Back in 2005 this four-piece Swedish rock band released their first album “IN DISTORTION WE TRUST”, and now, 4 years later it’s time for the follow up. The first think worth noticing, is that the 4 years have been good to the band, they have developed their music without losing the attitude. The album starts off with a song called “Killer on his knees”, it’s heavier than the debut, and singer Mia Coldheart shows of a more confident attitude. The song “Jennyfer” shows that this band also can do slower and calmer music, and Mats Levén’s (Swedish Erotica, Therion etc.) interference as a guest singer made it even better. The song “Blackened Bones” brings the thoughts back the debut, more specific “Rock’N’Roll Bachelor”, but it’s harder heavier, and finally there’s a song that gives Coldheart’s voice justice. And “Danger Danger”, one of the strongest tracks on the CD, starts of pretty slowly, but still strong, and it has it faster parts, it’s darker, and this is a song which worked perfectly with Coldheart’s voice, just like “Blackened Bones”. They might have developed, but for the ones who loved “In distortion we trust”, it could be a slight disappointment, this CD might give Coldheart’s voice more justice than ever, but the songs have more depth, and by that lost most of the rock n roll clichés, but not all, and the song “Sex Action”, which also is the album’s first single, might be satisfying enough.

Rating: 9/10

By Johanna Salo

This is raw, this is dirty. This EP starts with the song “Save me”, it has a lot of attitude, and the touch of blues in it, makes it even cooler. It feels like a combination between the old classic rock and something new. The negative part in this song is that the vocals take too much space, so they drown much of the sound of the instruments. But the good thing is that this is only the case on the first song. On this EP, we also find the song “Double Shift”, a ballad that doesn’t loses its attitude, which I think is common. But they really shouldn’t have used a tambourine in “Honky Tonk”, it only brings the thoughts away from the rock their playing, to terrible alternative pop music.
The EP ends with “Rebels Highway”, and Octane Gypsy went out with a bang.

Rating: 7/10

By Johanna Salo

The album Down to the Bone, by Electric Mary, starts with the song “Let me out”, it’s catchy, it’s rock and it catches your attention. The guitars sounds like something Rage against the Machine could have created, while the rest of the music have way to big influences of Audioslave, even Electric Mary’s singer Rusty sounds a little bit too much like Chris Cornell. The only problem is that during the first songs of the album, there is no depth in the music, it’s good music, but it doesn’t leave a mark. So I was afraid the entire album would be like this, but No! it wasn’t. “Sorry” is the first song on this album that has something, the solos are awesome, the music is fast and aggressive and it’s mind-blowing. Also, if “Do me” ‘s chorus would have been as good as the rest of the song, the song would have been a killer.
Other good songs on the album were: One foot in the grave, Busted.

This is good, and if they could less the sound of Rage against the Machine and Audioslave, this could be great.

Rating: 6.5/10

By Johanna Salo

Crazy Lixx was born in 2002 by singer Danny Rexon and guitarist Vic Zino. Their debut album was released in 2007, and the future looked bright for this 4-piece band from the southern parts of Sweden. But everyone knows success neither come cheap or easy, and a few months after the release of "Loud Minority", Vic Zino leaves the band for Hardcore Superstar, and a search for a new guitarist take place. In June, the band announced they had found the new guitarist in 19-year old Andy Dawson. The other members of the band are the drummer Joey Cirera and the bass player Luke Rivano.

Q1. Hi Danny! How are you?
I'm fine thanx.

Q2. You recently released a new single from your debut album "Loud Minority". How did you decide to pick "Make ends meet" to be the new single?
We wanted to release the single not only as a physical product for our fans but also to send out to mainstream radio. We decided on 'Make ends Meet' because we figured it was the most radio-friendly song we had on the album. We also added the radio-edit version of 'Want It' because it hadn't been released before.

Q3. It has been really hard to miss the release of "Make ends meet", both regular e-mails, and also guestbook messages on the popular Helgon.net site about how to download the new single for free and how to vote on Crazy Lixx on "Trackslistan". So, how much time do you put on promoting the band? So far, have you received the result you wanted?
We put a lot of time and effort in promoting the band and that is the reality of many bands on our level today. You have to get that message out and win the fans, that's just the way it is. So far, the results of this particular single have been okay. We didn't make it on 'Tracks' but we have had a lot of positive feedback on the free download of the single so all in all it's an ok outcome.

