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Features Music

Iron Maiden: Flight 666

As a die-hard Maiden fan since the age of thirteen, it certainly is a thrill to see one of your favourite bands on the big screen in thunderous 5.1 surround sound. Yes, I’m talking about the new film Iron Maiden: Flight 666, which captures the band onstage, backstage, and everywhere in between, during the first leg of their 2008 Somewhere Back in Time Tour.

Flight 666

Released worldwide on the 21st of April, the documentary film chronicles probably the most logistically challenging undertaking in Rock history: outfitting a 757 aircraft (complete with Maiden logo) to fit the entire band, crew, and all their equipment; fly them to play 23 concerts, in 13 countries, on 5 continents (that’s 70,000 km or 50,000 frequent flier miles if you’re counting), and do this all within the span of 45 days. Oh … and I forgot to mention, the plane was flown by none other than Iron Maiden lead singer Bruce Dickinson (who is a licensed airline pilot in his own right).

Sam Dunn and Scot McFadyen, are the same team who made the fantastic 2005 documentary film: Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey. Considering the fact that Iron Maiden are well known for protecting their privacy and eschewing the typical trappings of celebrity, the filmmakers were given unprecedented access to the band on tour. We get to see affable drummer Nicko McBrain chatting (always with a slice of pizza!) with band mates on the bus moments after a show; the suffocating atmosphere brought on by mobs of fans in South America;  Bruce in the pilot’s seat flying “Ed Force One”; the famously brusque band manager Rod Smallwood asleep on the plane; a moment of crisis brought on by an innocuous golf ball.

In all, over 500 hours worth of film was taken by Sam Dunn and Scot McFadyen and then edited down to the movie’s final running time of 112 minutes. Of course, in addition to all the behind-the-scenes moments, we get to see the reason why Iron Maiden is renowned the world over: the band is a monster live act. The performance footage is mixed throughout the film and the band has never sounded better thanks to producer Kevin Shirley who mixed the sound for the film. Since the set list remained essentially the same, the filmmakers chose to show clips of the band playing one song from each city on the tour. Two songs are played in their entirety: “Aces High” and the perennial classic “Hallowed Be Thy Name” which is performed at the final show in Toronto, Canada, and closes the film. 

As much as Iron Maiden: Flight 666 is about the band, it is (even more so) a film about the fans. Across continents and cultures: India, Japan, Australia, Central & South America, the U.S., and Canada, we see the impassioned reactions of fans the world over. Watching the Colombian fans as they camp out for NINE days in a make-shift tent city before a show, leaves the viewer in awe of the devotion and loyalty shown by the band’s fans.  

Flight 666

I was actually at the Iron Maiden show in New Jersey in the U.S., so one personal highlight was to see some of the live performance from that particular show in the movie. I strained to see myself in the audience but trying to pick yourself out in a crowd of 20,000 can be a bit futile. I guess I could get myself a magnifying glass and wait for the DVD release! 

For a band that has made such an indelible impact on its fans around the world (and rock music in general), Iron Maiden is, astonishingly, not in the institution known as the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. But Iron Maiden has never courted mainstream acceptance and that suits the band and its fans just fine. The band has made it on its own terms and without compromise. One particular moment in the film, I think, says it all: the camera zooms in on a Colombian fan who is overtaken by emotion and literally breaks into tears after capturing Nicko’s drum stick. This is what Iron Maiden means to its fans and no admission into an exclusionary club such as the R&R Hall of Fame can match that. 

The film is on extended release in digital theatres around the world including Bio Rex cinemas in Finland. 

Flight 666Trailer

Categories
Features Music

DAR – Dynamic Arts Records helping spread Finnish Metal to the world

 

{mosimage}Finnish Metal is undoubtedly worldwide respected and it´s surely not a fad. It didn´t happen out of the blue for no reason though, it is what it is for the extreme competence of the rock & metal bands that come from that tiny, isolated and cold country.

 

 

 

Doing the best you can on whatever you do, studying hard, researching and being extremely professional are cultural characteristics you see a lot in the entire Scandinavia and when the subject is Heavy Metal, let´s say that Finland and Sweden are at the top.

