Detritus
Issue #216
Week of March 31, 2003
http://www.dynamitemetal.com/detritus/

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*
*** CAST OF CHARACTERS ***
*
Tim Wadzinski, Editor
tsw512@...

Steve Shumake, The April Fool
vongoober@...
http://listen.to/vongoober-radio

*
*** LET IT BE KNOWN ***
*
-We should have a couple cool interviews coming soon, as yesterday I
spoke to Rob Halford and Sean spoke to Evergrey's Tom S. Englund.
Sean's interview went well but mine got off to a shaky start when I
actually hung up on the Metal God! Doh!! He called early and I wasn't
prepared, and the stupid phone slipped out of my hand right as I
picked it up. It was off the hook long enough to get a connection, and
it fell right back down on the cradle and cut him off. Luckily he
called back. :) Also, in case it comes out before I get my
transcription done, Rob told me Ray Riendeau *is* out of the band and
an official replacement will be announced very soon. - Tim

*
*** PRESS RELEASE #1 ***
*
-Brainstorm In The Studio

Germany's supreme Power Metal band Brainstorm has entered the House of
Music studios in Winterbach/Germany to record the follow up to their
extremely successful "Metus Mortis" release of 2001. Scheduled for the
30th June, "Soul Temptation" will be their "most diverse album
ever...", guitarist Torsten Ihlenfeld quotes. "Hard, catchy, powerful
and maybe the biggest step for all of us. As we see it...the right
step at the right time." Among the titles tentatively set to appear on
the CD are the following: "Highs Without Lows," "The Leading," "Nunca
Nos Rendimos," "Doorway To Survive" and "To The Head."

The first pressing of "Soul Temptation" will be released as a
double-Digi-pack including the new CD (plus bonus track) and a special
DVD, featuring the final show of their "Metus Mortis in Europe" tour
at the Summer Breeze Festival (Germany). Additionally the DVD will
include tons of bonus material!

Brainstorm will hit the road again to support Saxon on three shows in
the beginning of April and also for the Blind Guardian Open Air and
the Bang Your Head Festival. Besides that, the band is also working on
the "Tempting Europe" - tour in the fall of 2003. More to come soon!

*
*** PRESS RELEASE #2 ***
*
-Haste Added To New England Metalfest Lineup, As The Mercury Lift Is
Set In Motion.

Alabama's Haste are currently preparing for a busy spring, as they
plan to unleash a new record and embark on a full U.S. tour. After
months of intensive songwriting the group's third full-length release,
The Mercury Lift, has finally been completed. The record will contain
10 tracks of aggressive heart pounding groove, with catchy duel vocal
choruses that will quickly have you singing along. This is Haste at
their very best as they create cutting-edge rock that's utterly
brilliant not only in its composition, but in its delivery.

One of their first appearances debuting their new material will be at
this year's New England Metal and Hardcore Festival on May 16th/17th
alongside label mates Lacuna Coil, Shadows Fall and Yakuza. They will
also be taking part in the Radio Takeover tour May 30th-June 15th with
This Day Forward (Equal Vision), Bear Vs. Shark (Equal Vision) and
Anatomy of a Ghost (Fearless).

There will be new 2-track CD samplers available soon, to coincide with
the launch of http://www.themercurylift.com , where fans will be able
to listen to the entire record in streaming format. The full track
listing for The Mercury Lift is as follows:

1. With All The Pride And Dignity Of A Drowning Swimmer
2. Evidence Of Wasted Ink
3. The Rescued
4. Houdini Lost His Key
5. The Death Of Stars Like The Sun
6. Room 134
7. Aspartame
8. A God Reclaims His Throne
9. Stutter
10. Force Is Always An Option
11. Revenge Tastes Like Blood And Broken Teeth

Expect The Mercury Lift to be released early this summer.

*
*** PRESS RELEASE #3 ***
*
-Special 6-Pack Weekend Sale/Giveaway!

INCOME TAX RELIEF?

With the approach of the April 15th filing deadline in the States,
BRAVE WORDS & BLOODY KNUCKLES magazine understands the stress and
financial strain this time of year can produce.

Enduring mountains of paperwork and dizzying figures, the first annual
BW&BK 6-Pack Weekend may not be fresh on your mind. As a reminder, and
to offer a possible outlet for any anticipated refund, we are pleased
to announce a limited prize giveaway!

Before April 15, anyone purchasing tickets to the show, through the
magazine website (www.BraveWords.com), will be eligible to win one of
several musical DVDs. Titles include new 2 discs sets by Manowar and
Over Kill, as well as the latest by Motorhead, The Gathering, various
label compilations, and many others.

