make the music all the more complex. After a few changes the final line-up was established in 2012. The following year they entered the studio and released their new material on March 2014.

Paradigm

Members:

Siklódi Attila – bass
Zeitz Róbert – guitars
Péter Csanád László – guitars
Ács Levente – guitars
Fodor Csaba – drums
Hadnagy László – vocals

Contact:

Official website: http://www.paradigm.ro/site.php
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/ParadigmBand/256809517736148
Bandcamp: http://paradigmmusic.bandcamp.com/releases

Categories
Albums Music

Album Review: From Below – no gods no monsters

There are bands where you feel the passion involved in the music they do in every detail. I must admit From Below just started to gain my heart from the moment they contacted me and put a smile on my face sending a very special copy of their second album to review. And if added to that, what you listen through the 10 tracks of their latest album no gods no monsters is just honest powerful music that pumps into a system like a good old shot of adrenaline, I cannot say less than this band got a new more fan!

New Yorkers From Below are Cero Cartera on the vocals, Tom Hoy as lead guitarist, Chika Obiora on the bass and Ian Costello on the drums. What you get from the introductory track Carnivore is a good doses of indie rock, distorted guitars and the voice of Cartera sounding natural and powerful, with no overdoing his singing skills but just mastering a tone while singing that surrounds you in loops that leave me a mixed taste of rage and sadness, maybe same as life feels… (damn, I am feeling deeply philosophical tonight).

From Below

After the second homonymous track From Below, the band slows the pace one notch to become more introspective and psychedelic with The Ledge and with one of my favorite tracks in the whole album: Stay, which has great lyrics and Cartera’s voice advancing slow but straight like an arrow while the guitar riffs in the background are in sync perfectly with the melancholic atmosphere.

After that point of inflection in the album, the band spread again its wings of mischievousness and more raw punk side with At First Sight, a track that can put your feet into motion 2 seconds after the start followed up by the longest song in the whole album, The Violence in Silence, that starts with a much bluesy tone than previous tracks during the first half of the song and then magically evolves into an orgasmic chain of amazing guitar riffs after 5 minutes. I swear to god that the track would sound and feel perfect in a climatic end of a science fiction movie (if there is anybody from the film industry reading this, check this one out). Undoubtedly, my favorite track from the album!

Last couple of songs, Blood Money and Psychoacoustics, just transport me mentally to a small dance floor in some dark rock club where you can lose your thoughts among sweet, beer, smoke and of course this good rock music. In fact, I would say that most of the whole album feels so close and intimate in a way that I just feel I want to see the band playing in a small size venue where I could feel the amplifiers a few meters away from me.

Because I do not want to go “super flattering ass licking mode” in this whole review, if I have to find a “but”, I would just point my doubt about if the big strength of the band could be also their biggest weakness: to feel so solid like a small venue band. Pretty much in The Violence is Silence is the only song where I perceive ambitious to create a bigger work being played in a bigger venue for bigger audiences. On the other hand, it seems the guys just enjoy doing what they do so far, having fun touring the NY clubs scene, making friends, enjoying their music and keeping it real. As far as they do as good music and they achieved with this album, I take my hat off to them!

Rating: 9 / 10

Tracklist

1.Carnivore 05:29
2.From Below 04:18
3.The Ledge 4:13
4.Stay 06:01
5.At First Sight 03:35
6.The Violence In Silence 10:20
7.Blood Money 01:58
8.Psychoacoustics 06:10

http://musicfrombelow.com

Categories
Concerts Music

Sigur Rós in Helsinki. Concert review 2013

After a long tour, Sigur Rós made their last appearance before some well deserved Christmas holidays at Harwall Areena in Helsinki.

I have not had the chance before to see them live, a couple of times circumstances worked against me when I was about to assist to their shows some years ago at Positivus Festival in Latvia and more recently this summer at Ilosaarirock in Joensuu. But finally the chance came in a cold freezing winter night that did not affect the good spirits of the citizens of Helsinki, who even when the asphalt outside the venue was literally a plank of ice in some areas and quite dangerous, slid their way down happily with a mastery that only the Nordic people are able to achieve to maintain gravity towards the entrance of Hartwall Areena, that looked less packed than usual with almost half of the seats not available. Certainly it was too much to expect that the Icelandic band would sell out such a big venue, but the assistance was still pretty acceptable, and it is nice to see that Fullsteam Records are able to bring their bands not only to small bars of mid-size clubs, but also to the big events and concert places around Finland.

Sigur Ros

I said previously that I had never seen Sigur Rós live, and certainly at the beginning of the show, there was a moment where I wonder if I would be able to see them at all, but no other reason than a big blanket covering around the whole stage while colorful lights were projected on it and the band kept on playing inside. I liked the idea… for the first couple of songs… Problem is that the band did not appear until probably the fourth song, which in a way created a nice tension among the audience, but on the other hand I found it a bit too much. In any case, finally the high pitched voice of Jonsi could be heard while he was standing on the stage and the show reached for some moments an almost spiritual level, visually stunning fulfilled with a beautiful eclectic music played with a wide array of instruments that transport you to a happier place.

