Words by Michael Dickinson

Tuesday 1st June 2010, a day that will live in infamy within the annals of rock music. For that was the day that Rock Control burst onto the interweb with great vengeance and furious anger.

Rock Control’s whole ethos is to put control back into the hands of the music fans, giving them the chance to create their own rock outfit. How do we do this and why should I care? Ah, two good questions. Firstly, users can join up for free (or pay a small fee to become V.I.P. who get a few more lovely perks) and upload footage of themselves performing, therefore putting themselves forward to perhaps be in the band, or they can remain as Band Managers. In the role of Band Manager you can control who you want to be in your ideal line-up from all the auditions you check out. Artists who receive the most votes over a period of three months will then be put forward to be part of a brand-new band.

Rock Control seeks singers of any style, but who possess the charm and charisma to warrant a devoted following, guitarist with mystic, who can also tear it up with the Gods of Olympus, drummers who will be willing to put life before limb and keep playing even after losing their sticks… and bass players. Never fear though if you happen to play the Theremin, bagpipes, tin whistle or banjo Rock Control still wants to hear from you. In fact those four instruments combined would be my dream team.
Imagine if you will ‘Sims Rock Band’ and you’re halfway to what Rock Control is like. Hundreds of musicians have already uploaded their performances and now await the public’s critique. From Scarborough to Sydney people have already climb aboard the Control Train, which is pretty impressive, as the site has only just launched. Once the results have been tallied and the clear winners are chosen they will be brought to London, from wherever they may be, and assemble with their new crew. Over the next few months they will learn to gel as a unit and create their magnum opus, which will then be released into charts in over 40 countries. Attempting to reach the coveted Number 1 spot. Once that’s done the whole project culminates with the ‘Rock ‘til You Drop’ live spectacular where the results of the attack on the charts will be announced and the booze will flow like water. Ambrosia!

Why should you care? Phrases like X-Factor and Pop Idol have already been thrown at the venture. Truth be told there is an element of them about it insofar as it is ultimately decided by public decree. But I think Rock Control has something more to it, something ‘of the people’. For one, this isn’t being run behind the scenes by TV producers looking to create soap opera-like storylines for performers nor is it trying to make it seem like the world will end if you don’t vote for your favourite. And it won’t be playing Tomoyasu Hotei’s ‘Battle Without Honour and Humanity’ at nauseum – a brilliant song, watered-down through association with mediocrity. The decisions with Rock Control are down to the users; it fully depends on the Band Managers own tastes to what the band will eventually sound like. If enough death metal fans use it we could end up with a new ‘Slipknot’, if the more emo-orientated crowd vote perhaps we’ll have something like ‘Paramore’.
One easy criticism to throw at the enterprise already would be to say that you can’t “control” rock. Indeed at it’s very core rock is an untamable beast, that bands have spent the best part of sixty years trying to rein in. “You can’t ‘control’ rock man”. Yes well, if that were the case every single album in the genre’s sprawling history would be six-hour jam sessions with endless feedback and drum solos. The control they speak of pertains to the control handed to the fans. If you’re also worried about Rock Control propagating the manufactured music scene think of it as being one big, very fancy Wanted Ad looking for new musicians.
So if you fancy putting your name forward to form what could potentially be an awesome new force head to www.rockcontrol.com or if you’d rather pull the strings like some kind of manic puppeteer become a Band Manager. Who knows you could create the perfect ensemble.

Let there be… Rock Control
Rant over.

Words by Brendan Monteiro

Who would of thought that eating popcorn and listening to Deftones could make a night out, looking back on the evening’s proceedings and I can honestly say it’s something I will definitely do again once Diamond Eyes is unleashed upon us.

Without going in to too much detail about songs and musical blah blah blah’s, what is left to say about this ablum is that it is truly breathtaking. The album has all the crashing ferocity as a backdrop for some of the most mystifying melodies and soundscapes I have heard all year. The breakdowns had every guest inside The Cellar Door nodding their head in appreciation, and sitting at the bar I was no different. From start to finish the cadence just builds and if you have high expectations of this album be prepared to have them obliterated. For myself, when I first heard about Deftones there was a lot of hype, I didn’t really succumb to it but with Diamond Eyes I feel myself getting sucked in and I think that this has got MASTERPIECE all over it already.

for a taster of the album check out the video for Rocket Skates and download the song from the bands myspace NOW!!! you will not be dissatisfied.

