the latest news from the around the noise

RI-VOL-VER DRUMMER QUITS!
Lincolnshire prog rock took a step backward in in late November with the announcement from drummer Mark that he has quit Ri-Vol-Ver due to personal disputes with the other members. Ri-Vol-ver you may remember were scheduled to be one of the featured bands on the planned NoiseMatters volume 1 CD. Mark got in touch with NoiseMatters personally to break the news, and also confirmed a few things to us, including the fact that another member of the band was running an "official Myspace" page, contrary to the fact that NM.com had already helped set up one for the band - considerably more successfully too - long before the existence of this new one. We don't like timewasters here at NM. As a result of this, NMCom is severing all ties with the band, but will keep you informed of Mark's future projects. We wish Mark well on future endeavours, but as for the others and whatever they may do, the reviews and links have been removed from NMCom and don't expect to see further coverage of the remaining members and whatever or whoever they may recruit to attempt to replace Mark as drummer.

SIRENIA - next album in the works
Norway's symphonic-goth band Sirenia have put up news on their upcoming album, the first to feature recently-recruited vocalist Ailyn. The album is on schedule, with the finished mastered product in the hands of the band themselves, for an anticipated release in February 2009. Their next step prior to release is getting photo sessions and artwork sorted out. Check out Sirenia's previous work on their Myspace - they blow Nightwish off the proverbial stage. If only the UK's version of The X Factor produced stars like Ailyn! Yup, you read that right, that's what led to her recruitment to Sirenia's ranks. Stunning voice, stunning looks, perfect complement to Sirenia's tunes. NM pegs Sirenia as "gonna be bigger than Nightwish". Updates as we get 'em, and we'll review it when released.

MAN MUST DIE - new album update
Kings of the extreme frontier Man Must Die have posted an update on their upcoming third album. The guys say "the new album is now fully written and sounding great, we have begun pre-production with a view to start recording in December, we cant wait to get this one out. We will post a pre-production video real soon." They don't come much louder than MMD. You can check out their previous recent stuff at their Myspace. In other MMD news, they announced recently that drummer John Lee has left the band, and has been replaced with Matt Holland of Madman Is Absolute and Sons of Slaughter. In the meantime, here's MMD live n' loud in Berlin doing "Severe Facial Reconstruction":

Man Must Die - "Severe Facial Reconstruction" LIVE

 

LARKSPUR FALLS - formerly known as Claire Toomey
Long-time Metal-i/NMCom fave Claire Toomey has rebranded herself as Larkspur Falls, with some new tracks alongside older Claire faves such as Moving Target amongst others. There's precious little info about this change which we weren't aware of til yesterday, but we'll maybe try to get the official info from the multi-talented multi-instrumentalist gal herself soon as. In the meantime, check out her stuff and let her lush soundscapes wash over you at the official Larkspur Falls Myspace. Claire's official site now says "coming soon" (presumably rebranding) and her MS friends list has been retrofixed to the new Larkspur Falls Myspace instead. More info from The Dog as he gets it on this one. Meanwhile, here's Claire doing "Half of the Whole Deal" live at The Indy Awards:

Claire Toomey - Half of The Whole Deal

 

SNAKEBITE - "NEVER GROW" EP
South London's growl-merchants Snakebite have a new EP out anytime now, a 6-track called "Never Grow". There's new tracks aggressively backed up by some of their classic head-smashers such as 60 Units and Visceral Pissery, and it can be (pre)ordered (we're not entirely sure if it's out yet or not) via their official Snakebite Merchandise site (click that). As always, you can go play some Snakebite loud right now at their Myspace. Going by what we've heard so far, the guys are above top form here. The fact they haven't been signed yet just goes to show the screwball mentality of the record industry today.

 

POWERDRIVE
new band featuring MG71's Miguel Gayarre!
Miguel Gayarre of MG71 and Braindead Zero has joined forces with Swedish singer/guitarist Robin "Robeeo" Lundgren to form a new band called Powerdrive. The forthcoming debut album, "Steel Roots", will be composed of tracks Miguel wrote as MG71 and from Robin's own solo project. Fifteen tracks which Miguel tells us are "a blend between old school and modern metal". You can check out the first video from Powerdrive, "Silver Bullet", below, and hear other tracks on Powerdrive's Myspace. NoiseMatters' review of Miguel's MG71 albums can be found in our reviews section, and you can catch Powerdrive touring Europe this Winter. In the meantime, check out NM's *EXCLUSIVE* pre-release review of the debut album "Steel Roots" i our reviews section by clicking here.

Powerdrive - "Silver Bullet"

 

THE COURTESY KILL - new track up on Myspace
NM faves The Courtesy Kill (featuring Cat from At Risk who we reviewed way back on the old METAL-i site) have a new track up on their Myspace called "Fighting For My Innocence". They're a rock/grunge/pop/indie-influenced rock outfit with a refreshingly original sound compared to some of their contemporaries. Check out the song here: myspace.com/thecourtesykill

 