Dynamic Arts Records ( DAR ) – recording company from the city of Tampere – is a very respected company lead by people who really understand of rock & metal and help the scene be spread to the world. They´ve been doing a great job promoting their bands sending material and in this section Hard Blast will talk about 3 of these big metal promises.  

 

{mosimage}MASTERSTROKE – Melodic Power & Heavy Metal 

The band was formed in 2002 and has two albums released, Apocalypse (2006) and the great Sleep, released by DAR in 2007.You don´t need more than 30 seconds listening to realize what´s going on here – very good music, strong, powerful, with great melodies and guitar solos.The line-up is formed by Niko Rauhala ( v & g ), Janne Juutinen ( d ), Markus Kekoni ( g ), Jussi Kulomaa ( k ) and Marko Kolehmainen ( b ) and you can check them out on www.myspace.com/masterstrokefinland or on DAR homepage.

The album is composed by 10 tracks. Niko´s singing is different from what we are used to listening when the subject is melodic power metal, there aren´t very high notes. Vocals are melodic but heavy and it´s possible to feel a “Blaze Bailey´s atmosphere” in his tone but with a lot more power. Guitarist Markus also makes very different solos more focused on the melody than on the speed, which I consider a great advantage since in melodic power metal it´s usually more common to listen to very fast and exaggerated virtuous solos, .

The same happens to the keyboards, present 100% of the time showing great melodies and arrangements and not a 'keyboard X guitar duel'.Musicians who are able to play well saving notes, emphasizing melody to speed and paying attention to the musical environment of the work they want to show are very rare nowadays and I believe this is a great differential.

I recommend Masterstroke as one of the best bands I´ve heard recently. 

 

{mosimage}SILENTIUM – Goth/Dark Metal 

The band exists since 1995 and has a discography of 5 full-length albums and 3 singles. The most recent release, Amortean, came out in January of 2009 and have been getting great feedback from fans and press since then.The band´s career was full of ups and downs and line-up changes until 2003 but after this time the line-up was settled. Silentium is: Toni Lahtinen ( g ), Matti Aikio (b & groaning), Riina Rinkinen ( v ), Jari Ojala ( d ), Juha Lehtioksa ( g ), Sami Boman ( k ).

After signing with DAR in 2005 Silentium recorded Seducia, album of great success that could really make people pay attention to them. The most recent work, Amortean, shows very high quality female singing Goth Metal. Riina sings beautifully with a strong voice which does not follow the actual pattern of the ‘opera’ singing. She explores her natural tone and singing personality. Her voice is strong, deep and makes Silentium even more interesting.Songs are rich, full of keyboards and orchestral arrangements, there is a strong concern with climate and particularities that would make fans recognize their music right from the intro.

Drumming also deserves to be highlighted in Silentium´s work. Jari Ojala plays strong and fast being also a very creative drummer on his kickin´ arrangements. The album is very well produced it´s very musical having some 'taste' of pop that makes Riina´s voice fit even better on it. You could easily listen to them on the radio. Amortean shows melancholic and deep songs just as the style demands though. For those who enjoy heavy music with female singing, Silentium´s album is for sure a very good buy. Check them out at www.myspace.com/silentiumband or go to DAR homepage to get more info. 

 

 

 

ANGEL BLAKE – Metal 

Angel Blake is the solo project of guitarist Marko Tervonen ( The Crown ) and besides himself it counts on the musicians Tobias Jansson ( v ), Anders Edlund ( g ), Örjan Wressel ( acoustic bass) and Janne Saarenpää ( d ).

 

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Although Marko and Janne are Finns, the band is based in Sweden, where the other members are from. The album The Descended, released in 2008, shows what could be called 'real nordic metal' with all specific characteristics that make those who research about the style recognize the bands. I don´t mean it´s cliché cause it´s not. It´s particular, there is a specific personality when you listen to the base guitar with its fast palm mutting, the creative drumming and vocals that can vary from clean and high to groaning, always very strong and present.