The BW&BK 6-Pack Weekend will be held at The Odeon, in Cleveland,
Ohio, on June 13-14, 2003. Several acts will be making their North
American debut, others will be performing for the first time in many
years, including headliner, CANDLEMASS! Other confirmed acts include
TROUBLE, NEVERMORE, FALCONER, EVERGREY, JAG PANZER (doing a special,
"one night only" set), WOLF, ELEGY, KATAKLYSM, EIDOLON, BEYOND THE
EMBRACE and CAGE.

Autograph sessions/meet & greets with other, non-performing Metal
icons, past & present including: Pete Way (UFO), Silenoz (DIMMU
BORGIR), Tim "Ripper" Owens (JUDAS PRIEST), Ben Jackson (CRIMSON
GLORY), Kim Goss (SINERGY) and Jack Frost (SEVEN WITCHES). More CD and
DVD giveaways at the venue. Vendors like Metal Blade, Century Media,
Nuclear Blast, InsideOut and The End will be on site. Hear samples of
new CDs, months before they're released.

HURRY! This is a limited time offer. Only those who have purchased
tickets through BraveWords.com, PRIOR to April 15th are eligible.

*
*** PRESS RELEASE #4 ***
*
-Canadian Metal Band Kittie And Producer Garth Richardson File Suit
Against Artemis Records

NEW YORK - Canadian metal band Kittie and their producer, Garth
Richardson, have filed suit against the band's record company, Artemis
Records, in the United States District Court for the Southern District
of New York, citing numerous counts of breach of contract.

The suit, filed on Monday, March 31 in New York City, names Sheridan
Square Entertainment, LLC - parent company of Artemis Records, the
label to which Kittie is signed - as defendant.

Artemis is led by Chairman Danny Goldberg, Co-chairman Michael
Chambers, and President Daniel Glass.

The band and producer made the decision to file the lawsuit after
their auditing company, McGladrey & Pullen, reported that the band was
owed nearly $900,000 in royalties and other compensation in accordance
with the current contract's prescribed accounting methods.
Additionally, the audit revealed that Garth is owed over $120,000.

"The band is very disappointed that this process has to take place,"
said David Lander of K.M.A. Entertainment, Kittie's management
company. "This suit should not come as a surprise to Artemis, as Garth
and Kittie have been demanding that monies owed be rectified since the
audit's completion."

"On behalf of Kittie and their producer Garth Richardson, we look
forward to swift court action based on the clear results of the
audit," said Charles Joseph, Esq., of Joseph & Hertzfeld, the band's
litigator.

Added the band's music attorney, Susan Abramovitch of Goodman and
Carr, LLP: "It is unfortunate that there still exist cases where a
record label can short change its artists."

http://www.kittie.net

*
*** PRESS RELEASE #5 ***
*
-Strapping Young Lad Tour With Meshuggah

"A raucous assault on the senses." - Guitar World

There are absolutely no signs that the chaos set in motion by
Vancouver's Strapping Young Lad will slow down.

First accomplishment: their first studio album in six years, the
critically-acclaimed Strapping Young Lad.

Second accomplishment: show-stealing performances on the "Guitar World
Presents" tour with Nile, Napalm Death, labelmates Dark Tranquillity,
and The Berzerker.

Third accomplishment: a sold-out limited edition SYL tour EP.

Fourth accomplishment: their video for "Relentless" will debut on
Uranium on Much Music USA and Extreme Rock on MTV 2 in May.

Fifth accomplishment: a second North American tour - set to kick off
on April 25th - with the underground heroes of Ozzfest 2002: Sweden's
Meshuggah.

In the words of Strapping Young Lad's paradigm-eluding Devin Townsend,
"We'll be on the road 'til 2006."

The epicenters of future public disturbances have been designated as:

4/25 - Graceland - Seattle, WA
4/26 - Roseland - Portland, OR
4/27 - Commodore Ballroom - Vancouver, BC
4/29 - Slim’s - San Francisco, CA
4/30 - The Edge - Palo Alto, CA
5/1 - The Palace - Los Angeles, CA
5/2 - The Scene - San Diego, CA
5/3 - Galaxy Theater - Santa Ana, CA
5/4 - Marquee Theater - Phoenix, AZ
5/6 - Stubb's B-B-Q - Austin, TX
5/7 - White Rabbit - San Antonio, TX
5/8 - Canyon Club - Dallas, TX
5/9 - Diamond Ballroom - Oklahoma City, OK
5/10 - The Other Side - Tulsa, OK
5/11 - Headliner's - Louisville, KY
5/12 - Clutch Cargo's - Pontiac, MI
5/13 - The Metro - Chicago, IL
5/14 - Quest Club - Minneapolis, MN
5/15 - The Rave - Milwaukee, WI
5/16 - Peabody's Down Under - Cleveland, OH
5/17 - The Palladium - Worcester, MA New England Metal & Hardcore Fest
5/18 - Birch Hill - Old Bridge, NJ
5/19 - Jaxx - West Springfield, VA
5/20 - The Trocadero - Philadelphia, PA
5/22 - BB King's - New York, NY
5/23 - The Chance - Poughkeepsie, NY