Although Jonsi seem to prefer singing to communicating with the audience, he did not forget to make a small break to invite to the front to one member of the choir so the rest of the band could sing her happy birthday.

A bit more of 2 hours of something that cannot be defined by less than a beautiful musical experience with nothing to envy to the amazing beauty of their homeland Iceland (watch the documentary Heima if you want to experience a perfect combination of both) . I was just sad after the show that the setlist did not include Starálfur, my all time favorite tune from the band.

Sigur Rós Setlist at Harwall Areena. 30th November 2013

Yfirborð
Í Gær
Vaka
Brennisteinn
Glósóli
Stormur
Hrafntinna
Sæglópur
E-bow
Varúð
Hoppípolla
Með Blóðnasir
Rafstraumur
Kveikur
Festival

Encore:

Svefn-g-englar
Popplagið

Categories
Articles Concerts Interviews Misc Music

Breaking the Surface Tour: Bringing talent together!

Bringing the Surface tour is an interesting project that was surfing by bus for 10 days around the Nordic countries until arriving in Helsinki, the Finnish capital.

On head of this is Danish composer and musician Jonas Andreasen together with Finnish singer Sini Koskelainen and a bunch of talented musicians that belong to their “Near Life Experience” project that headed on this adventure from Aarhus in Denmark through Norway, Sweden and Finland, interacting with other local bands, gathering musical ideas, and offering an exciting show full of music, visual effects and dance, brought by the Finnish dancer Nadja Alve.

Near Life Experience

We met the crew just before their final performance at Gloria Cultural Centre in the heart of Helsinki. After 10 days on the road, they were tired and dreaming of a hot shower, plus it was not the easy end when part of the band got sick with food poisoning. However, they were full of illusion to perform in a city that Andreas recognized loves, having lived and studied in Helsinki. Before the local band Elifentree would warm up the atmosphere with some amazing skills by his drummer, it was time to sit with Andreas and drummer Frej Lesner so they could tell us more about how the tour went:

Thanks for your time! Can you tell us a bit more, Andreas, how the project to go on the road for these 10 days came up and how you met Sini (Koskelainen)?

Jonas: I was studying in Aarhus and Sini came there, we heard each other play, and I had a chance to play with her quarter. We just liked each other’s stuff and energy. I wanted to write music with a bigger group but I had difficulties to find a singer, so when I met Sini, it was a super good connection. That is how it goes started, and then we wrote music together and I arranged everything. We put the band together and we did a project together that was a big success in Aarhus. That is how the band got started. Now she is living in Helsinki and I am living in Berlin and all the musicians are in Aarhus. We received the support of a cultural organization there and we are glad to get any help, because it is difficult to tour with a relatively unknown band.

Did you know the other musicians beforehand?

Jonas: They come from all over Denmark, except of the trombone player who is Swedish. Very talented musicians that I was lucky to be able to handpick. Here is Frej, the drummer, one of the first I asked to join the band. So far we had been playing only in Denmark, so this is a big step for us.

You were in other countries sharing the stage with other bands. How was the experience to meet other musicians?

Frej: It was great, I heard some bands with some great musicians. Also this band in its own, it is great to play with this band, they are all great musicians. There is no hiding when you have to play, you have to take control of the music. And we also get to know new places to play. It is very difficult when you are sitting in Aarhus to know for example where to play in Helsinki. So it is great to expand the network.

Near Life Experience

So how is to be on the road traveling by bus for 10 days? What other activities did you do… did you get much sleep time?

Jonas: We would mostly sleep when the bus was driving, but actually not so much sleep. Everyone has been sick also. But well, this is also part of it, it is something you have to do. But it has been so great musically, we have got so much, a good response from all the audience. When we arrive in a new town, we hang around the city, and then a lot of hours in the venue doing the soundcheck, getting something to eat, doing the show… and then on the road again.

They always say that Finland is different than the other Scandinavian countries. Now that you got the experience to tour around all of them, what is your feeling?

Frej: Well, just the language itself is different. It is kind of a mixture of Russian and Nordic culture, somehow.
Jonas: I have been living in Aarhus and Stockholm and Helsinki. I really love Finland so much, feel close to the Finns and to Helsinki. It has less of the Scandinavian “stiffness” that we have in Denmark and Sweden.

What people can expect from the show tonight? What are the backbone ideas behind the show?

Jonas: I would tell them to open their hearts and ears and eyes. It is a mixture, we try to have a big visual side of what we do musically. That is the idea behind the dancing of Nadja. We have some music that some people say that is hard to listen to, a mix of jazz and modern language with a lot of improvisation. Giving some visual expression really help people to get the music and get into it. A lot of people say that it was great and they had never heard anything like that.

Near Life Experience

So do musicians get a lot of freedom to improvise?

Frej: Well, for me as a drummer, I feel that everything I play is something I have invented myself, but of course always on the frame of what Jonas want.