PUNISHER: WARZONE
Not a sequel to the 2004 Punisher film, but a "requel"™, a reboot for the franchise that looks set to make the already-quite-gory 2004 film look like a teddybear's picnic. Starring British actor Ray Stevenson (Titus Pollo in "Rome"), this ups the gore quota to the maximum, and could be the movie that puts not just Stevenson but also German director Lexi Alexander on the Hollywoodland map. Lexi Alexander has an already impressive resume, having directed the acclaimed "Green Street Hooligans", and she's a former world kickboxing and karate champion. The trailer, below, shows Stevenson as a far more brutal - and therefore more comics-accurate - incarnation of Frank Castle, aka The Punisher, and that's helped by the fact Stevenson is a much more imposing figure than Thomas Jane. Soundtrack for this is loaded with as much metal as Castle's guns, and looks to be THE heavy metal movie of 2008. Look for it in a cinema near you soon, with an 18/R rating. NMHQ's looking forward to this.
Further info: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punisher:_War_Zone
Official movie site: www.punishermovie.com

 

SILAS RETURN!
Since last year, SILAS, long-time friends of Metal-i/NoiseMatters, have parted ways with vocalist James who left for personal reasons. The departure was amicable but obviously meant Silas' return to the live stage would be delayed while they hunt down and train a new vocalist. In June 08, the long-awaited news arrived that they've found their man. So joining Matt and The Twins is Dave Runham. I'll let the guys' words speak for themselves here:

"We've had about 6 or 7 jams in the past weeks and we have about five really strong songs on the go, all sounding fucking.....just fucking amazing! We're all buzzed about it and can't wait to get gigging again, it's gonna blow your minds."

Sounds good to us here at NMHQ. So it's a new era for Silas, and we'll be there checking 'em out soon as they're up gigging again. Before they get back on a stage however, they need a 2nd guitarist - James previously fulfilled both roles. If you're in the London area and think you've got what it takes, get in touch with them now! Until then, here's some classic Silas back when they had James on mic duty:

Silas @ Noisehead.com
myspace.com/silasworld

 

CLAIRE TOOMEY'S NEW EP & SINGLE!
CLAIRE TOOMEY has a new EP and single out this month. We're a bit late bringing this news to you, due to the rebuild, but we promised Claire we'd help spread the word anyway. We've reviewed Claire before, and all here at NM are fans of her folk-tinged rock style. Check out her Myspace and Official Site for more info, to hear samples and to buy the EP and single if you like what you hear. We'll be reviewing it soon and can't wait, Claire's going from strength to strength.
myspace.com/clairetoomey
clairetoomey.com/

 

THE EMPIRE OF NOISE
NOISE MATTERS volume 1: Yes, it's still gonna be released. With health scares, member departures and logistics problems in various amounts, we wanna make sure everything's shiney, everyone's healthy, everyone's ready to roll and all are happy with their choice of contributed tracks before we send the discs to the burning pits. Stay tuned. It WILL happen. Bulldog is redesigning the artwork to incorporate the new NoiseMatters.com name, and everythings gaining momentum. We also need to talk to the surviving bands and see who's still up for the project and the options for it. Better to take our time with this and release a quality product than to rush it, as we're sure you'll agree. You can keep up to date with the latest on the project on our NMv1 page.

 

THE METAL UNDERGROUND
The Metal Underground, "The UK's Metal Directory", have relaunched with a new structure and new forum. Like NoiseMatters.com, TMU support underground and unsigned bands. Congrats with the redesign guys, NMCom hopes we can promote each other's global mission to destroy eardrums, take names, and kick musical ass. Check 'em out here:
www.themetalunderground.co.uk/forum
myspace.com/themetalunderground

 

RIP GEORGE CARLIN
You'll have heard already, but we wanted to mention it and pay tribute in writing to the late great George Carlin. What's he got to do with rock and metal? Everyone here at NMHQ first encountered Carlin through his role as Rufus in the Bill & Ted films which are of course the ultimate rock airhead movies ;). Then we looked up his other work, laughed til we had to get admitted to hospital, and were hooked from then on. Carlin's health had been an issue for some time, with too many stints in rehab and several heart attacks, but it's still a huge loss to the world of comedy. His unfortunate passing will no doubt lead to a shortage of Carlin products in stores, from DVDs to CDs, but if you're in the US at least you'll no doubt be treated to reruns of his HBO Specials at least. In the meantime, here's a Carlin classic, and to paraphrase the man himself, as Rufus - "Gentlemen, we're history!". RIP George, you've been most excellent.
www.georgecarlin.com

OTHER THINGS PLANNED FOR NMCOM
In addition to this huge relaunc and the ongoing NMv1 project, we're also looking at adding an official Youtube channel and also a built-in music channel with its own player that will play samples of tracks by artists featured here on the site. We didn't have the time to get those set up for the launch, but are being seriously considered for later this year. We'll also be adding unpaid non-profit clickable promo ads for featured bands that have new demos and/or albums out (where the current Firefox etc ads are just now). If demand for those is high enough then they'll be done on a rotational basis, and will be done with CSS to allow swift changes without recoding every page on the site.

 

AND FINALLY...
The UK's Daily Mail reports that Celine Dion's cover version of the AC/DC track "You Shook Me All Night Long" has been voted the worst cover song of all time. Closely followed, apparently, by the Girls Aloud/Sugababes cover of the Aerosmith and Run DMC's legendary "Walk This Way". At least there was some eyecandy in the Girls Aloud/Sugababes cover, Dion's got no bloody excuse for massacring the ACDC favourite, the whining moose! And yes, there is video of the offending cover version... The only redeeming factor to this - and it's a long shot - is the presence of ridiculously-hot singer Anastacia duetting on it with The Sealion.

 

Keep the faith, n' play it loud! Except for that Celine Dion cover, for which we suggest patented NoiseMatters MindBleach.