Strapping Young Lad only
5/25 - Les Foufounes Electriques - Montreal, Quebec, CANADA
5/26 - Club Rocket - Toronto, Ontario, CANADA
5/28 - Pyramid Cabaret - Winnepeg, Manitoba, CANADA
5/29 - Exchange - Regina, Saskatchewan, CANADA

For a taste of Strapping Young Lad's particular brand of audio-chaos,
check out:
http://mp3.centurymedia.com/SYL_Devour_SYL.mp3

Strapping Young Lad on the web:
http://www.strappingyounglad.com

*
*** NEWS/RUMORS ***
*
-Although Angel Dust is still technically (?) disbanded, vocalist Dirk
Thurisch will soon release his debut solo album featuring former band
mate Bernd Aufermann (guitar) as well as bassist Anders Iwers
(Tiamat), drummer Stefan Gemballa (Flowing Tears), and others.

-BraveWords.com reported "The Ball," Riki Rachtman's new two-hour
radio show, will be recorded this Saturday, April 5, and sent overseas
to the Coalition troops. The show will air at midnight on KLSX-FM 97.1
and feature call-ins, dedications, and recorded messages by listeners.

-Decibel, featuring Lance King and members of Conditioned Response,
will gig this Friday, April 4, at The Main Event in Fridley, MN. See
http://www.decibelrocks.com/ for more.

-Dream Evil's second album EVILIZED album is out now and features a
"guest" female vocalist in the track "Made Of Metal." There's now a
contest where fans can guess which band member she is linked to:
vocalist Niklas Isfeldt, guitarist/keyboardist Fredrik Nordström,
guitarist Gus G., bassist Peter Stålfors, or drummer Snowy Shaw. Send
your guess to mail@... for a chance to win a copy of the
album. There's a new interview at Metal-Rules.com, at
http://www.metal-rules.com/interviews/DreamEvil-2003.htm , and Gus G.
has a new melodic death metal group called Nightrage with guitarist
Marios Iliopoulos (Exhumation), bassist Brice Leclercq, drummer Per M.
Jensen (The Haunted, Invocator), Tom S. Englund (Evergrey) on melodic
vocals, and Tomas Lindberg (Lock Up, The Great Deceiver, At The Gates,
The Crown) on main vocals. The band is signed to Century Media and the
debut album SWEET VENGEANCE is due later this year. For more
information see http://www.dreamevil.mu .

-The Flower Kings will play a few North American dates to support
UNFOLD THE FUTURE, as follows:
6/24 - The Rex Theater, Pittsburgh, PA
6/25 - TBA, Toronto, ON
6/26 - Cafe Campus, Montreal, QC
6/27 - The Bottom Line, New York, NY
6/28 - NEARfest, Trenton, NJ
6/30 - The Hamilton St. Cafe, Bound Brook, NJ
7/1 - Jaxx, West Springfield, VA
7/2 - The Play Loft, Lowell, MA
7/3 - Tribeca Hotel, New York, NY (special "intimate accoustic" set)
See http://www.theflowerkings.com/ for more.

-Fozzy, featuring pro wrestler Chris Jericho, appeared on Howard
Stern's radio show last week and competed in a mini-battle of the
bands with Stern's band The Losers. Stern formed his group to "prove
that celebrity bands suck." Each band played one song before three
judges -- A&R Records Senior VP Ben Goldman, V2 Records' Matt Pollock,
and MTV's Tom Calderon -- picked a winner. The Losers covered Neil
Young's "Old Man" and Fozzy played "To Kill A Stranger," and the
judges voted in favor of The Losers by a 2-1 count. Metal Sludge has a
complete report at http://www.metal-sludge.com/FozzyHoward.htm .