Jonas: I write a lot, but I write for certain people I know very well. So I know or at least I try to write what people need to play. There are places where people do a lot of free style, but of course I need to bring some overview. To know the direction and why something is happening right now.

What are your future plans after you finish this tour?

Jonas: We have the EP with 3 songs and we are releasing a full album, already recorded, this fall. So many things going on!

For coming back, will you go back by bus or flying?

Both: Flying! Enough bus for a while!

Categories
Albums Music

EP Review: Norrsköld – Blessings of Winter

Norrsköld is a young promising Swedish metal band that hast just released their first EP with 6 songs: Blessings of Winter. Behind the project there is the musical talent of Henrik Bodin, defining their style as “multimetal from the cold forests of Sweden”.

Blessings of Winter

The album starts like quite typically a black metal album would start, with strong drums in the opening “Night Crystals“. However, soon you realize that apart from the gutural deep voices that reminds you of many other nordic bands, the band has made a great effort to be also melodic and honor that title of “multimetal”. In fact, the EP really caught my attention when arriving to the 3rd acoustic song that gives title to the album “Blessings of Winter“. A beautiful piece of music played with an acoustic guitar. I found that piece of a bit more than 2 minutes a delicatessen for my ears, enjoying it the most together with the instrumental fifth track “Solar Prominence“, solid guitar riffs and a very powerful drumming running the show there!.

I would resume the EP as a very good effort for the Swedish being their introductory album. In their Facebook page they announce that soon they will have their first completed album released, and I cannot wait to listen to it. I would prefer if they would focus a bit more on the instrumental/melodic side of their music, because I see a strong potential there. Sweden continues giving birth to awesome metal bands!

Rating 4 out of 5.

Categories
Concerts Music

Summer Sound Festival. Helsinki 2013. Photos

FREE! Magazine was at the 3rd edition of Summer Sound festival in Helsinki, and brings you now a few exclusive photos so you can have an idea of the atmosphere there during 3 days of a storm of great electronic music at the huge Convention Center in Pasila, near the city centre of the Finnish capital.

The feeling inside the festival could be resumed like this: young audience ranging between 18 and 23 years old, minimal lenght in the clothes worn, young people eager to dance, party and show off as much flesh as can be politically correct, long queues to order drinks but otherwise, had to praise that the organization of the event in general was superb, with an outdoors tent and then the main indoor arena, teenagers going crazy to collect empty cans to get 1 extra euro per can in return and overall, a lot of music all day long with some of the best Finnish and international DJs and with DJ Tiesto, probably the most famous DJ in the world for the last decade, putting the cherry on top of the cake closing the festival at Sunday night. This is undoubtedly the closest one can feel in Finland to be partying Ibiza style!

Summer Sound
Summer Sound
Summer Sound
Summer Sound
Summer Sound
Summer Sound
Summer Sound
Summer Sound
Summer Sound
Summer Sound
Summer Sound
Summer Sound
Summer Sound
Summer Sound

Categories
Concerts Music

Iron Maiden at Helsinki Olympic Stadium 2013

In what will be remembered by probably all Finnish Maiden fans as a great evening of metal, Iron Maiden visited the capital of Finland again to offer a show full of power. In around 2 hours, they played a not very long but impressive setlist collecting most of their greatest hits for delight of their many followers.

Ghost

But the evening started several hours before that with the opportunity to see 3 great opening bands, something unusual nowadays unless you go to a summer festival. The Swedish Ghost, with that charismatic singer dressed like a pope from hell and a band that seem to be dressed as big bugs, started to set the mood of the audience at a stadium that was filling step by step until reaching around 28.000 spectators when Maiden stepped on stage. I enjoyed Ghost, but certainly maybe 18:00 in the evening with the sun shining is not the most suitable environment for them playing live. All in all, a pleasant band that mixes it up great music with a good theatrical performance onstage.

After them, Swedish Sabaton and local Amorphis took the stage. Sabaton has a strong reputation in Finland and certainly people seem to enjoy their lyrics and warrior attitude on stage. With Amorphis performance, honestly I cannot comment much because as most of the audience, I was dedicated to take advantage to have the final drinks in the drinking area before Maiden’s show would begging. A little slap to the organization in the question related to portable toilets. People had to wait half an hour to be able to use them. When almost 30.000 are gathered in a stadium, these things should be a bit better planned, because obviously most of them are going to be concentrated on the drinking area…

Bruce Dickinson

A few minutes after 21:00 the British legendary metal band Iron Maiden irrupted on the stage starting with Moonchild, and what followed was a total battery of metal classics, with the audience getting ecstatic for some moments and losing the voice screaming the lyrics of arch-famous hits such as Afraid to Shoot Strangers, The Number of the Beast or Run to the Hills. Vocalist Bruce Dickinson as charismatic and with such a great voice as always dominating the stage from the top and running around, but it is true that the age starts not to have mercy on him, the band looks old, the physical aspect has deteriorated in the last years, and obviously they cannot hide they are already in their mid fifties. In any case, this did not affect at all the professionalism shown on stage. Fans got exactly what they expected, with Bruce changing outfits dressed as a British soldier or as a strange gothic vampirish character… Eddie visiting the stage as a dead pirate… Fireworks, the decoration at the back of stage changing and showing different album art covers for every song… And when the encore starts with such a powerful song as Aces High, you cannot really get it much better than that in any metal concert around the world! Solid performance once again of Maiden, one of the most beloved metal fans in Finland. And they show why, always pleasing the fans.