Feature article by Rant Chick

Marilyn Manson’s recent bout of bad publicity has made him one angry dude, as attested by the singer’s latest blog entry on MySpace: “I can, but do not need to defend myself and the absurd accusations that the average press has clinged onto. If we need a nude photo of me to prove that I am far different than the soon-to-be-murdered-in-their-home press has decided to fabricate, that is easy … If one more ‘journalist’ makes a cavalier statement about me and my band, I will personally or with my fans help, greet them at their home and discover just how much they believe in their freedom of speech. I dare you all to write one more thing that you won’t say to my face. Because I will make you say it. In that manner. That is a threat”. Manson’s rampage is a direct response to an article published by LA Weekly in which journalist Erin Broadley reports on Travis Keller’s (Buddyhead.com founder) experience of meeting Manson in 2007. The article portrays the singer as a moronic coke addict – the final straw in a long list of recent accusations made by the press.

Well, cry me a river Manson. Your arrogance never fails to amaze me! You actually expect fans to support your ghetto mentality after clocking a horrifically bad performance at this year’s Download festival – in front of a 60 000-strong crowd. “It’s one performance” one may argue. But no, it’s more than that. It’s a matter of principle. Festivals are the place to win over new followers and to convert the sceptics with mind-blowing performances. For a band that just released a new album, you certainly passed up an amazing marketing opportunity. And never mind attracting new fans, what about the die-hard supporters? Clearly, you felt no need to show a little fan-appreciation by putting on any kind of worthwhile performance. I am not naive enough to believe that your craft and the artistic execution thereof is your priority – not as a result of reading some character-slating press articles but from a first-hand impression of your ridiculous behaviour. Disconcertingly, your narcissism has deluded you into ignoring the bad press spewing out of the mouths of your fans. It also seems strange that you, all of a sudden, care what the media says about you. You didn’t care before. In fact, bad press was a tool that you used to promote the ‘fuck you’ image that made you so popular. You are in fact an expert at media manipulation. Not any longer though. Toxic substances seem to have eroded your brain matter into some kind of useless pulp that solidifies on occasion, but not very often. So Mr Diva: I’ll buy your album and appreciate your music but I suggest that you call on your ‘oxygen’-bearers, lipstick appliers and coat-holders to assist in the beat down you have so readily threatened to hand out.

Feature by Rant Chick

I was a tad annoyed after reading an article published by Metal Hammer, entitled Kerry King Doesn’t Like Killswitch Engage, which explains why King tried to pull the plug on Killswitch Engage’s spot on Slayer’s run as headliners of the US Jagermeister tour. According to the article, King says, “I’d never seen ‘em live, and then I saw them live and I’m just offended by the silliness that goes on on stage [on the part of] the guitar player [Adam D]. He puts his foot in his mouth all the time and he says stupid shit, and I just didn’t think that side show should be on my stage.” WTF? Seriously! Lighten the fuck up. Adam D’s tongue-in-cheek antics are a hit with crowds. He is really funny and his insanity should not detract from the fact that he is an awesome musician. Killswitch Engage put on a great live show, and that’s a fact. And what’s with the megalomania? Since when did Kerry King reserve the right to throw his weight around like Adolf Hitler? Clearly I missed the part where he was voted ‘despot of the decade’. His dictatorial attitude is just so not what metal is about. Strong opinions are part of metal – it’s a done deal but despotism most certainly is not! Get a life and a sense of humour Kerry King! I hope Adam smothers your bullshit with his cape.

So Limp Bizkit is back. More significantly, Wes Borland is back. The respected guitarist has a volatile history with the band but has never been able to achieve the success of LB with his own musical ventures, which have included Big Dumb Face, Eat the Day and Black Light Burns. Of his reconnection with LB, Borland, in a joint statement with frontman Fred Durst, says, “We decided we were more disgusted and bored with the state of heavy popular music than we were with each other. Regardless of where our separate paths have taken us, we recognize there is a powerful and unique energy with this particular group of people we have not found anywhere else.” The resurgence of Durst and his homies has re-awoken a debate that has plagued the metal community since the early 90s: is nu metal, metal? The genre seems to have become the shame of the metal fraternity in recent years and yet it has birthed some truly significant acts including Slipknot, Deftones, Incubus, System of a Down and Korn – innovative bands that have manipulated the genre and developed highly individual sounds. As unique as they are, these bands are lumped within the very broad definition of the nu metal sub-genre. Nu metal is exactly what the name implies: ‘new metal’. It boasts a vocal and instrumental fusion of sound: nu metal experiments with the amalgamation of styles of music that have influenced metal, more mainstream musical genres, and the traditional metal sound. So the likes of jazz, industrial, grunge, punk, thrash, hip-hop, funk and electronica have been ‘metalised’, much to the horror of metal purists.