-Various on-line reports indicate Great White will play one song at a
benefit show for late guitarist Ty Longley, who was killed during the
fire at the band's recent Rhode Island show. The benefit will take
place April 29 at the Key Club in West Hollywood, and money raised
will go to the Ty Longley Memorial Fund. Other acts on the bill will
be announced soon. In related tribute/memorial news, other shows will
take place April 17 at the Hard Rock Cafe in Beverly Hills, CA (with
Happenin' Harry & The Haptones and Yuko Tamura of Jack Russell's
band), and April 19 in London (with Tygers Of Pan Tang, Oliver/Dawson
Saxon, and the tribute bands Dirty DC, Stone Free, Ironically Maiden,
Queen Rocks, and Fake No More). Longley's REGULAR GUY solo/tribute
album is due next month on Knight Records, and there's also talk of a
new Great White tribute album.

-Guitarist Larry Tarnowski has left Iced Earth, and according to main
man Jon Schaffer "a few different guest appearances" will cover the
solos on the band's upcoming album, tentatively titled GLORIOUS BURDEN
and due otu this summer on SPV. A full-time replacement for Tarnowski
will be announced after the album is recorded. For more information
see http://www.icedearth.com/ .

-Jaggernaut is the new band featuring former HammerFall drummer Patrik
Rafling along with vocalist Niclas Johnson, who is from HammerFall
guitarist Stefan Elmgren's side band Full Strike. Check out the site
http://www.jaggernaut.net for more info, including song samples.

-Upcoming Killer Dwarfs tour dates:
4/4 - Healey's, Toronto, ON
4/17 - The Zone, Mississauga, ON
4/18 - Manny's Roadhouse, Acton, ON
4/24 - Inntowner Palace, Thunder Bay, ON
4/25 & 4/26 - The Zoo, Winnipeg, MB
5/16 - Trudeau Park, Tweed, ON
6/7 - Fiddler's Green, Cambridge, ON
6/14 - Tilbury Arena, Tilbury, ON
See http://www.KillerDwarfs.com for more, including an updated FAQ.

-Greg Koch will be supporting his new RADIO FREE GRISTLE release on
Steve Vai¹s Favored Nations label with a few shows:
4/4 & 4/5 - The Up And Under Pub, Milwaukee, WI (a DVD will be filmed)
4/11 - Mill Creek Blue, Appleton, WI
4/12 - Acee Ducee, Oshkosh, WI
4/25 - Nighthawks, La Crosse, WI

-Lacuna Coil will support Opeth on the Fair Judgment Tour that runs in
the US starting April 29, and then open two shows for Danzing and
others on the Blackest Of The Black tour. Check out an MP3 of the new
song "Swamped," from the album COMALIES, on-line now at
http://mp3.centurymedia.com/LacunaCoil_Swamped_Comalies.mp3 . See
http://www.lacunacoil.it for more.

-Metallica's newie, ST. ANGER, is due June 10 and will reportedly
feature these among its 11 tracks: "All Within My Hands," "Dirty
Window," "St. Anger," "Monster," "Dead Kennedy Rolls," "Frantic,"
"Cursed." The album will be packaged with a free bonus DVD showing the
band in the studio.

-Moonspell announced bassist Sérgio Crestana has left the band, and
Amorphis' Niclas Etelavouri is filling in as the band works on its new
album at Finnvox Studios in Helsinki with Hiili Hiilesmaa. Upcoming
live dates include the With Full Force Festival in Germany and the
Arvika Festival in Sweden, both in July. See http://www.moonspell.com
for more.

-Upcoming Nevermore live dates:
5/16 & 5/17 - New England Metal & Hardcore Festival
6/7 & 6/8 - Rock Hard Festival, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
6/13 & 14 - Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles' 6-Pack Weekend @ The Odeon,
Cleveland, OH
The band will debut new material at the 6-Pack Weekend. The new album,
ENEMIES OF REALITY, is due out in July. Two more new song titles:
"Create The Infinite" and "I, Voyager." See http://www.nevermore.tv/
for more, and for new photos of the band with producer Kelly Gray see
http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/heavymetalsteph/lst2?.tok=bcv2OTRBeE.A5LPi&.dir=/Neve\
rmore+In+Studio+-+March+2003&.src=ph
.

-Poisonblack's debut ESCAPEXSTACY was the #1 album on the SnakeNet
Metal Radio metal albums chart, and reached #21 on the Finnish album
charts. The band will perform this Friday, April 4, at the Nosturi
Festival in Helsinki, Finland, and on Saturday, April 5, at the
Eastermaster 2003 festival in Tampere, Finland. Check out an MP3 at
http://mp3.centurymedia.com/Poisonblack_LoveInfernal_Escapexstacy.mp3
and a new interview with guitarist Ville Laihiala can be streamed at
http://www.stageact.de/cgi-bin/download.cgi?interviews/PoisonblackInterview.mp3
.

