Evile signings, Gojira confirmed for Bloodstock 2010

Evile are having 3 signing sesions this January at the rater odd choice of PULP stores. They sell loads of cute multi colored clothes and shizzle, which seems rather out of line with Eviles personal brand, but hey, they be there. The dates/venues are:

17th January – Glasgow – 1:00pm
Unit 266, St. Enoch’s Centre

20th January – Manchester – 5:00pm
Unit 27, Barbirolli Mall,
Manchester Arndale

21st January – Nottingham – 5:00pm
Unit 311, Victoria Centre

Their “Infecting Nations” tour is also about to go down too, see flyer:

Meanwhile, Bloodstock Open Air is getting even more awesome, now scoring a “Mos Def!” on most of our radars. French pro techy deathers are set so slay the friday, in their only 2010 UK show.

Says guitarist/frontman Joe Duplantier:

“We’re really looking forward to playing the mighty Bloodstock Festival for the first time! It’s a great lineup and we cannot wait to kick your ass, England! ”

Also, there is meant to be some kind of special headliner announcement on the 1st of Feb, we’ll keep ya in the loop!

Eyelicker

If intelligence is over-rated why aren’t we all monkeys?

Yes it’s a monkey wearing glasses…

Now I can see where Eyelicker is coming from when it comes to enjoying straight-up brutality and considering that one of my all-time favourite death metal acts is Cannibal Corpse that becomes fairly obvious. I mean if anyone can read some sort of philosophical approach into the lyrics of ‘I Cum Blood’ or ‘Hammer Smashed Face’ then you’re clearly a twat. Because there isn’t anything in there to find. The point I was trying to get at more was that the amount of done and dusted metal that I listen to on a regular basis (this journalism lark is a real pain in the arse at times). It’s just refreshing to hear some music where a bit more thought has been put into it lyrically. I mean who listens to grindcore for the vocals? Certainly not me.

As with many things in life its about what you want out of what you surround yourself with. I love Hatebreed but I’m not about to stick on ‘Supremacy’ when all I want to do is chill, when I want to get drunk and break stuff or am just feeling generally angry, that’s when it suites. I realise that some people can listen to whatever music they feel like regardless of their mood.

Ultimately it’s an entirely subjective matter, it goes without saying that what means nout to one person will mean the world to another. Coming from the academic background that I do (English Literature) my mind at times is constantly in ‘analyse’ mode where I will try and find the meaning of life in a ‘Teletubbies’ episode and I know that it’s stupid but it’s just the way my mind decides to work on these occasions. I didn’t first start listening to Gojira for their lyrics, in fact, surprise surprise, it was the music! So after insulting that fat Slayer kid in my last post it seems somewhat hypocritical to start admitting that I first fell for the sound rather than the overly philosophical lyrics.

This is no bad thing…as I said earlier I’m not trying to say that all band’s should start reading Plato and Schopenhauer and start labelling themselves as ‘postmodernmetalancientinfluencedneurohyperrealpostrock’ just that once in a while I like to look beyond the obvious. I can only speak for myself so don’t take this as some sort of sermon by a self-righteous preacher because the people that already agree will continue to do so..and those who don’t…won’t.

Mr Bogle

Why it is that I love France

The simple answer..Gojira are French. Yeah ok pretty stupid reason you might think but give the band a listen and you’re opinion may well change…I first heard the fine frenchies just over a year ago and it has caused my music taste to rapidly diverse and mature in the following twelve months. Some of you may recall my article from a while back about my disdain for metal fans and metal bands in large amounts (see ‘Metal Fans = DUMB). The general gist being the lack of integrity in most metal lyrics and using the example of Mastodon to demonstrate and it can be done (and very successfully).

Gojira are something of an enigma, before the success of ‘From Mars To Sirius’ they were unknown except to the French and in recent times remain the country’s best kept (until it was revealed that is)  secret. They are a prime example of a band that in the course of 2009 have played to 1,500 adoring fans on their home soil, come to the UK, played the smallest and murkiest of venues possible (I witnessed them destroy Portsmouth Wedgewood Rooms) and then off to open for Metallica! This is perhaps more of a demonstration of the hostility of the UK scene and the large refusal to accept anything recorded post-1985 as ‘true metal’. It’s not just the band’s intensely dense sound and insane technical ability but their conciousness to be able to sit and write a good, solid, song.

The lyrics are a whole new ball park from most band’s, with Iron Maiden’s tales of mythical travels and 18th – Century  poetry being the closest the UK comes to ‘intelligent’ lyric writing. Gojira’s songs are philosophical and topical debates about two things largely; the world and death. ‘The Art Of Dying’ is a haunting epic, the lyrics nearly indecipherable and cryptic in the extreme.

In many ways Gojira have found the perfect metal formula, with enough blastbeats, distortion and screams to satisfy the fat kid who loves slayer (see the YouTube video) and all his fat friends whilst maintaining a higher level of intelligence and integrity so that those of us tired with the carbon-copy metal formula can continue to find more in our music. I admit they won’t be to everyone’s taste but don’t knock it till you’ve tried, and trying means a whole album! ‘The Way Of All Flesh’ is a good starting point and perhaps the band’s finest work to date.

Mr Bogle