Iron Maiden

Setlist. Iron Maiden. 20/07/2013 Helsinki Olympic Stadium

Moonchild
Can I Play with Madness
The Prisoner
2 Minutes to Midnight
Afraid to Shoot Strangers
The Trooper
The Number of the Beast
Phantom of the Opera
Run to the Hills
Wasted Years
Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
The Clairvoyant
Fear of the Dark
Iron Maiden
Encore:
Churchill’s Speech
Aces High
The Evil That Men Do
Running Free

Categories
Concerts Features Music

10 things that rocked (and 10 things that could rock harder) at Rock the Beach festival

Rock the Beach

A new strong festival is added to the great array of summer events to enjoy in Finland: Rock the Beach!

After the good experience with Rihanna playing at Helsinki´s “Hietsu” beach, Scott Lavender, the promoter of the event, admitted to FREE! Magazine that actually this year the idea had evolved based on the choice by Rammstein, the German band loving the location to play open air, and they hope that the festival can continue in following years.

We were there to enjoy it to the max, and these are the things we liked the most and also a few things that could make this even more awesome in future editions!

Rock the Beach

1. It rocked… the resting area with hammocks close to the food area. Great to relax and eat something in the middle of the shows.

1. It could have rocked harder if… there would not be damn seagulls everywhere trying to rob of your food.

Rock the Beach

2. It rocked… to have Queens of the Stone Age in Helsinki!

2. It could have rocked harder if… they would have played more than just 1 hour.

Rock the Beach

3. It rocked… the whole Rammstein show! The Germans showed once more that they are one of the most amazing bands to see live, with a show full of power, pyrotecnica and good music!

3. It could have rocked harder if… there would not be so strong daylight to appreciate to the fullest all the fireworks and pyrotecnica around their show. Also the stage was a bit too high and far from the audience.

Rock the Beach

4. It rocked… the dirty jokes from Canadian Danko Jones. Great music and great connection with the audience!

4. It could have rocked harder if… Jared Leto would not be such an asshole. Honestly, maybe the teenagers wet their pants with the singer of 30 Seconds to Mars, but as an artist… the concert was weak, after a few songs we felt like going for a few beers instead of wasting our time there.

Rock the Beach

5. It rocked… that the beer was not especially expensive, 6.5e per can, and that you did not have to worry to get 1e back for giving the can back.

5. It could have rocked harder if… the drinking areas would have a direct view to the main stages… or they would allow to pass your own drinks, as it happens in Pori Jazz… but well, we know that this is asking too much in Finland…

Rock the Beach

6. It rocked… the location! Hietsu beach is just a few hundred metres away from the heart of Helsinki and the sunsets there on summer while listening to your favorite bands are something to be seen!

6. It could have rocked harder if… the concerts would not ended so early, at 23:15, and people would have stayed later. For most of people, the event was a way of kicking out the night and then continuing in some bar. Being also organized on wednesday, friday and saturday due to Greenday being able to perform only on wednesday, it did not have the most friendly schedule for working people…

Rock the Beach

7. It rocked… Rival Sons, a band I had never heard before and surprised me in a gladly way.

7. It could have rocked harder if… the organization could bring some big headliner who does not play usually in Finland. For example, Aerosmith…

Rock the Beach

8. It rocked… Greenday inviting to a teenage girl to the stage and giving her an electric guitar as a gift!

8. It could have rocked harder if… I would have been the lucky one! Unfortunately, I never learnt how to play guitar yet :)

Rock the Beach

9. It rocked… the great number of people with beautiful tattoos over their skins inside the festival!

9. It could have rocked harder if… they would have a tattoo parlour inside the festival for those who want to remember this event forever with a new tattoo.

Rock the Beach

10. It rocked… to cover the festival as a journalist! Why to deny it, to be accredited for probably the festiva of the year in Finland rocks big time!

10. It could have rocked harder if… Rammstein would have given interviews. Unfortunately they came here just for playing more than for talking. But as far as they keep on giving those amazing live shows, they can keep that way.

Rock the Beach

Categories
Features Interviews Music

Interview with Gary Hector from Jointpop. Rock from Trinidad and Tobago!!!

An editor who writes about music receives dozens and dozens of albums every month to review. There is often no time to listen to all of them, nevertheless to say that many end up not being impressive. However, from the start I got totally hooked when I first listened to The Pot Hounds, a great rounded album full of good rock, and my curiosity grew even bigger discovering that the band behind was from exotic Trinidad & Tobago. So FREE! Magazine contacted Gary Hector so he could tell us more about his band, concerts, projects, hobbies and how rock is experienced in his home country.