-Right after last week's issue came out Primal Fear confirmed its
appearance on the upcoming Metal Gods tour with Halford, Testament,
Immortal, Amon Amarth, Carnal Forge, and Painmuseum. Drummer Randy
Black (Annihilator) will fill in for Klaus Sperling, who can't make
the tour. Dates scheduled so far:
4/25 - House Of Blues, Chicago, IL (no Amon Amarth)
4/26 - TBA, Cleveland, OH (no Amon Amarth or Carnal Forge)
5/4 - TBA, Worcester, MA
5/6 - TBA, Montreal, QC
5/11 - Trocadero, Philadelphia, PA
Primal Fear had to postpone its scheduled April 17 show at The Matrix
in Bochum, Germany. The HISTORY OF FEAR DVD is expected out this
August, and the 140-minute release will include the band's appearance
at Wacken 2001, a BLACK SUN show filmed last October in Stuttgart,
Germany, other "concert and festival footage" including Brazil last
December, all the band's videos, and hopefully material from the US
shows this year. See http://www.primalfear.de/ for more.

-Queensryche and Dream Theater will co-headline a North American tour
this summer, with special guests Fates Warning. This might be fun
because, remember, DT and the 'ryche were supposed to tour together in
2000 but Queensryche chose to play with Iron Maiden and Halford
instead, prompting an angry Mike Portnoy to proclaim Queensryche
"sucked." See http://www.queensryche.com for more.

-Seasons Of The Wolf announced new bassist Jeff Beavers has replaced
Chris Whitford, and thanked Bill Bois for filling in at live dates the
last year. The band's new video for "Starstruck" features B-movie
actress Felicia Pandolfi. Two upcoming films from producer/director
John Bowker, "The Seekers" and "Betrayal," as well as the flicks
"Berserkers," "Horror Tales 666," and The Alien Conspiracy Series'
"Time Enough," will feature some of the band's songs. For more see
http://www.sotwmetal.com .

-Sonata Arctica's WINTERHEART'S GUILD is due out in North America on
June 3 and features some guest solos from Stratovarius keyboardist
Jens Johansson. Label hype: "All elements combine elegantly into a
fevered combination of fast-paced songs and power ballads wrought with
the conviction and passion fueled by the confidence of early, merited
success." See http://www.sonataarctica.com for more.

-SupaRed told its fans not to despair if the band's s/t debut isn't
showing up in local record shops -- the disc can be ordered from the
Official SupaRed Contact at http://www.supared.de . Vocalist Michael
Kiske's two solo albums, 1996's INSTANT CLARITY and 1999's READINESS
TO SACRIFICE, can also be found in this manner.

-Organizers of the Sweden Rock Festival 2003 announced Demon and Tad
Morose have been added to the lineup. See http://www.swedenrock.com/
for more.

-Tad Morose will hit the studio April 12 to record the as-yet-untitled
follow-up to last year's MATTERS OF THE DARK. The band will also
record a cover of "Hail And Kill" for an upcoming Manowar tribute
album. See http://www.tadmorose.com for more.

-Upcoming John Taglieri live appearances:
4/3 - William Paterson College, Wayne, NJ ("Jammin' TV" taping)
4/4 - Borders Books And Music, East Brunswick, NJ (3-piece acoustic)
4/21 - Rock Against Cancer benefit, Cats Cradle, Carrboro, NC (w/ The
Darcie Miner Band)
The benefit gig will raise money for children's cancer research; check
out http://www.RockAgainstCancer.org for more information. Taglieri
has also been tapped to perform "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the
following sporting events:
5/26 - Lime Rock Raceway, Lakeville, CT (NASCAR Mohegan Sun Grand
Prix)
6/9 - Riverfront Stadium, Newark, NJ (Newark Bears, AAA Baseball)
6/14 - Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ (Metrostars, MLS Soccer)
Finally, a new MSN chat group has been established at
http://www.Groups.msn.com/JohnTaglierifans . For more information see
http://www.JohnTaglieri.com .

-The organizers of this year's Wacken Open Air festival announced
Testament has been added to the lineup. See http://www.wacken.com/ for
more.

-Warrant confirmed guitarist Billy Morris has left the band in order
to pursue a solo career; his debut is due soon.

-The Z Records on-line store has been updated and now features Marc
Ferrari's LIGHTS CAMERA ACTION and Enzign's CAST THE FIRST STONE. See
http://www.zrecords.net/ for more.

Thanks to Roscoe, Bill "Smackdown!" Kotowski, Loana dP Valencia,
Johannes Lindstrom, James Saqui, Eric Corbin, Tim McCray, and
Skullywolf for help gathering some of this information.