It is argued by many that nu metal is a genre that should stay in the 90s along with Korn and co. It has its place and it should stay there. But why? Who says so? Who is this Guru of music who gets to articulate what bands metalheads should listen to and when they should be doing the listening? The notion seems to defy the whole ethos behind metal as a subversive genre of music, in all its forms. And I guess that this is the irony that lurks beneath the alternative culture: it is in fact exactly like any other sub-culture. It conforms to trends and ideas that are dictated by an external source, only it pretends not to. At Download 2009, LB drew a monumental crowd. So much for predictions that the band would be booed and harangued off stage. LB has even joined the listing for this year’s Sonisphere festival, having ousted Machine Head from third on the bill to fourth. Oops. Machine Head state: “In a turn of events that has left us absolutely baffled, the promoter of the U.K. Sonisphere festival recently placed, unbeknownst to us, Limp Bizkit in our third slot on the festival. Seeing as the running order was a significant part of the negotiation and agreement between us and the promoter, and the fact that we had been advertised in that slot since the festival’s announcement, you can imagine our surprise when we were ‘told’ that we would now be playing in the fourth slot, under Limp Bizkit, and bizarrely, it was actually expected that we would quietly move down the bill without issue. We will not.” So is seems that LB, the deep dark secret of metal, has bruised the ego of one of the fraternity’s most revered bands. Machine Head’s reaction is either inspiringly heroic or egotistically immature – not making their music any more or less awesome of course.

The fact that Limp Bizkit achieved commercial success with a more mainstream audience has contributed to their unpopularity within the metal community. Rule number one for metal fans is: you are only cool if you like what’s not cool. And naturally, what’s ‘cool’ is decided by the Guru himself. When discussing the notion of sell outs in a recent interview, Lemmy from Motorhead stated that those who think that his band has ‘sold out’ are merely annoyed because it’s now more than just them and their five friends who like the band. So, in other words, if a band becomes successful, it is a ‘sell out’. Of course, there is a certain link between more mainstream metal bands and ‘selling out’ to a more commercial sound as record labels put pressure on bands to release albums in order to make money. Quality is thus sacrificed for the dollar. Korn offers an impassioned comment on this very issue in the song Fuck That. Nu metal, as a style, is considered a sell out to the traditional metal sound because of its hybrid nature. Because it is comprised of seemingly incongruous musical elements. It fuses more commercial sounds with the non-commercial hard-listening sound of metal’s riffs and growls, and this pisses metalheads off to no end. Rule number 2 for metal fans: metal is not cool unless it sounds like Metallica or Iron Maiden. **yawn**. Boring. Metal certainly seems to be a genre that does not easily accept new ideas and innovations. Hence the resurgence of the old-school sound a.k.a new wave of traditional metal (NWOTM). So, ironically, Mr Guru of music dictates that nu metal must remain prisoner of the 90s but other older metal styles are free to roam throughout the ages.

So metal, the black sheep of music, has its own black sheep. But LB is beside the point really, although the band seem to have become the poster child for ‘why nu metal sucks’, and in the process, some amazing bands have conveniently been overlooked. Korn may have lost that special something in recent years but they still put on a great show and there is no doubt that as the pioneers of nu metal, Korn, Life is Peachy and Follow the Leader are three of the most influential albums of their time. Deftones & Incubus are two bands that have achieved critical acclaim within the metal/alternative community, as they have been able to take the nu metal influence in their music and mould it beautiful portraits of sound. And of course there is Slipknot, a band that has achieved unprecedented popularity since its launch in 1995. Ten years down the line, the whole ‘masks are a gimmick’ argument has become old. In a charismatically mind-blowing performance as headliners at Download 2009, the band of nine made it abundantly clear that, love them, hate them or don’t care about them, they are still force to be reckoned with a decade after conception. Of the bands biggest gig to date, frontman Corey Taylor commented, “I’m still trying to find out what that was! It was tremendous, it was incredible, it was everything that I hoped it would be. Just the fact that people are still talking about it is a testimony to where we’re at.”