Hello Gary and thanks a lot to attend our questions! So Jointpop has been around already for many years since 1996. Can you explain a bit how the project started and also how you personally gave your first steps into the music industry?

I had just parted ways with my previous band called Oddfellows Local, and was just sitting around at home for some months. Then I started writing songs again, so I called up a few guys from the local scene and put together jointpop in 1996. We actually recorded 5 songs even before we played a gig in Trinidad and Tobago.

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Like I suppose that many of our readers, I must admit my knowledge of the music scene in Trinidad & Tobago is almost non existent. How is the music scene and specifically the rock scene there? Is it easy to find venues to play around?

Well the live music scene here is based on the Calypso and Soca music, which works along side the annual Carnival festival.The rock scene is really deep into the underground. There is a decent following for the various rock bands but the people here seem to love Tribute bands or bands like Air Supply, Peter Cetera and The Outfield. Plus there is also a vibrant Metal scene. We just need to “Roll” more than we “Rock”, but so its goes. jointpop just pay no attention to it all and just do what we do.

Are you currently living in Trinidad or somewhere else? I see that you have been touring quite a lot in UK and USA during the last years.

Yes… We all live in Trinidad and Tobago. Born and bred. We tour when we can, to promote a new album when we release them. We played gigs in USA and did 3 tours to the UK. The next tour will be to Canada in Sept 2013.

I notice in your music some influence from classic British rock bands like Rolling Stones, The Beatles… Were those bands the ones you like listening the most as music fan? What bands do you like listening to nowadays?

Classic British Invasion rock n roll bands are my main thing yea…Stones,Beatles, Kinks and also UK Punk rock like Pistols,The Clash and all that. I am very much a Dylan disciple.
Some of the stuff of recent times would be anything from Jack White .

What other hobbies do you like practising when you are not playing or working on your music?

I’m a very big sports fan and player,so football, cricket, golf. I’m also a qualified football coach. A family and friends man.

Marimekko

Any favorite track in your latest album? And why that particular interest in dogs/hounds? At least 2 songs have dog in their titles plus the title of the album itself

Here in Trinidad and Tobago, A “Pot Hound” is a stray, street dog, and there are lots of them. No owners,no love, and they just roam the streets, and eat from garbage cans and live off the scraps. People would throw stones at them, and sometimes just run them over and leave them to rot. So this album is jointpop being “ Pot Hounds”, which we are, in relation to the local music scene. So its like semi fictional band a band called “The Pot Hounds” with an album called ‘jointpop”. Mini confusion situation really.

Plus I own 5 dogs..and yes, they are all Pot Hounds. I really like all the songs on the album, but will mention Sweet Nothings,Man Dog Millionaire,Dead Frog Perfume,Sexy Garbage Can and Treat me like The Dog I am.

It looks like you are a band that loves being on the road travelling. Do you have any particular special anecdote to share of these years touring around the world?

I just really wish we can do it more, as we are really good close friends also. So we have lots of fun and just love being on stage together and playing our songs for people from various parts of this world.

What are your future plans for the rest of 2013?

A 2 week tour in September to some cities in Canada, with gigs at The Pop Montreal Festival and also in Toronto,Ottawa and Quebec City, and would try to get back to the UK in November.

Anything you want to add for the readers?

Thanks for interview and to the people reading it and checking out jointpop and our country Trinidad and Tobago. Visit us someday, and follow us on the various social networks… cheers..takk!

For more info, check out:

www.jointpop.com

Categories
Concerts Features Interviews Music

Interview with Johannes, singer of Swedish metal band Avatar

Text and Photos: Antonio Diaz

What does a Spaniard do at the backstage of Nosturi in Helsinki surrounded by Swedish metal heads while Finland plays against Sweden in the ice hockey world championship? Talking relaxed to Johannes, singer of the Swedish band Avatar. There will be time later to see how Finland loses (damn, not again!!!) against its nemesis Sweden, but meanwhile we are sitting on the sofa with a friendly easy going Johannes offering a cold beer to fight the humid warm that wraps the Finnish capital and chatting with FREE! Magazine about their trips, music, lyrics and expectations for the concert that will take place a few hours later in the same venue. Johannes is pretty familiar with Helsinki, since actually he dates an Italian lady who lives there and visits often.

Yes, I have been in Helsinki now countless times. I visit at least once a month, so I am starting to find my way around. I know the bars, well the bars because I always end up in the same one, in Base Bar. It has the feeling of a beer hall that I really love.

So are you familiar of the traditional “ferry culture”, those famous boat trips between Finland and Sweden where all kind of crazy things happen?

Oh, I fly usually, but yeah I know them. We have been on tour on those ferries. Beautiful experience! Hehehe. It is something special, like for example sharing a stage singing karaoke with Finnish truckers!

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Before coming here, you were touring in USA. How was the American experience?