*
*** FLAMES FROM THE LAKE ***
*
by Sean P. Gahgan (QA2263@...)

-Well gang, it's Tuesday morning April 1st and have I got a treat for
you. I just got off the phone with Tom S. England from Evergrey and
that's no April Fools joke! We talked for about 40 minutes and
discussed a wide variety of topics from touring, to the new CD
RECREATION DAY, to his influences as a singer/songwriter/guitarist,
and will you be surprised by what is playing in his CD player. I will
try and have the interview transcribed for next week's issue. Other
than that exciting news check out my reviews of Sinner's new one THERE
WILL BE EXECUTION and Wicked Sensation's REFLECTED. Until next week
stay Grey.

-Playing in the Lake of Fire this week: RECREATION DAY by Evergrey and
SWIM by July For Kings. (It's one or the other... I can't stop
listening to these two CDs!)

*
*** GOING TO BRAZIL ***
*
by Rodrigo Carvalho Leme (mtnjester@...)

-WHO'S AFRAID OF MARKETING? - PHASE II

Well, just as a reminder, I've started an endless series of columns
regarding promotional plan for small/new/unknown bands. The first part
was dedicated to talking about the need to promote yourself and your
music, and the second part was about that damn press release most
bands don't do right. Now, moving on...

PART 3: THE WWW - EASY ACCESS AND FREE

OK, you are an Internet dummy, but you always have that friend who is
a WWW geek and knows how to make a killer Web site. You don't have to
spend a penny on host, domain and everything, no one is expecting
you'll have your "www.yourband.com" at this point. Just don't choose
those free servers that have long, complicated URLs, and put your
hands and brains to work!!!

First of all, what your Web site should have:

* Biography: Apply the same rules I published for press releases; be
objective and simple.

* Demo history/discography: What did you record so far? Were you in a
tribute album or something? No matter how small, it is interesting to
show your band worked.

* Band members' section: Simplicity is the key; talk about each one's
influences, age, but drop things like "favorite food," "catch phrase,"
"favorite quote" (I've seen them all, believe me). A photo of each
member is recommended.

* Upcoming gigs: No matter how small, let people know where you're
playing, it helps create a fan base.

* Multimedia: Some free servers have trouble hosting MP3 files, no
matter if they are yours. The answer is to find a friend with some
free space on his server (and good will), or to put the files in a Web
site like MP3.com or something like it.

* Press/reviews: Gig/demo reviews are nice to have in your Web site,
so people will know what others think of you and you music. No matter
if the reviews are not as positive, still is good promotion.

* Guestbook: Leave some room for people to share thoughts about you
and your material. Besides being a nice promotion (if people dig your
music), it is a way of getting feedback on your music, and improve it
even more.

Some bands go to Yahoo! Groups and start a newsletter regarding
activities of the band. That is a nice thing to have, but make sure
people are willing to join it -- no Spam, please. Put a Yahoo! Groups
banner on your Web site, so people can choose if they want to get
regular news about you on their in-boxes or not. Photos are important,
since this is a Web site. Don't waste too much time on flash
animations, menus that take forever to load; keep it simple, always.

PART 4: KEEPING TRACK - THE JOY OF FEEDBACK

You've got promos running, you've got some gigs, you have a bicthin'
Web site and your press release looks great. But what now? Without
feedback, you're back to zero. So, a few details about how to keep
track of your material:

* Make a list of who's getting your promos, be magazines/Web sites or
labels. Wait for two or three weeks after they received your material
and ask for feedback (in case it didn't show up yet). Ask for the
review, or ask if the A&R guy has an opinion, even if it is an opinion
like "Look, I have no interest in you because of that, that and that."
Remember, it is never too late to be open to criticism and try to
change whatever is not right about you or your song, and I'm not
saying you should put on your Adidas, hire a DJ and become a nu-metal
band.

* The guestbook on your Web site is also a nice way to capture
opinions about you: some are waste of space, some are from your
friends and girlfriends, but some are really insightful. Try to talk
to these people (some guestbooks have room for visitors to leave
e-mail address), and get a more complex opinion.

* Gigs are a nice place to know what the crowd thinks of you. Of
course, you have the risk of being booed (or worse), but everyone gets
that once in a while. Speak to the people after the concert, about
your songs, how your band behaves on stage, if there's energy in your
act, etc. Remember, gigs are a nice way to be found and noticed (not
the best, though).

OK, this is the basic for now. In case I come up with more, I'll be
publishing it here, but this is the minimum you have to do to be
noticed. If you have faith in your music, step ahead and make sure
you're heard, nothing beats the joy of reaching new grounds, even if
you're in small labels.

