Fear Factory
Fear Factory obliterated the barriers that once divided Disco dance floors from concert hall mosh pits. One of the first really heavy metal acts to combine low, detonating power chords and Industrial dance beat rigor, these L.A. “rivetheads” set an example for countless acts to follow. Often following up their releases with dance-intensive remix albums on which various Industrial artists and DJ’s were invited to appear, their willingness to experiment shook up a genre that had long since calcified into formal repetitiveness and inbred influences. Though later releases found the band leaning in a more melodic direction, they always retained the deep sonic wallop and grinding beats for which they’re famous.
- Chad Driscoll
Hawthorne Heights
Originally called A Day in the Life, these emo/punk pop kids from Dayton, Ohio, changed their name, shuffled around a few members and started down a new poised-for-success path as Hawthorne Heights in 2001. With a combination of sad romantic ballads and foot-stomping aggression, they gained a strong fan base by booking themselves on national tours with larger acts like modern prog rockers Coheed & Cambria. The band was eventually signed by Victory Records and their well-received debut, The Story in Black and White, came out in 2003. They updated their approach on the 2006 follow-up, If Only You Were Lonely, by softening their lyrical stance, incorporating melancholy keyboards and adding upbeat melodies that were a perfect counterbalance to their screaming backup chants. In November 2007, the band experienced a devastating loss when guitarist Casey Calvert was found dead on their tour bus. The accidental overdose was caused from a mix of prescription medications. Hawthorne Heights bounced back from the tragedy, releasing Fragile Future in August 2008, an album that carries on their tradition of simple hooks and big pop-punk choruses.
- Michele K-Tel
Kristen Stewart’s Funny ‘Adventure’
VampireRave.com is turning 5 years old on June 1, 2009. The site proffers a global vampire social network. Managed by its higher level members, Vampire Rave focuses on the vampire and gothic lifestyles.
Unearth the Mystery – Do Vampires Really Exist? Meet Author and Vampire Expert Jacques Sirgent
Join Jacques Sirgent at Timothy’s World Coffee for an evening of intriguing discussion and the signing of his best-selling book “Drakula’s Tomb”
Twilight’s Edi Gatheg
After a short stint as a teenage model and then as a singer and songwriter for 1960s mod/freakbeat band John’s Children, Marc Bolan formed a folkie duo under the moniker Tyrannosaurus Rex with percussionist Steve Peregrin Took who quit after the third album. Drummer Mickey Finn joined the program, as did Steve Currie and Bill Legend. The quartet shortened their name to T. Rex and became the penultimate forefathers of London’s glam rock movement. The music moved from its early folkie roots to a sultry groove with distorted electric guitars, seductive boogie rocking rhythms and barbed pop hooks that helped the band garner multi chart topping hits. They enjoyed all the material fruits of rock success — stretch limos, custom tailored wardrobes, expensive powders and screaming girls chasing them down the streets of LondonÃÂ until Bolan was killed in a car crash in 1977.
- Eric Shea
Must List: Mar 19
Mika’s sugary wonderland of gender-bending, campy pop topped with a flawless falsetto has earned him respectable comparisons to the likes of Freddie Mercury, David Bowie and the Scissor Sisters. Born in Beirut as Michael Holbrook Penniman, he moved with his family from Lebanon to Paris and eventually settled in London when he was nine years old. The move proved troubling for him, as he faced bullying at school and the onset of dyslexia. Mika’s focus turned to music when he began intense training with a Russian singing teacher, which led to professional performances at the Royal Opera House and advertising gigs for British Airways and Orbit Chewing Gum. He studied classical music at the prestigious Royal College of Music, but dropped out to focus on his career. Mika’s first step into the fickle pop world was the release of his single “Relax, Take It Easy,” but it was “Grace Kelly,” a stab at those who didn’t believe in his musical potential, that shot him to No. 1 on the U.K. charts in early 2007. His debut album, Life in Cartoon Motion, soon followed the same chart-topping path.
- Stephanie Benson
Metropolis Records Podcast Volume 3
Eisbrecher – This Is Deutsch (SITD-Remix)
KMFDM – (Symbol)
Julien-K – Kick The Bass
Dope Stars Inc. – Criminal Intents
Wumpscut – Fuckit
Funkervogt – Killing Fields (Live)
And One – love you To The End (Ur Version 2005)
Babyland – Search and Rescue
Informatik – Nothing Greater
Modulate – Skullfuck
Combichrist – All Pain is Gone
Grendel – Harsh Generation
Das Ich – Destillat (VNV Nation Remix)
Noise Unit – Other World
Client – Drive
Roxy Epoxy and the Rebound – Dependence Leads Your Future
IAMX – Think of England
16 Volt – Suffering You
The Birthday Massacre – Walking With Strangers
Psyche – Goodbye Horses
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