It was really really cool! The thing is that although we are close to start recording the next album, we are still touring with Black Waltz album and it was the first one that got released in USA, so we did not really expect much but we did really well over there, having the opportunity to do our first real tour there. We were blown away and we had the opportunity to blow people away too.

In Europe, especially in North Europe where the drinks at the bars and venues are so expensive, people go directly to see the headliners, but maybe in USA people are more open to arrive earlier and see the opening bands too, right? It must feel much better to play for packed venues…

Exactly! We play for full venues and that was really special. After that, I try to make a point to arrive earlier to the shows I want to see as spectator! Hehehe. Even the coverage with the radio stations is so different what they have there going on radio wise. I guess here the biggest coverage for metal music is printed media and webzines and there is radio and then webzines. We get played… not at all at the radio stations in Europe. But in USA, being a big country with a common language, they can reach all the few metal heads here and here and there and there, so in the end adds a lot of people. I think that is the reason… and maybe that they do not like reading so much… hehehe.

“Sharing my energy onstage with the audience is something bigger than punching someone!”

Actually I met some months ago for another interview in this same venue with the guitarist another band you toured in USA, Cristiano of Lacuna Coil, and he commented me how the economical crisis around the world makes more and more difficult for them to promote their music and keep afloat. Have you got a similar feeling of the crisis affecting your band?

The thing is that we have been around for 10 years, releasing albums for 7, but still when this crisis started in 2008, 2 years after our first album came out, and at that time Napster was “old”, you know. So we are a bit part of a different generation when we do not know any other way than the current situation here now. I guess is different for older people when they were playing already in the 90s and then they saw this transition, like “what happened to the world?”, but for us this world we are operating right now is pretty much the same one that has always been.

Have the social networks been a good tool to reach your audiences?

Definitely! And we have been learning about that. Actually I am more personally an “anti social networks” person. I was not so dragged into it, to begin with, but then you realize that the people are there and there is where they are looking for us, they are looking for us in Facebook and places like that. So it is pretty cool we can do our little competitions about answering questions and have this direct contact. So that is very cool, as far as you avoid all the shit around it.

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Your latest released album, Black Waltz, took a bit longer to be released than the previous ones. Any special reason for it?

Uhm, I guess so… Let´s count… The first album must be January 2006 and then one and a half year… and then 2 years. So yeah. We took a bit of time to focus on other things we wanted to take care of before releasing the album, the videos, the photos… Due to preparations, it needed a bit of delay. We tried to figure out how to get deals to release it everywhere and that takes time. And you cannot do that before the album is finished, because you want to send the record company the pictures, the videos, the songs, all the cool material. That made it take a little bit longer, but I have no regrets about it. That for example led to the US release that we talked about before, so it was good for us.

So you mentioned before that you are already working in the next album?

Yes, we have been working on it for a while and again, it is a bit too early for me to be too specific about it, but I think we got really cool stuff and now is about making all fit in the same box. I have hopes to have it released it this year, but expectations are always hard. Whatever we do, we want to do it 200%, so we still need some decisions to be made along the way. As I said, too early to be more specific, but for sure I can say that as soon as we are back at home, we will be working our asses off on it!

I have noticed that Avatar also loves paying special attention to the visual aspect and quality of the videos. For example I think it was actually very challenging to sing the lyrics backwards in “Torn Apart”, right?

Oh, yeah yeah! I would have needed two more months of practice, I guess! I was also looking for messages from Satan there, but sorry, nothing came out. Only I think I say something in a weird kind of German that is like “the trolls will stop right here”, but yeah, apart from that, no hidden messages. I have to disappoint you. But yeah, it was very tricky and funny to do! The theme was a bit of “Fight Club”, angry young men beating each other up out of pure frustration, and then came this fact that we are a bit of “circus” band in many ways and pro wrestling is totally like a circus thing to me, the extravagant showmanship fits perfectly. It was a fun way to portray this theme about frustration.

Avatar

How is it for you guys when you are on tour? Do you also get those moments of frustration when you need some aggressive activity to relieve the feelings, or just booze kills the pain?

Well, beer keeps me happy, and well, maybe sounds like old cliché, but makes sense when you get onstage and you get the chance to scream and do something positive with that energy you have on you, especially when you get to share it with the audience, so you make a common experience out of it. That is something bigger than punching someone! It takes you and the audience to a better level.

Other theme that gets repeated in your music is the decadence. It seems that people find appealing the change between 2 eras, lights and shadows…

Yeah, it is a rich background to paint. It brings you automatically to some parts of your life where your actions have been maybe more decadent than other parts of your life, and that is all part of it. The transition between eras… that is when something is happening. I guess is a bit of a journey, every human being has some kind of experience of going up and down, this journey up and down, and I think those times are the most interesting to describe. And in that sense is because we like the circus theme. It has some mystery to it, the mystery of the circus.

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I heard you feel very welcome in the previous American tour we just talked about by the other bands. In general in your musical career, what is your favorite band to tour with?