It´s perfect music for head banging, air punching and stage diving. The kind of atmosphere that puts you really into a metal mood.It´s curious that bassist Örjan plays the acoustic bass giving a special sound to the lows of the songs making them even heavier and fuller of punch. Angel Blake is a band that surely deserves to be heard.

Check them out at www.angelblake.com and find the true Scandinavian metal into their heavy riffs.   

 

Photos: www.dynamicartsrecords.com

Categories
Cinema DVD

Body of Lies

With Ridley Scott in the direction and Di Caprio and Russell Crowe as main stars, this is one of the strongest American DVD releases of the year.

Body of Lies

Well, it seems that there is no director able to resist the charm of Di Caprio. Here again, the golden boy (well, ok, not a boy anymore) of the American cinema displays another great acting performance, very well backed up by an unusually fat and unattractive-looking Crowe. But undoubtedly, for me the nicest touch of the movie is Mark Strong as Hani Salaam, the chief of the secret services at Jordania.

Although acting is good, the plot is weak. After watching it, I just found it predictable, one more movie in the American chain of movies dealing with Muslim terrorism that counts with The Kingdom or A Mighty Heart as latest examples of how to teach the Western spectator the difference between good and bad Arab citizens. Although the smart spectator can easily find layers of criticism to the American external policy here, it is still a deplorable collection of clichés, being not everything as black and white as Scott wants to portray here. The warfare tension of some other of his movies like Black Hawk Down is missing here, and checking how the American military technology works is something shown in every one of three releases during the last moths, so there is nothing surprising or shocking for the spectator.

All in all, Body of Lies is not a bad movie, but maybe I start to feel a bit oversaturated with these kinds of products. I usually love Ridley Scott, but this is one got me disappointed.

Rating 2/5

The best: Mark Strong as Hani Salaam

The worst: The portray of Muslims as the westerner´s enemies.

The detail: Many of the actors portrayed as Iraquis actually speak Arab with Moroccan accent all over the movie.

Body of Lies Trailer

Categories
Albums Music

L.R. Phoenix & Mr. Mo’Hell – Wrecked

{mosimage}Blues is alive in North Europe! From North Karelia comes a duo that exhales pure genuine good old Blues! 

L.R. Phoenix is an English musician who decided not only to switch from playing heavy metal to Mississippi Blues, but also from living in the south of England to the East of Finland. Lately we have had the luck to review in FREE! Magazine a bunch of good records from independent artists that, although often forgotten by the mainstream media, are able to release records of excellent quality. We saw it with the Finnish artists Matti the Random Guy and recently we also reviewed the excellent last releases of the young Estonian blues magicians Bullfrog Brown, who also keep the tradition of Mississippi Blues alive in the neighbouring Baltic country.  

If you enjoy the music of Bullfrog Brown, probably you will also like what the duo Phoenix (guitar and vocals) – Mo'Hell (drums) has to offer:  a good collection of blues songs rooted in the old American tradition. But actually in some ways, this is even an easier album to listen than the ones produced by Bullfrog Brown: the voice of L.R. is clean, powerful and catchy while the guitar riffs are edgy but feel “light” at the same time. 

As some highlights in the album, listen for example to On The Run, Dark Clouds or My Leaving and be ready to enjoy. Good blues that can also easily catch the attention of not so blues-hardcore fans.

Well made effort, good lyrics and a little feeling of sloppiness that provide the album with a suitable “underground” touch; perfect to listen with a cigarette in your mouth and a glass of whisky in your hand. 

Rating 4/5.

Categories
Albums Music

Revolution Renaissance – Age of aquarius

{mosimage}After leaving Stratovarius, Timo Tolkki, the Finnish magician with the guitar, is back with his new project and the second studio album. 