Q4. Almost a year has passed since the release of "Loud Minority". The album received great response from both media and fans, some even consider it to be the best album released in 2007. How does it feel to start off with such a strong album? Does it feel like it's going to be hard to top "Loud Minority" with future albums?
First of all, it's great that so many liked our debut album and I think you have to start off with strong material to stand a chance against the big guys in this business. In the good old days bands had three or four albums of experimentation before they did that one breakthrough album. I mean look at bands like Aerosmith or Judas Priest, they were mediocre rock bands on their first few albums. Nowadays you don't get that amount of time. If your first album isn't good you rarely get another chance. Problem is, you have to beat your last effort all the time and that really puts pressure on bands, I sure as hell feel pressure about our next release. I really want it to be great and beat the crap out of 'Loud Minority'. I want people to know that our debut album wasn't just a lucky shot. But it's gonna take a whole lot of work and commitment to make it happen.

Q5. How long will it take before we see a new Crazy Lixx album in stores? How should our expectations be?
We've started to write and records some demo material and it really depends on how quickly we can get those 10-12 great songs that we need. I will not agree to a release an album that I feel is inferior to 'Loud Minority', that would do more bad than good for Crazy Lixx right now. I'd really like to have the album out by the summer of 2009 but as I said, it really all depends on what kind of material we can produce until then.

Q6. "The Gamble", a song really different from the rest of the album, how come you chose to bring the album to the end with such a slow and heartbroken song? The song feels so tragic and sad compared to the other songs on the album. Did you have any purpose, or did it just end up that way?
Our producer, Chris Laney, had a vision about the song and it included to have it as the last track on the album and with the 'sad' feeling that it brings. Originally the song started of with drums, guitar and bass guitar (like the way it is in the end now) but Chris wanted it to just be that lonely guitar and vocals in the first half of the song. I think it turned out quite nice but you are right about it being a large contrast to the rest of the album. Some people love it, others hate it. I think it's the one song of the album that people have most different opinions about.



Q7. You have a lot of great songs from your time as a demo band, like "Daddy's little girl", "Bad in a good way" and so on. Have you any plans to re-release your old demo songs in future albums or perhaps a demo collection or anything?
Actually, 'Bad in a Good Way' was recorded along with the rest of the album and has now been released on the Japan-edition of the album, along with another previously un-released song calle 'No Guts, No Glory'. About the other demo-material I can tell you that we have been working on some of the old songs for the new album so maybe there will be an old goodie on our next release, who knows?

Q8. Vic Zino left Crazy Lixx for Hardcore Superstar. How did you take it? Was it frustrating to lose a band member when the band more or less was balancing on the edge of a break-through? Was it a tough decision for the band to make, to force Vic to choose band?
It's always tough to lose a member of the band and in this case it was one of the founding members and of the main drives behind the band and as you said, the timing couldn't have been worse. Instead of trying to promote our debut album we were forced to cut down on our gigs (the only gigs we made during spring of 2008 was the ones were we were supporting Hardcore Superstar, where Vic could play with both bands the same night), and instead start looking for a new guitar player. The decision to force Vic to choose bands wasn't really a decision so much as the only thing to do. We knew right from the start that with the busy touring of HCSS we couldn't share our guitar player with them; we had to get a new one.

Q9. Did you get many applications for the empty spot in the band?
Yes, quite a few. Some of them from crazy places like Peru and Brazil. Some were really great guitarists and some could barely play so we really covered the entire spectrum.

Q10. It's been a few months since you announced Andy Dawson as your new guitarist. How has it been going? He's also young, so has his young age affected the band on any way, good or bad?
It's been going great. He's a great guitarist and a cool guy to hang out with. Even though it's almost 7 years between me and him we get along really good and him being young as mainly a good thing. He's ambitious and has the drive that you need in this line of work. The only downside to his age is that he likes to sleep so damn late in the mornings, like all teenagers.

Q11. What's the most amazing gig you've ever done with Crazy Lixx?
That would have to be Sweden Rock Festival 2007. Thousands of people were watching the show, and it was a nice weather outside. Nothing can beat the feeling.

Q12. If Crazy Lixx, for the rest of the bands career, only could play one song, and you had the decision in your hands to make, and you were allowed to be completely selfish, which one of all Crazy Lixx songs would you pick? And why? Does the song you pick mean much to you personally or what's your reason to pick it?
If I was to be totally selfish I'd pick 'Want It'. It sums up my feelings about playing in a band and it's a catchy tune that I haven't grown tired of yet. But if we play it for the rest of our career I'm sure I will be tired of it at some point.