I have never had any real bad experience with other bands, the only dramatic one was our first tour because we were kids and we did not know how to behave, what to do or what not to do. So we gave Impaled Nazarene a hard time, I think, because we were kids that someone should have slapped us! And that was our fault, not theirs. Other than that, when you get to know how to work and be together, a circus company travelling, it is always good. We got the chance for example with a band we admire a lot, Halloween, so we could see them live 8 nights in a row and I got the chance to sit with Michael Weikath and ask him everything. That was super cool and they were super friendly. With other bands like In Flames is easy because we share a common background coming from the same city, we were swimming in the same swimming hall and walking the same streets. Now it is very cool to be with Engel because we know each other for a bunch of years, they were our rehearsing neighbors, and although before we played sometimes in the same shows, this is the first time we can do something together “for real”, putting our names in the same poster.

So what will be the next projects for the summer, I suppose pretty much dedicated to the incoming new album…?

Yes, we have 1 more show in August, but this summer will be pretty much devoted to writing and recording and creating a new great chapter for Avatar!

Categories
Features Interviews Music

Interview with Adam Ciminello from The Carnival Kids

FREE! Magazine brings you an exclusive interview with multitalented American musician Adam Ciminello, who tells us about the imminent release of his band’s debut album, The Carnival Kids, and many other interesting opinions about the music business and the complexities of building up a new musical project. Enjoy it!

When I was reading about your musical talents, I was impressed by the wide array of instruments that you can play. Can you tell us a bit how you started in the music business and how was studying music in Boston?

Thanks so much for the kind words Antonio! It really means a lot to have people support my music and artistic vision. I first started to really take music seriously towards the end of my high schooling. I played in a couple of bands that toured around the area regionally and by the time I started college, I was hooked! Boston is a really great place to get your start in music. There are many places to play and lots of college students who love live music. I’m grateful for the experiences I had there and the many talented musicians I had the privilege of playing with and getting to know.

Adam Ciminello

Do you have your residence nowadays in Boston? How is the music scene there (my knowledge is pretty limited to knowing that is the home town of my beloved band Aerosmith).

Currently, I live in Poughkeepsie NY, about an hour north of NYC. I still play frequently in Boston as a solo artist and with other groups in the area. It’s a great city that’s constantly churning out fantastic new artists due to the many colleges and music schools located there.

I have seen you stated that the music in your debut album is very positive. Actually the name of the band and the art cover are already exhaling a positive feeling. So what can a new listener expect there, in the album that will be recently released on April 27th?

The music and overall message on this LP is very much intended to be positive. Some of the individual songs relate to darker themes but on the whole my aim was to make people feel good and describe relationships and events that everybody could relate to. I think listeners can expect from this LP to hear music that sounds familiar yet different enough to resonate.

Actually the country where I live nowadays, Finland, is also famous for the melancholic feeling in most of the music produced here. Why is it that seems trendy nowadays in music to be a depressive emo? Do you miss the kind of more happy-naïve compositions that people could listen in the clubs, for example in the 80s?

As both an artist and avid listener of music, existing on both sides of the equation, it’s difficult for me to really answer this question with any sort of objectivity. I don’t know why other artists make the art they choose to make because, frankly, I really don’t know why I make the art I choose to make! Composing is such an intimate process with yourself and it all happens so fluidly that it’s very difficult for me to specifically describe why I choose to write my music. Similarly, as a listener, I really don’t know definitively why we choose to listen to the music we enjoy. Duke Ellington once said “If it sounds good, it is good,” and I try my hardest to not allow any other thoughts dilute this concept when I am composing. If I enjoy it and feels genuine, then it probably is worth sharing. As a listener, if I enjoy it and feels genuine, its probably also worth sharing!

If I am not mistaken, you are the only current member-founder of the band (which is interesting cause maybe because of the name of the band in plural, everybody would be expecting a formation with more members). How is the feeling of putting an album together by yourself, do you like the freedom of creativity, or is it actually a more painful process in some ways to put everything together?

I am currently the only permanent member of The Carnival Kids. I do have a live a band that I perform with, and two of those members make up the rhythm section who recorded most of the LP with me, respectively. I can’t tell you how liberating it was to make this album largely by myself. I’ve been in collaborative bands since I was 14 and while that feeling – that of camaraderie, teamwork and equal partnership – is wonderful, being able to create/record in a scenario where I was in complete control was something I had always dreamed about. It’s been a pretty rewarding process watching this LP come to life and I feel I’ve learned a lot about myself along the way.

The Carnival Kids

I have seen also in some Youtube videos that you have company of quite some other musicians. Can you tell us a bit more about their collaboration, and it is expected that they would play with you live, or could the formation and the musicians playing with you change? Are there plans to go touring during 2013?

Yes, those members make up my live band and I couldn’t ask for a more talented group of musicians. I’ve been blessed throughout my life to share the stage with some amazing artists and when it came time to put together the live act, I immediately knew this group was perfectly outfitted to bring my songs to life. I’m very lucky to be working with them.