A second studio album that could perfectly be catalogued as debut one, since the previous one was made up with the material that should have gone originally for Stratovarius. With people like Gus Monsanto on the vocals or Bruno Agra as drummer, Tolkki seems to have formed a more stable project. At least, the band sounds like a band, not just Tolkki trying to impose his guitar solos over the rest of the instruments, and the final result is quite a good work of heavy metal. Let´s see if the formation remains in the future, because there are rumours that Tolkki will count with some old members of Stratovarius for the following full length. 

If it would be any other band, many people would catalogue this as an excellent heavy metal album. But being Tolkki´s new project, it will be loved and hated equally. The album does not provide with any special surprise, actually, almost “surprisingly”, it sounds too much “Stratovarius” in songs like Sins of my beloved or the beautiful ballad Ghost of fallen grace. But in general, all the tracks are pretty enjoyable, especially the flamboyant Ixion´s Wheel or the final folk-metal oriented Into the future. 

Tolkki shows that he still keeps the magic in his fingers, let´s see if his head can also work so fine in the future! For those of you who loved the first albums of Stratovarius and want to listen to more of the same, you are going to enjoy this. For the ones that wanted a more experimental or surprising album, better go somewhere else. 

Rating 3/5.

Categories
Albums Music

Klamydia – Rujoa Taidetta

{mosimage}The Finnish punkers are back with a new album full of speed.

 

Making studio albums is not a problem for the Finnish punk rockers. Formed 20 years ago, they have releases almost one album per year, being this their 15th full length record. So we are not exactly talking about a group of high school students doing bullshit here. It is not easy to remain for so many years in the demanding Finnish market, so certainly Klamydia has gained with effort their position as one of the strongest Finnish underground band of the circuit.

 

Hated by many and adored by their followers due to their straight and gross language and their blowing live performances (that can perfectly end up with the singer puking on stage or the concert cancelled due to the ethylic state of the members), the point is that every country needs a band like this. Raw energy, catchy lyrics (in Finnish) and basically, good punk rock “in your face” with some highlights like Miljoonan Kiisan Tennarit or the homonymous Rujoa Taidetta. I have read in some Finnish media that this is the most boring Klamydia`s album in many years, but from my point of view, it is certainly entertaining, accessible also for listeners who are not punk-rock fans and perfect to listen to as background music at the office when you want to isolate your ears from annoying job mates…

 

Rating 4/5.

Categories
Cinema DVD

99 Frangia

{mosimage}Here you have a visually shocking French movie that will reveal all the dirty secrets of marketing and PR Business.

 

Yes! Finally I find a French movie I like! (ok, Amelie is another exception to the rule). 99 Francs is funny, irreverent, it always has a high rhythm, it is visually shocking and innovative, and the acting skills of the main characters are just superb. Jean Dujardin looks credible the same when he is snorting kilograms of cocaine or when he is in an isolated island looking like a lost rugby player.  

The plot is good, and shows the cynic aspect of the industry at the same time that you can have some good laughs. The sticky moments involving violence, sex or use of hard drugs are mastered in a way that do not result too much uncomfortable for the spectator, and on top of that the couple of female characters involved with Dujardin are sexy and with a great presence on screen. But undoubtedly, the best parts are during the monotonous business meetings, when you can see hypocrisy working at his top!

 

An intelligent movie that really got me surprised. If I can say something bad, this goes again for the distributors of the DVD, that once more forget to add English subtitles. So if your knowledge of French, Swedish or Finnish is not high, be ready to get a bit lost in translation.

 

Rating 4/5.

 

{mosimage}The best: the final yoghourt ad leaked on TV.

 

The worst: At the end of the movie you will feel like loving or hating yoghourt.

 

The detail: Porn actress Anita Blond appears shortly in the porn videos that Octave watches at home.

Categories
Cinema DVD

Son of Rambow

{mosimage}A delicious English comedy about the friendship of two young children who get absolutely fascinated by Stallone in First Blood!

Although the movie has a slow start, I certainly enjoyed it more and more. Bill Milner as Will develops his character steadily all over the movie, although it is the young Will Poulter as Lee Carter, the school terror, the one who steals the show with a great performance. 