Q13. On your (www.crazylixx.com) website it says that all current members have a non-Swedish descent, so from which countries have Crazy Lixx their origins?
I and Andy are of polish descent. Luke's father is from Chile and Joey's dad is Spanish. I'm actually the only one that hasn't got any Swedish blood in me at all. Both my parents are polish, but I was born in Sweden.

Q14. Since your band name contains the word Crazy, I have to ask, what is the craziest thing the band ever done?
You know, contrary to what our name might say, we're not really a crazy band at all. Sure we get drunk and do stupid things from time to time but most of the time we're the pretty boys of rock n' roll. The main reason for this is because when we're out on tour we're there to give the fans a great show and you just can't do that when you're drunk or high all the time. We put the music first, and if that makes us boring then I guess we are.

Q15. How much do music really mean to you? Can you imagine yourself without music in your life? Is there something in the world that you could sacrifice your music for?
Not a day goes by when I don't think about music. I don't know what I'd do if I turned deaf all of a sudden, probably go crazy. Sacrifice music for.... hmmmm... World peace?

Q16. You have a tattoo on your left arm, picturing some kind of bird and also a short text that looks like it perhaps could be Latin. What do the tattoo and the text really mean? Do you have any other tattoos?
The tattoo is the only one that I have. The eagle is a symbol of Poland and the text is in Latin. Translated it would mean something like: Blessed by heritage, not bound by it. You figure out the rest.

Q17. What are the band's upcoming plans for the nearest future?
As I said, we're currently working on new material and that means we'll not be doing a lot of shows in the near future. The next show we have booked is the 'Rest in Sleaze'-festival, honoring the memory of late Dave Lepard.

Q18. In 10 years, where are Crazy Lixx? What are your hopes and dreams for this band?
In 10 years I hope we're on the road to promote our say, fifth album. I hope to make it big, like everybody else who picks up a guitar with dreams of becoming a rockstar.

Q19. There are many sleaze bands in Sweden, but few of them are signed to a label. What is the difference between Crazy Lixx and those bands? Why did you succeed and they don't? What do you think make you greater than most other swedish nu-sleaze bands?
The main reason I think is because we're not all that sleaze. The name is probably more sleaze than our music and we don't look all that sleaze either. I think we're not as genre-specific as many other bands. And I do think that our song material is better than most. Some bands just write the standard 'party-all-night-long-rock-n-roll'-tune that has been done a million times before. That won't do it.

Q20. Some quick questions:
Would you prefer being support act for Mötley Crüe or for Guns N Roses? Mötley, I think Axl has become somewhat of a lunatic, he´d probably post-pone the entire tour by 13 years.
Vodka or beer? Beer
Harry B James or Pub Anchor? Harry B James
Pizza or sushi? Pizza, unless it's in Japan and you get to eat it of a naked Geisha
Morning or evening? Evening

Thank you so much for taking your time. Good luck and keep on rocking.
And thank you. Oh, and one more thing: "If you book us, we will come..."


Interviewed by Johanna Salo

Lucien, a band with a lot of attitude, was born when the band's singer and guitarist Greg Hell moved to Sweden from Bristol UK, back in 2004, and hooked up with Vic Hemgren, guitarist of Lucien. Today, the band has two more members, the drummer Stephan and the bass player Johan. The band is ought to be an antidote to the nu-sleaze scene, a mission they might succeed with, but only time can tell. Earlier this year the band released their first album, which is self titled, but some times it's also called 'We Thought These Flames Might Set This World On Fire...' as they, on purpose, wrote that up the side of the CD case. But how does it work to try to be an antidote to the growing nu-glam/sleaze scene, and how do you get the inspiration to write books, for adults and for children, when you are a rockstar? And from where, is the name Lucien. Greg Hell has all the answers.

Q1. The release of your album seem to be a big success, how do you see this re-release and all?
 Is this the ultimate album in your eyes, or is it yet to come? We first made 2 EP's that we released ourselves just on CDR 'Unholy Lords of Rock' and 'Blood Red Diary'. Then we took songs from both and made the EP 'D.I.Y Eller Dö' which was put out by around 15 different small punk labels around the world on CD and cassette - then we ended up on some compilation albums and finally the Irish label Deadlamb Records approached us and asked us if we wanted to do an album. And so of course! So the first album is both our EPs put together (listeners might notice the difference in recording quality between the 1st and 2nd 'parts') and it was great just to have it out there really. I am proud of it however; there is not a song I dislike on it. Then this year it was really great to get it picked up by the Swedish label and distribution company Plugged. It shows we must have made a dent somewhere in the music world I guess! Now you can buy our album in the stores in Sweden and at places such as CDON, Ginza and Interpunk - we've also just signed for releases in China and Taiwan, which I'm really happy about. Is it our ultimate album? No, I don't think so, I think we have our 'St. Pepper' still in the ether somewhere. I'm just happy to have it out there - It's 10 really solid tracks that I'm proud of.