There are a host of bands that have been inspired by the nu metal movement, including Static-X, Coal Chamber, Spineshank, Sevendust, Disturbed, Soulfly, Godsmack, Chevelle, MudVayne, Stone Sour, Papa Roach, POD, Linkin Park and Project 86. Who knows, without Coal Chamber, perhaps DevilDriver would never have been – and that would be tragic in deed! Christian metal was brought to the fore with bands like Project 86 and P.O.D. Evil discoers, Static X, have taken industrial metal and added some heavy distortion, electronic keyboards, synthesizers, and super-fast aggressive vocals to create a beat-inspired, dance-metal sound. Some of the bands that have arisen from the nu-metal movement are significant and some aren’t, bearing in mind that the notion of ‘significance’ is rather subjective as it is qualified by context. It seems that the nu metal gripe is not substantiated by a multitude of untalented musicians producing crappy music but rather by the notion that the genre does not stay true to metal. Most likely, the nu metal issue will never be resolved. And that’s okay. Debate and disagreement is healthy. What is not okay is feeling like one has to conform to a certain ideology because that is what everybody else says is the correct opinion. What happened to liking a band just because you think that they sound awesome, for whatever reason? What happened to not caring about what other people thought of the music you like in the true metal way? What happened to dissension and discussion sans condemnation? As members of the human race, we will never be able to escape society and the way it influences our thinking and choices but there is a line to be drawn. I say “Fuck the Guru of metal! Fuck that! Fuck that shit!”

Feature by Brendan Monteiro with Ivan Ferriera, Aaron Gillespie and Cory Brandan

If you had to look back, say 10 years ago, had you heard of a Christian metal or Christ-core band? Chances are you probably would have laughed at the idea. For most people the concept would have been unthinkable, visions of a church band chanting hymns of praise coupled with axe-hammering metal riffs wouldn’t have helped either. However, in a day and age where we can plainly see anything is possible, the Christian scene is blowing up. Record labels are buying up every Christian metal-core band (even if they suck), making the scene bigger than anyone could ever cared to envisage 10 years ago. Not only is this causing a stir in the music scene; the Christian world has also seemed to be in a spin about it, and not in a good way. Many pious Christians labelling these bands as sacrilegious, blasphemous and unchristian. Who could really blame them?

For instance, listen to the new The Devil Wears Prada album (no this is not a Meryll Streep tribute band), with lead vocalist Mike Hranica belching out verses that sound like he’s been set alight and put out with a bicycle chain, who would blame them for thinking that?
For a while I liked the idea of a Christian metal band, not that I’m in any way really religious, I just felt what better way to let the word of God reach the kids of metal than to actually perform it. I’m sure none of them would bother listening to a pop-Christian band. I also felt that a lot of the bands like Underoath, The Almost, blindside, P.O.D and Norma Jean aren’t really preaching like a traditional church band would. It’s more just an expression of what they believe in.

Recently having a chat with a friend, Ivan Ferreira, former singer of the UK’s The Casino Brawl and of South African Christian band 5star Society. I found myself caught between views. Ivan is ‘straight edge’ (Straight edge refers to a lifestyle and scene within the hardcore punk subculture whose adherents abstain from alcohol, tobacco smoking and other recreational drug use). I asked him what his views were on the Christian metal-core scene and his first response was ‘I myself would not play in a Christian band again’. He went on to say that the Christian scene is huge at the moment and that his views are that some of these bands are just using God in order to make money and
what he says seems true to an extent. The fact is, a fulltime band is a business, and a business’s goal is to make money. They make money by selling records, shirts and their live shows.  He went on to say he doesn’t like it when people start up christian bands , “praise Jesus”, release an album or two, break up and then proclaim that they are not christians anymore.  He felt it is wrong that for the last couple of years “God” put food on their table and paid their bills…but now that its over, and they dont want anything to do with it!’  Music aside, I was pretty sure that somewhere  in ‘the good book’ it says that making money through that manner was a certain no no.

With this idea in mind one would think that a true Christian band wouldn’t be selling off their name to the highest bidding Label, or at least maybe pay some sort of royalties to the Vatican (and I’m sure they would be much obliged to accept). Then again I’m also not the Pope of Rome so who am I to talk?