Added to the good chemistry of the two young new friends, the movie gains in intensity and sense of humour once the bus with the French exchange students arrive to the English school. Jules Sitruk as Didier is a nice fresh of air in the script, and he adds a colourful palette of connotations to the movie, from the fashion and new trends of the 80s to the melancholy of the outcast who is beloved more abroad than at his own home.Added to this, the religious resistance of Will against his community or the final scene at the cinema are some other great highlights of an entertaining movie. If you want to come back to the magic of childhood, this movie is a must see!

Rating 3/5

 

{mosimage}The best: The final scene at the movie featuring the final short movie finished.

The worst: Why English subtitles continue being “forgotten” in most of the DVD releases in Finland?

The detail: Director Garth Jennings makes also his debut as writer of the script.

Categories
Cinema DVD

Pineapple Express

{mosimage}James Franco and Seth Rogen are brothers in arms with a common goal: to smoke the best marijuana in town!

Well, let´s try to forget the polemic surrounding the movie about if marijuana should be legalized or not, trying to focus on what this product offers. Obviously, not an easy task, if you are totally against the use of marijuana, you probably are not going to find funny this. Luckily that is not my case… so after having laughed quite a lot in some of last Rogen´s movies, I was interested about this new one, with a James Franco in quite an atypical role for him as a drug dealer.

The point is that I was a bit disappointed in the end. Do not misunderstand me, the action is good, there are some good jokes… but I was expecting “something” more.  After watching the movie, I have the impression that it was more about milking the fame that Rogen and Franco have nowadays in Hollywood instead of creating a really cool new comedy.

The soundtrack is one of the strongest points of the movie, but the script is certainly a bit weaker than other Rogen´s ones.; all in all, not a bad comedy if you like the “stoner” genre, but it could have been better with a little more of sharpness in the direction.

Rating 3/5

{mosimage}The best:  watching James Franco stoned.

The worst: That Seth Rogen´s comedy style is starting to become a bit repetitive.

The detail: The script was written by Rogen in 2001. 

Categories
Cinema DVD

A complete history of my sexual failures

{mosimage}Chris Waitts is an independent English filmmaker who puts himself in a vulnerable position interviewing all his ex-girlfriends.

Documentaries are a genre that always brings new surprises every year. For example, recently we could see the splendid Irreligious about religion and now this movie from Waitts that touches the always sticky topic of couple relations.

Our Kurt Cobain look alike friend is not afraid to appear on camera like a loser, trying to analyze the misfortune of his relations with the opposite sex while recording a documentary at the same time. His family also appears in the movie, and although the girlfriends are mostly reluctant at the beginning to appear on screen, in the end he gets a good collection of testimonies.

The idea is good and fresh, but he happens to be such a loser than instead of provoking laugh in the spectator, ends up provoking pity. As well, some situations seem to be “pushed” too far, acted up having the camera in front of, and do not result in being too natural.

Certainly Waitts achieves an interesting movie with almost no budget, and surely this will indulge in a bulk of new female contacts at his MySpace page that could bring some light to his notoriously bad history with women, but it could have turned a bit better with a different perspective.

Rating 3/5

 

{mosimage}The best: The most gorgeous ex-girlfriend happens to be a nymphomaniac…

The worst: … and he did not have sex with her.

The detail: The book by his ex-girlfriend Vicky Allan mentioned in the documentary is titled Stray. 

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Misc News

Karma phone available!

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Outside Finland Travel

River cruising: Egypt’s a Nile ahead

Cruising along the world’s longest river combines sun, culture, ancient moments and all on a comfortable floating hotel.

If the Nile didn’t exist then Egypt wouldn’t, not at least with its present population: currently 76 million and adding another 2 million mouths annually. Looking at the country’s current geography, it’s difficult to believe that seven millennia ago it was lush savannah roamed by lavish wildlife such as elephants, gazelles and lions before a climate change altered things drastically. Apart from the long ribbon of water and its adjacent green bands that snakes its way from sources in Ethiopia and Uganda, desert ochre is the primary colour nearly everywhere.