-Spinning endlessly in my CD player: Andromeda - II=I; Planet X -
UNIVERSE, LIVE FROM OZ, and MOONBABIES (the Brazilian label gave me
official copies, which replaced fine my CD-R promos, hehhehe); OSI -
OSI; Kansas - KING BISCUIT FLOWER HOUR PRESENTS.

*
*** REVIEWS ***
*
OSI - OFFICE OF STRATEGIC INFLUENCE (SPECIAL EDITION) (A+) InsideOut,
2003
Disc 1: 10 tracks, RT: 47:30, multimedia section; Disc 2: 3 tracks,
RT: 28:36, multimedia section
[ http://www.osiband.com ]
[ http://www.chromakey.com ]
[ http://www.fateswarning.net ]
[ http://www.mikeportnoy.com ]
[ http://www.seanmalone.net ]
The next in the long line of progressive supergroups is certainly the
most controversial. OSI came out, and it wasn't what many people
expected. Even with names like Jim Matheos (Fates Warning) and Sean
Malone (Gordian Knot), the prog community was raving about Mike
Portnoy and Kevin Moore working together, almost five years after
Moore left Dream Theater. Battalions of progressive rock zombie fans
could just think in how it would be great to listen to something like
AWAKE or the awarded IMAGES AND WORDS. But guess what? It's nothing
like that. Guess what else? OSI is a wonderful piece of work!!!!! Yes,
not like your regular Dream Theater album, and still great. Of course,
Mike Portnoy had no time to participate on the writing, so it was up
to Jim Matheos and Kevin Moore to give a shot, and come up with
innovative, edgy progressive music for the new generation. After
several changes along the way, including the dismissal of Pain Of
Salvation's Daniel Gildenlow, both managed to come up with great
songs, enriched by Portnoy's great sense of arrangement and fire and
by the precise and extraordinary bass and stick work by Sean Malone.
One major controversy about this album was about Kevin Moore's vocals.
To some, the monotone, almost robotic work did not please. However,
Kevin's vocals fit perfectly on the album, going along with all the
moody songs; check "Standby (Looks Like Rain)," "Memory Daydreams
Lapses" or the weird "Head." Kevin still delivers some wonderful
keyboard patterns and hypnotizing spoken samples, from TV and movies.
Steven Wilson (from Porcupine Tree) sings on "ShutDOWN," which sounds
great for his voice, and it is one of the greatest tracks of the
album. Jim Matheos is a perfect pair for Kevin's musicianship (and
vice versa), bringing sometimes strong, sometimes mellow guitar work,
and great sense of melody. Mike Portnoy brings the OSI ship into safer
ground, keeping it from flying too high, and assuring the balance
needed for this work to be great. Although his drumming is quite
different from Dream Theater (he allowed some changes by Kevin Moore
in terms of sound and loops), one can't avoid noticing his trademark
in "The New Math (What He Said)," "Dirt From A Holy Place" (incredible
track) and "Head." For a band formed by musicians who did not care to
take strong political stance in their works, OSI is quite a step
ahead: showing that timing is everything, the album deals with the
criticism against intelligence agencies (as seen on "OSI" and "Hello,
Helicopter"), in a very acid way. For the bonus CD suckers, OSI brings
some interesting material: the epic "The Thing That Never Was," which
shows a mix between some of the original songs of the album on their
original versions (they were meant to be one big track, and then they
were divided in several small ones), and without the post-production
touches, samplers and additions. There are also two covers: "Set The
Controls For The Heart Of The Sun" (Pink Floyd), which reminds very
little of the original, but it isn't less mesmerizing, and "New Mama,"
altered by Kevin Moore into a hypnotic piece of music. Both CDs have
multimedia sections, with "making of" videos, video clips, and other
stuff. OSI is new insight for traditional prog rock. Don't expect a
"Fates Warning meets Dream Theater" kind of thing, you'll come out
disappointed. But if you're into some great, atmospheric music with
odd, taunting arrangements, go for it. - Rodrigo Carvalho Leme
(mtnjester@...)