Q2. How does it work to try to be an antidote to the Nu-Glam/Sleaze scene and at the same time being good friends with Crashdiet?
It works fine as long as I don't bring it up in conversation, ha! No, seriously I don't see Crashdiet in the same light. For me they were the inventors of the 'Nu-Glam' scene. They took a really big chance and really stood for what they believed in and they fucking made it work! When I first saw them I was working for a small record company here in Stockholm and just couldn't believe what they were doing, it was ridiculous but at the same time cool as hell. A while later I got to meet the drummer Eric Young socially and the guy was just so genuine and down to earth and a funny guy that I couldn't help but find them interesting. The first time it really hit me how big and important they were was a while after the very sad passing of Dave (Lepard, the first singer of Crashdiet, died in January 2006) I was at a bar and someone came up to me asking if I knew the guys from Crashdiet, and when I asked why, it turned out that he was a guy who had flown over from Japan just to meet the band and try out to be the new singer! Those guys really rock but it's a shame that they have to have so many fucking lame imitators all over the place since they started making a name for themselves. Really bad third-rate acts who think if they put on some make-up and call themselves 'Wikki Dixx' they are cool. I get really sick of that shit. It's really like they haven't even thought about being in the least bit original. All this80s decadence is fine for a laugh but when you start to take it too seriously and actually think that it's your life here in 2008 it's just a joke. Young kids read 'The Dirt' and think that's how you should live your life. OK it's a cool as hell book but you know what, Mötley Crüe already did it. If you try to be like them you're just going to end up dead or in rehab or worse, a big fat alcoholic that needs plastic surgery every year. Read my lips kids...it's not cool. If it carries on we're going to need another version of Nirvana to come along and wipe it all out again, and that's what our song' Destroy the Ark' is all about. I just wish people would try and get some originality instead of just copying all the time. 'I'm a rock &roll rebel, cruising down the strip! Sipping Jack from the bottle with my stripper chick! Out to California in my Chevrolet! Look out The Whiskey, I'm on my way!'.... or are you 4 guys from Eskilstuna who live with your mums and have only ever been outside Sweden when you went on holiday to Greece? It's almost like the UK skate-punk scene of the late 90s/early 00's when you had 5 plumbers from Birmingham singing about surfing... I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'd really like to see more people use their own initiative and imagination. As you probably know, at least one band a week turns up that looks the same as the last ones with made-up names like 'Jizzy Roxx'...honestly. Next! So.... I only work for Crash Diet every once in a while as a roadie and it's only really Eric who is a good friend that I see outside of the band, the other guys kick ass don't get me wrong but I don't see them socially as I do Eric. Weal so work together as roadies for a lot of international touring bands and for me it's only Eric Young when he's up on that stage doing his thing, the rest of the time he's Eric my friend, co-worker and sometimes, scary enough, my boss! I'm not too sure if he wants me to tell you all this but to be fair he'll probably never read it so... Eric if you do read this, I tried to call you and stuff to see if it was ok but dragons ate my phone. As for being an 'antidote' to the current trends - yup that's really what we're going for. I want to be able to still fit in with the scene but at the same time I do want to challenge people to not just be cookie-cutter all the time. OK, what LUCIEN creates is maybe not 100% original also and I'm sure people will be fast to point that out but at least we are not just following the herd. I see us as being able to fit in OR stand alone and that's what I would like to see more of, people pushing the envelope and creating some really great stuff. I'm sure if we changed our name to 'Luzien' and wore a lot of make-up we might even reach some more fans who are just in it for the fun but for me, I see it like this. This whole glam thing is just a fad, it died in the 80s and it will die again in a few years, the kids will all move on and we'll have something else replace it. I've seen enough changes come and goin the 20 years or so that I have been really into rock music. I don't want to be part of something that will die out. I want to play good lasting rock music.