Nile Egypt

For all but the hardiest Egyptologist, a cruise from Luxor to Aswan is an intensive history lesson where knowledgeable guides deliver a bewildering series of facts, figures and background in a veritable flood. For example, Egypt is now an Arab republic, but most of what is on display was created and built by ancient Egyptians – a completely different people. Arabs immigrated just a few centuries after year zero, but the countries (there were two: upper and lower kingdoms) had already been overrun and ruled by Libyans, Nubians, Persians and Greco-Roman kings and pharaohs. Similarly, after the Arabs, came the Ottoman Turks, French and the British – all of whom absorbed to some degree local influences while leaving their own marks, sometimes literally in the form of carved graffiti defacing aged stone monuments.

The 360-odd riverboats that now sedately ply between the two cities of Luxor (Thebes in ancient times) and the beautiful metropolis of Aswan (where the British smartly based themselves for their 19th Century Sudan campaigns) are similar in design: up to five decks above the waterline with cabins and a restaurant, bar and reception to the sun deck with its pool and canopy-providing shade. Most are given 4- or 5-star status but that may not always match a traveller’s definition.

One thing is certain; the infamous health problems are as much a thing of the past as the itinerary. Food is washed and cooked in mineral water sparing the toilets the occupancy rates of yesteryear. And in addition to the inclusive excursions to see temples, tombs and towns, options cover hot air balloon sunrise rides, day-trips to Cairo plus sound and light shows. The latter two are not recommended: the Egyptian capital cannot be seen in hours and the shows lack any movement as the title implies.

Nearly all cruises start from Luxor, but before casting off, visits to the nearby Luxor and Karnak Temples are hors d’oeuvres as a taste of things to come. Both are fine examples of ‘Egyptian’ sites (as against those showing the Greek or Roman influences of the rulers of the day) of worship to their gods – the main trio being the great sun god Amun-Re, his wife Mut (Mistress of Heaven) and their son Khonsu (Moon God). Then it’s off to the Valleys of the Kings and Queens on the arid west bank of the river where royalty and nobility have their final resting places hacked out of rock and decorated with finely worked and coloured hieroglyphs, all by hand, and stocked with treasure for the afterlife. Taking in this plethora of superlatives taxes the perception, brain and memory. Fabulous sights such as the two 20-metre high Colossi of Memnon statues (remains of Amenhotep III’s temple), the Nobles Tombs and the Ramesseum appear as side shows compared with Queen Hatshepsut’s stunning temple at Deir al-Bahari. If possible, a visit the nearby artisans’ village, where the people who created these places lived and died reveals the lives of the craftsmen who created this exquisite ornateness. 

Messing about on the river

After setting sail, the sun deck is the place to watch local life pass by: for ornithologists alone, there is the eye-boggling spectacle of hoopoes, egrets, cormorants, herons and ibis flying, fishing, wading or just floating by on branches. Their colours and sounds are matched by local fishermen and riverbank villages complete with compulsory mosques. Mud-brick dwellings are not usually painted or decorated, but now some do so – for the foreign visitors a guide informs.

As the water and day drift by, it’s worth recalling that 95% of Egypt’s population now live by or on the river and its floodplain, which waters just 5% of its land. Until the High Dam was built, the annual autumn flood used to decide its economic fate: a good wash of Ethiopian mud and nutrients would feed the floodplain and ensure a bounteous harvest. ‘Nilometres’ measured its high point and thus formed the basis of that year’s taxes.

Nile River

Pulling in to Edfa, horse-drawn caléches line up quayside in expectation. (Although the French were in Egypt a mere five years, before Nelson evicted them, it’s considered a Francophone country). Here, the Ptolemaic temple to the falcon god Horus (237-57BC) and many succeeding sites are constructions of Greco-Roman rulers who used local culture for their own purposes, but were bewitched too. The entrance and hypostyle hall architecture shows their influences in this well-preserved structure.