I have a good friend who is a great fan of Government Mule, so seeing that you have played with them, I could not less than ask about the experience of collaborating with such a legendary band.

I’ve only played one show with them, which admittedly was almost six years ago, and unfortunately I can’t say that I collaborated with them creatively (I wish!). But I can say that they are incredibly nice people, grateful for the opportunities they’ve been given, and extraordinarily talented musicians.

Although it seems that music is really the centre of your life, what other hobbies and passions do you have?

Outside of music, I am an avid chess player and a lifelong fan of the New York Knicks! Looking forward to hopefully watching them bring home their first championship in forty years later this spring!

Anything you want to add for our readers?

Thank you so much for your time and support of independent music! Hope to tour Finland soon! Also, here are our various social media sites for everybody to check out! Thanks again!

http://www.facebook.com/TheCarnivalKidsMusic
http://www.youtube.com/user/TheCarnivalKidsMusic
http://thecarnivalkids.bandcamp.com/
http://www.reverbnation.com/thecarnivalkidsmusic

Categories
Concerts Music

Helloween + Gamma Ray in Bucharest. Concert Review

Written by Elena Paraschiv

Power metal back in line! Helloween started their world tour “Hellish Rock tour Part II”, together with Gamma Ray, at the end of February. The band first hit the stage in Barcelona, and after Italy, Greece and Eastern Europe, the pumpkins are heading to Scandinavia. First stop : Helsinki, on March 29, at The Circus. In Finland, Helloween will rock the Finnish audience three nights in a row. After Helsinki, it`s Tampere turn to be energized to the maximum on March 30 at Pakkahuone, and Oulu on March 31 at Club Teatria.

Helloween in Bucharest

Helloween was formed in 1984, by members of bands Iron Fist, Gentry and Powerfool. Since its creation, the band has experienced various line-ups. Among members who have taken part in this project, include Michael Kiske and also Kai Hansen, now the lead guitarist, and vocalist of power metal band Gamma Ray. Helloween released their fourteenth studio album, “Straight Out Of Hell”, on January 18, 2013. The album produced by Charlie Bauerfeind, who works with the band since 2000, is a masterpiece that lasts just over an hour. “Straight Out Of Hell” is a return in force of one of the most popular power metal bands, proving to even the most pessimistic of their fans that Helloween is back in business! A comeback to the real Helloween sound. The album picked position No.4 in Finnish Albums Chart.

Seeing on the same stage Gamma Ray and Helloween in Bucharest, those two emblems of the genre was delightful. The night was opened by Shadowside from Brazil. It was not a very good start. 30 minutes of pure torment. The lead-singer was trying too hard to reach those high notes and to sing the melodic parts. What was supposed to be a power metal start was nothing but an attempt with no success.

Next, Gamma Ray. Even though Hansen had some problems with his voice, the show was flawless. The public reaction was one to match with the show, as they played throughout the setlist along with the Germans from Gamma Ray.

Helloween in Bucharest

GAMMA RAY SETLIST. BUCHAREST 2013

Anywhere in the Galaxy
Men, Martians and Machines
The Spirit
Gamma Ray (cover Birth Control)
Master of Confusion
Empire of the Undead
Empathy
Rise
Future World (cover Helloween)
To the Metal
Encore:
Send Me a Sign

And finally, the long awaited band takes the stage in force in the praise of the public. Helloween show started with two tracks from their new album “Straight Out Of Hell”, “Wanna Be Good” and “Nabataea”, (the best song of the material). So, the band threw the first power metal pill of a really dazzling night. Helloween`s show, had two moments that are fully enjoyed by those present. First was Daniel Löble`s drum solo: spectacular, incredibly, unbelievably good, and the second was the song “Hold Me In Your Arms”. This moment escapes from the power metal sphere with acoustic guitar and a more soft interpretation of Andi. Definitely, one of the best Helloween`s ballad-type song. But the show returns immediately to the power metal vibe, electrifying the public.

Helloween in Bucharest

The full set, the lights, the sound…all entwined with the perfect voice of Andi Deris, the magnificent drumming of Daniel Löble, the perfect bass of Markus Grosskopf, the majestic Gibson of Michael Weikath and the beautiful “Youth Gone Wild” of Sascha Gerstner, made the night a classy power metal show.

So, if you haven`t buy the ticket to see those two great bands…it`s time to hurry up, because this show is one of those shows that stays in your memory forever.

HELLOWEEN SETLIST. BUCHAREST 2013

Wanna Be God
Nabataea
Eagle Fly Free
Straight Out of Hell
Where the Sinners Go
Waiting for the Thunder
Steel Tormentor
Drum Solo
I”m Alive
Live Now!
Hold Me in Your Arms
If I Could Fly
Hell Was Made in Heaven
Power
Encore 1:
Are You Metal?
Dr. Stein
Encore 2:
Halloween / How Many Tears / Heavy Metal (Is the Law)
I Want Out (cu Gamma Ray)