Q3. Tell me about this book you released in 2007. What is it about and how did you get the inspiration?
Sure! It's called 'Some Zen Somewhere' and it's a 'Travel reader' or as one guy said 'A toilet book'. You know, it's great to read on the toilet. It's in 3 parts. The first part is a collection of general 'rants' as I call them - which is just me talking about whatever was on my mind when I put pen to paper, from playing Star Wars as a kid to how much I miss bands like SNFU, to lobster masturbation. The second part is a tour diary from 2003 when my old band Mr. Zippy went on a three months long UK tour and the adventures we had there, kind of like a 'get in the van' style thing. The third part is a collection of short stories. Mostly Horror Fiction, one about a guy that gets shot but cannot die properly until his donated organs are returned to his own body, that sort of thing. It was fun to do, a lot of work, but fun to do. I guess I just always loved writing, I've done it since I was a kid, I wrote for a job for a while, I have written for many fanzines etc and just get really into it. It's a great release for me; I can really sink myself into writing and get very involved in the stories. I'm a very big reader myself and really appreciate the wealth of books, the English section in my local library doesn't really hold anything I haven't read yet. I'm working on a 2nd book right now which I intended to finish this year but Dr. Who got really interesting and it was a fun summer so, maybe2009, we'll see.

Q4. I'm a bit interested in this children's book you're going to release. Why just a children's book? Have you released it yet or when is it going to be released?
Again, this is something I have always wanted to do. I'm 33 now but I still love kids stuff for example, my favorite section in any supermarket is the toy section, I just pretend like I have kids. The inspiration came when I was in the warehouse of Kids Concept, the company that my girlfriend runs. One of her designs for the kids stuff was this funny looking monkey with a pirate hat on. We were laughing and joking like we always do and I just came up with this whole back-story for the monkey character, all his friends, what he does etc. He was a pirate monkey from space that lives on a flying pirate ship, he has a friend who is a gorilla that can't speak so he has a wooden parrot do it for him, they eat cheeseburgers all the time and there is also a fox on board that is the only crew member who has a clue what's going on and a shark that lives in his own traveling bath tub - I just got carried away with it and created a whole world for him. My girlfriend loved the idea and told her partners at the company who also liked the idea and so we started planning to actually turn it into a children's book. The Adventures of Captain Sam, The Pirate Space Monkey (or something like that) is still in its design stages. I've finished writing and sketching it, it will be illustrated by the fantastically talented Malena Backman, translated into Swedish and hopefully out sometime next year. I'm sure it will be fun for the kid-minded grown-up also so look out.

Q5. Do you see yourself as a writer or as some sort of music maker? What would you choose if you had to choose one of them to do for the rest of your life?
Tough question. If I was pretentious enough I'd say I see myself as a writer that just uses a different medium from time to time. If I HAD to choose one for the rest of my life, then I'd write I think. It's just me when I write and all my ideas and plans are written just for me, I never write for anyone else whereas if I write music I to tend to have that on my mind. I also find it much easier to work alone if I am creating something - music, art or whatever is usually very personal. Writing and music are both huge parts of my life but I feel in this day and age I can't always go exactly where I want to go with music. I can write and play stuff that I enjoy and I hope others do and there is sometimes a bit of a message in there as well but it's nothing to really, really get sunk into - writing can be, books and stories can be. In that medium there really are no limits and you really can go anywhere and do anything.

Q6. You're surname, Hell, is it your real name or have you taken it yourself?
No, of course it is not my real name. I was going to call myself 'Gezzy Rixx' but...ha ha! The name Greg Hell started when I ran a club back in the UK called 'Hell' and it just stuck. But it also kind of stands for a few personal things. Where I believe I have been and what I have seen in my life has been hell, and hell is where you can end up if things fuck up bad. So it's like a constant reminder of where I have been and fought to get out of and what I could go back to and why I should be so happy for where I am and what I do today. So although it might sound a bit scary and evil it's actually a really positive thing.

Q7. Why did you move to Sweden?
There's got to be an interesting story somewhere behind it, because you just don't move to a small country somewhere up north, far away from the rest of the world without a good reason? Ah, well there is quite a boring story behind it. But it was one of those things where I took a big jump off a cliff just to see if I could fly. I didn't by the way, it took me 4 years before I learned to do that.



Q8. You've lived in Sweden for 4 years now. Can you speak any Swedish or do you only speak English? And if you don't speak any Swedish, doesn't it bother you to not always know what people are saying?
I speak English with most of my friends but I can speak Swedish too although I'm not really very good at it. I used to have a job where I spoke Swedish all the time and then I became quite good at it but I haven't done that for a few years now and I've gone a bit downhill since. I understand like 70% of what's being said depending on who is speaking and the subject at hand. But if it doesn't concern me I'm quite good at switching off and letting it just become static noise for a while. Of course I would like to be better but it's just a case of finding the time to sit down and study it and practice it. I'm just about to move in with my girlfriend and she is insisting on speaking only Swedish every second week so let's hope that I can become a bit better then. She has the infinite patience required I'm sure.