Next port of call down, Kom Ombo’s impressive approach at sunset would persuade anyone to get out a camera and burn an unforgettable memory. This temple is unusually dedicated to two idols: Haroeris (the good doctor) and Sobek (the crocodile god). The crushed stone used to colour the walls and columns remains vivid.  As the sun sets, the flora and fauna cast gentle curved outlines on the water as feluccas and fishermen draw dark shapes against the red glow on the horizon. The silence is serene. Dinner awaits. Could it be better? 

Aswan – dams, desert and delights

Early signs of nearing this city are the feluccas with their distinctive angular lateen sail. This southernmost city is a centre of the Nubian people. In pharaonic times, there existed Lower Egypt around the river mouth called the White Kingdom and Upper Egypt spreading out from Thebes named the Red Kingdom after the nearby stone. Nubia, with its dark-skinned people occupied an area that reaches far into north Sudan.

Smooth rock formations and outcrops, the First Cataract, dot the river and banks. The city’s business and residential buildings, hotels, mosques and shops perch on the east side. Two islands, Elephantine and Kitchener’s, serve different purposes as residential and recreational areas between the two banks. At night the west lights up to show the nobles’ cave graves of Qubbet al-Hawa.

Time here is precious as the list of places to visit would demand longer than is given, from the quarry where stone was hewn for temples and tombs down river to Abu Simbel. Not to mention the souk, dams, museums, Coptic cathedral and monastery, Old Cataract Hotel, Corniche, the Aga Khan’s tomb and local Nubian culture. Their straw coffee filter is just the tip of differentiation.

Nile River

To keep it simple, there’s the relocated Philae Temple, near the British-built Old Dam completed in 1902 after 13 years. This was dwarfed when the contentious High Dam was completed in 1970 reducing the threat of flood, storing precious water for dry years, supplying 65% of Egypt’s then power supply then and creating the world’s largest reservoir: Lake Nasser.

Conversely, the annual wash with its precious silt was halted causing farmers to use fertilisers for the first time, the extinction of several bird species and disrupting the environment along the river to its mouth. Locals claim the Nubian culture will never recover. While under construction, a massive international effort in the 1960s rescued the most precious pharaonic archaeological treasures.

Abu Simbel was one, located less than 100 metres from its original site, it was built by Ramesses II to glorify himself, his favourite wife Nefertari and celebrate his so-called victory at Kush and intimidate the local Nubians too as it was a public place, not reserved just for nobles or priests. This is born out by the immense statues outside the two temples, now located inside a man-made hillock.

Built in the 13th Century BC it was re-discovered in 1813 by a Swiss explorer, J L Burkardt, when sailing passed who unfortunately informed Givanni Belzoni. The Italian promptly went and looted it as soon as he could. Carvings with dates bear testimony to his avarice. But the grandeur could not be stolen. A cruise along the Nile forms indelible memories that will remain lifelong, as it is eternal.   

Egyptian idiosyncrasies

The British poet Shelley was inspired by the Ramesseum to pen his classic Ozymandias. Similarly, Agatha Christie appropriately wrote ‘Death on the Nile’ at Aswan’s Old Cataract Hotel. Alexandria was home and setting for Lawrence Durrell’s ‘The Alexandra Quartet’.

Due to its Francophone status, continental twin-pin plugs are standard.

Alcoholic beverages are not cheap in Egypt and on board are very expensive e.g. €5.50 for a half-litre can of local Sakkara lager.

Though the crew and guides are bought off by a tip paid in advance (GB£15), other Egyptians expect baksheesh off tourists. And bargaining is ubiquitous – with a third of the original asking price as normal.Government shops though are both cheap and hassle-free. Ask for their address.

Nile River

Quietly inquire if alcohol is for sale – just because it’s not on the menu doesn’t mean there’s none available. As alcoholic drinks are scarce and expensive, stock up at the airport on arrival where a good range of products are both available and illogically cheap. The local lager and aniseed brew are good; whiskey of doubtful quality and the wine may not be to your palate. ‘Egyptian champagne’ – karkadeh is a refreshing non-alcoholic concoction made from dried hibiscus flowers.