SINNER - THERE WILL BE EXECUTION (LTD. ED.) (C+) Nuclear Blast, 2003
Disc 1: 11 tracks, RT: 45:15, Disc 2: 3 tracks, RT: 14:17
[ http://www.matsinner.rocks.de/ ]
[ http://www.nuclearblast.de/ ]
Sinner is like a Catch-22 with me. Matt Sinner is also the bass player
in Primal Fear and the key songwriter as well. If Primal Fear did not
exist I would love Sinner, but as you all know from reading my column,
Primal Fear is one of my favorite bands, and even though Sinner has
been around much longer than Primal Fear, the music on the last couple
Sinner CDs could have just as well ended up on any of the Primal Fear
CDs. The key difference between the two bands is the singers. Matt
sings for Sinner and Ralph Scheepers sings for Primal Fear. I
personally enjoy Ralph's voice better as he is more Rob Halfordlike
and I would compare Matt to more of an Udo Dirkschneider type of voice
though not as rough. Don't get me wrong, I like Matt's voice, but I
believe a different singer in this band would elevate them. I believe
Matt knows this as well, thus he reason he created Primal Fear. Sinner
seems to stretch their musical boundaries a bit more than Primal fear
does (which is a plus; I wish Primal Fear would diversify some).
Enough of the comparison and on to the review. Sinners last release
THE END OF SANCTUARY was a highly polished, bombastically produced
piece of in-your-face metal. THERE WILL BE EXECUTION is produced very
well but in comparison to THE END OF SANCTUARY it is a little more
stripped-back and drier sounding. The songs are good but nothing
really jumps out at you. The two songs that stand out the most are the
ones that deviate from their normal songwriting. "The River" is a very
good song, catchy and emotional, short and to the point. This could be
a potential hit with a softer, higher ranged singer. Actually, David
Coverdale would sound awesome on this song. "Crown Of Thorns" stands
out as well. It's an acoustic number with deep ambient sounds. It is
slow-moving and moody with a lot of heart. Some nice strings are laid
in the background and complement the song nicely. Matt sounds his best
on this song where he is more laid-back but retains his gutsy style.
The rest of the CD is everything you would expect from Sinner, up-
tempo riff-heavy Rock/Metal. If you have never heard Sinner, imagine a
more riff-orientated, slightly more progressive Accept. The limited
edition package that I have has a bonus CD that includes three extra
songs, one of which is a cover of Metallica's "Wherever I May Roam."
They do an excellent job on this song and although the production is
not up to the Bob Rock Standards, this version still sounds heavier
than Metallica's which is very cool. Summary: All die-hard Sinner fans
will want this as there are some good songs on it but nothing
groundbreaking. - Sean P. Gahgan (QA2263@...)

WICKED SENSATION - REFLECTED (B) MTM Records, 2002
13 tracks, RT: 57:59
[ http://www.wicked-sensation.com ]
[ http://www.mtm-music.com ]
Wicked Sensation is not a Lynch Mob tribute band but a high-powered
sextet from Karlsruhe, Germany. The first thing I noticed when I first
heard "Stand Tall" (one of my favorites on the CD) was the uncanny
resemblance of Robert Soeterboek's voice to that of David Coverdale's.
They both have that powerful low resonance even when singing softly
and yet can scream like a banshee (has anyone ever actually heard a
banshee scream?). Robert has a great voice and through listening to
this CD he does establish himself and is not just a Coverdale clone.
There are some really good songs on this CD, catchy hooks, great
playing, and big choruses. It's another great sounding CD mixed at the
House of Music by Denis Ward. The production is very polished and has
a great deal of depth. The guitars could be a little chunkier for
taste, but other than that it is well mixed. Most of the songs are
mid-tempo like "Magic Moments" and "Someone Strong," with one barn
burner "High Speed Chase" and one AWESOME ballad "Love Is Strange."
The latter song is a beautiful acoustic number with a rich layer of
strings behind it. This isn't some sappy love song but more of a
testament of how a man views love. Soeterboek's voice truly shines on
this song. It's one of those songs you close your eyes and reflect
on.If I had to describe this band's style, I would compare them to the
Whitesnake self-titled (1987) CD. Though the obvious Coverdale
comparison is there, they aren't a direct copy. I would expect this
group to grow and diversify as the have the potential to be more than
what is represented on this disc. My only negative comment is that
some of the lyrics are a little cliché. The melodies are fine but the
lyrics on certain, not all, of the songs don't do the music justice. I
would have easily given this CD an "A" if the lyrics had been
stronger. I will be keeping an eye on Wicked Sensation as they should
only get better and that would be great. Summary: If you liked the
WHITESNAKE CD from 1987, you should like this. Great heavy melodic
rock that doesn't sound outdated. - Sean P. Gahgan
(QA2263@...)

*
*** OUT ***
*

=====
Detritus Rock/Metal e-zine
"Rock Hard With A Purpose"
http://www.dynamitemetal.com/detritus/

BW&BK 6-PACK WEEKEND - "Domestics & Imports"
http://www.bravewords.com/6pack/
June 13-14, 2003 - The Odeon - Cleveland, Ohio USA

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