With all the confusion, I decided to ask some of the key bands in the scene such as Aaron Gillespie of Underoath/the Almost and Cory Brandan of Norma Jean. These are their views:

You have been labelled as a Christian band and the Christian metal scene has come under a lot of criticism. What are your views?
Aaron: I don’t know. I think if you respect anyone and you give them an open ear and you’re honest with them, no matter what your belief or who you are you will get respect back. I think as Christians as a whole, we dig ourselves a hole. We tell people that we are perfect and we don’t show our faults. I Think as Christians if we get out there in the world an say look we’re just like you but we just have Christ to redeem that. We’re just as messy as you and do the things you do. Then people will begin to respect it a bit. Every pastor or man of faith that has eye’s has looked at a women in the incorrect way while he has been in service, and I firmly believe that. The bottom line is that we hide that, and that is what makes us look better than a non-Christian. Which I think is wrong! I think it’s important for us to talk about our faults. To talk about the dirty things we do. So that we can say, “hey I am just like you, I have the same thoughts as you have. I don’t always act on them, but I have those same thoughts and I just want to let you know that I am just like you”. We all need to be honest and open at all times, otherwise it doesn’t work in my opinion.

Cory: Wow. We are all Christian yeah, Christian band…(long pause) I don’t even really know what that mean but I don’t really oppose that label. It doesn’t really matter to us. We’re in a band cos we love music. That’s why we do what we do, not for any other reason. As far as what we sing about and what we believe, in essence we kind of feel no different from our peers. All the bands that I listen to sing about what they believe in. Some of them I might disagree with but I still like their music. With us it’s the same thing, we sing about what we believe in., we don’t expect everyone to agree with that but we don’t really give a crap. If you don’t like our music, don’t listen to it. That’s how I feel anyway.

So what would you say to devout Christians who say your music is not Christian and is polluting the youth and degrading society?
Aaron: I don’t know what to say to them cos I know what I believe. If they think it’s wrong that’s cool too. I’ll listen to what they have to say, I’m not close minded. I can’t force someone to like what I like and hear what I hear. The world doesn’t work that way. I think band’s in church are doing a cool thing and that’s great but this is what we believe in and what we want to be and what we want to do. If that helps somebody out then I’m stoked.

Cory: Which I have heard before (ha ha). What I would say to someone? I don’t know. I mean I totally disagree with that because it doesn’t really make sense. The thing is about music is that music can’t have a belief. A sound, whether it be from a guitar or if I clap my hands or if I yell or sing really pretty or if I play the piano, that sound can’t have a belief. So if I play really super heavy music that just sounds pissed off, it doesn’t mean what’s behind isn’t something really good. like I said, if I clap my hands you can’t tell me that it sounds evil.

Do you think it is wrong to apply the Christian label to a band, especially when Christian music is doing so well in the mainstream. A friend and I were discussing and he felt like it was making money off God’s name.
Aaron: I hear what he’s saying. It is running a business a lot of the time. For me it’s not about that. Whatever I do I want to do it through the Lord. It’s not about making money off of God. You can’t survive without getting paid. A pastor gets paid for his services, or else he wouldn’t be able to feed himself or his family. He’s doing the work of God as well. I’m not saying “if you’re a missionary you should always get paid”.

Cory: Everything we do has to be balanced. Obviously we have to be honest in our music. We can’t allow whether someone’s Christian or non-Christian to affect what we do musically. If we don’t do what we feel like we need to do and want to do then our music is going to be fake. It’s not going to do anything for us or anyone else and when it comes to the business side of our band we have to run a good business. Running a good business is actually very biblical. Taking care of your money and paying your taxes, all those things are biblical. When it comes to what we believe in, there has to be a balance. That comes out in our songs, it comes out in our lives. We don’t think we are perfect gentlemen, we don’t have all the answers. We definitely try as hard as we can and I think that is what matters.

Do you think tattoo’s are wrong in the eye’s of God? (just put forward to Aaron)
Aaron: No not at all.

What about in the bible, don’t they say “your body is a temple”?
Aaron: Have you ever been in a temple before? The way I look at it is this; A temple has a lot of paintings, a lot of decorations and yes your body is a temple, but it doesn’t say you cant decorate your temple.

I don’t think it does.
Aaron: There you go. I feel no wrong about having tattoo’s.

What I took from my time with Aaron and Cory is that they are just like you and I. They believe in living the right way and doing what feels right to them. Which is something I guess everyone could start doing to an extent. It definitely opened my mind to very different and creative ways of looking at things, you learn something new every day. I once read an interview on MXPX and looking back now I guess they put it best. They said, “We’re not a Christian band, just a band of Christian’s”. I guess in the end It all boils down to what you believe in. So if it sounds good to you, listen on and rock out!