Smoking is an Egyptian way of life. Tobacco is consumed voraciously in cigarette form or via a water pipe (sashwa) and getting close to a local man (women are never seen smoking in public except in big cities) can form the impression there is national halitosis. Food is not spicy unless added. Tea and coffee are sweetened to the point of nausea – 5 teaspoons per small cup. And the coffee has a thick foundation at the bottom so don’t throw your head back and pour it down. Curiously, fish is rarely on the menu.

In Aswan, most tours call in at a perfume house where the essence oils for famous scents are produced. If it is a reputable approved establishment, it’s a bargain. You will be proudly informed that western products (that have different names here) are 90% alcohol and water which disappear quickly, whereas essence never evaporates. This is true and a small inexpensive bottle makes a great gift or souvenir. And it is impossible not to have at least one small stone carving or papyrus in your suitcase at the end.

Jewellery is another memento, but caveat vendor – choose your shop carefully. Herbs too and natural indigo are cheap and widely sold. Egyptian cotton is world famous, but expensive except from a state store. Buying and wearing the regional costume, a one-piece shoulder-to-toe    gallabaya is another must-have.

Lastly there are two schools on the origins of the words Egypt and Nubia. For the former, it either derives from the ancient word kemet meaning black soil – or if you prefer, black people as some claim.

Similarly, Nubia comes from the word nub meaning ‘land of gold’ for which it was renowned or the tribe Nuba that inhabited some of the kingdom then. Nubians were Christians for about a thousand years until the 15th Century too.

Categories
Albums Music

Pure reason revolution – Amor vincit omnia

{mosimage}Second album for the “astral-folk” British band that exhales a really great quality!

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must confess I had not much idea about what to expect from this second long-length  from the guys from United Kingdom. But I was happily surprised by a fresh album that combines rock, industrial metal and electronic rhythms with a good taste, sounding experimental but classy at the same time, a task not easy to achieve. With this “Love Conquers All” (the literal translation of the Latin album title). The male and female voices get mixed and the electronic parts sound catchy and modern. Listen as some highlights to the introductory Les Malheurs,  the excellent powerful Victorious Cupid or the experimental The Gloaming.

An album that you will love or hate, but certainly does not leave you indifferent. Some of the tracks would be perfect for a vampire movie soundtrack. A great follow up album that shows a band young but not afraid of doing what they want. We will have to follow them with a sharp eye in the future!

Rating 4/5.

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Albums Music

Therapy? – Crooked timber

{mosimage}The veteran Irish punk rockers are back. It seems that the years catalyze their energy into a more fluid sound.

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till sounding powerful and fluid, it is true that in this album, maybe Therapy? has lost a bit the intensity and rawness of younger times, but on the other hand, has gained in balance and a more colourful musical palette. Well, when a band releases their 12th album, they have nothing more to show. Maybe they do not sound so appealing in the music industry anymore, but they still know how to produce a solid rock album. 10 tracks, no more no less, with quite heavy drums and heavy rhythms like in Enjoy the struggle or the monumental Exiles.

Theraphy? shows to the world that they are well alive and still kicking ass! No need to reinvent themselves when the result is just a good album of rock.

Rating 3/5.

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Albums Music

Major Label – When I am with you you are safe

{mosimage}The trio from Helsinki features their second studio album, a must have if you like good pop-rock Finnish music.

I receive dozens of albums a month to review or check out. So it is not a small thing for me when I say that the new album by Major Label is so far my favourite and nicest surprise of the month. The Finnish trio sounds compact, with excellent quality, balanced, with the voice of Arto Tuunela mastering the tempo of every song, great lyrics, catchy tunes… what else can you expect? If you like rock bands with an experimental and indie twist, like Radiohead or A perfect circle, you are going to love these young Finnish fellas. Listen to outstanding tracks like When I am with you you are safe, The Scar or Said the Water to Land and prepare to enjoy a great musical experience!

A great album that sounds mature, well measured and gives hope of an excellent future for the band from Hell-sinki. And shit, do not forget about the CD artwork, especially the cover, the nicest and funniest I have seen for a long time!

Rating 5/5