Q9. Back to the music. Which is your favorite song on your album and why? Is it your favorite song because of some personal reason or because it have a good beat?
Every song on the album is personal, apart from 'Alright' where Vic wrote the lyrics and 'Gunslinger' which is based on a Stephen King book, as that's what I write about - people have said that my lyrics are quite dark but again this comes from what I said earlier. I can't really write about the typical rock & roll stuff like cars and girls and sunset strip and crap like that as it's not my life or my experiences, I just write about what I feel and know. So almost each song is like a little personal journey and part of my life. I love the song 'The Plowman vs. The Wind' - I think that's my personal favorite as it sums up a great deal of my life and experience and best defines what I'm all about, it's also my favorite to play. It's about how sometimes in life you put yourself through a really big struggle and if you examine the real root of why there is none. Sometimes we are driven just to progress but have no real motive, we hate it but we also could change it at any second should we just enlighten ourselves to the real truth of our situation. A lot of people live their lives like this, I a guilty party at times. So that's a real song about personal liberation which is my ultimate goal for me and everyone else in the world.

Q10. What's the best live performance Lucien ever made?
Hard to say - we seem to be getting better each time we play and ever since our new bassist Johan joined the band we have become better still. A good on form Lucien show is a good on form Lucien show that we all enjoy - so I couldn't really tell you the best. I could however tell you about some of the worst! A little while ago, we travelled 9 hours across Sweden to open up a badly organized festival and played at Midday for 3 kids and the sound tech.

Q11. What can we expect of Lucien in the future?
At the time of writing we are waiting to hear back for a support slot with Dia Psalma and Lillasyster which should be a fun show! We are also working on new material that should surface quite soon. Our plan is to make a Vinyl EP (old skool!) from the new stuff, which will include the songs 'The X and the Enemy' (a song about the late, great radio rock DJ's John Peel, Tommy Vance and Alan Freeman), 'Beautymeetbeast' and a cover of the Duran Duran track 'Planet Earth'.

Q12. How come you chose the name Lucien?
Actually I have a really nerdy yet kinda interesting answer for this one -LUCIEN is a character in Neil Gaiman's 'Sandman' books. The main character is called Morpheus or Dream, he is the entity in charge of everyone's dreams. He lives in a big castle and in this castle is a library, the librarian is called Lucien. The library holds all the books that have been imagined or dreamed but never actually created. So, back in the early 2000's when I was in Mr. Zippy I was dreaming of a new dark rock band that I was gonna create and writing songs in my head for it and I wondered if Lucien might also have a CD collection for all the albums dreamt up but never created - and that's why it seemed totally fitting.

Q13. Some quick questions...
Sleaze or Goth? Goth... totally.
Sweden or United Kingdom? Both have their good and bad points, but where as the UK gave me all it could, Sweden now opens up more doors for me all the time so...I have to say Sweden.
Vodka or water? Vodka of course! What kind of wacky question is that?
Cat or dog? Officially I'm a cat person but I've just gained a really nice dog called Abbey that is making me change my mind about the whole spectrum of canines.
Winter or summer? Summer for the fun and winter for the cozy times of course. Probably summer though.





Interviewed by Johanna Salo

  

Blacklist Union is a rock band from Hollywood, California. They're about to release a new album called "Breaking Bread with the Devil". This is the band which push rock ´n roll to its limits, taking shit from no one and walking away from a major record label deal. Vocalist Tony West agreed to an interview with Glitzine, talking about the new CD, the band, and the tragic death of Traci Michaelz of Pepppermint Creeps.

Q1. I've heard you're about to release a new album, how is it coming along?
The new CD is done. The name of the CD is "Baking Bread with the Devil" and will be released July 22nd.

Q2. Do you have a record label behind you at this time? Or are you still looking for the right one?
We have our own independent label called B.L.U. Records. We were signed to a major label and walked away from the deal and told them to go fuck themselves. The record label did nothing for us, in fact, we did way more and we were showing them how to do their job.

Q3. How come you chose the name Blacklist Union?
The name BLACKLIST UNION is about five controversial outlaw rockers who don't give a shit about what anyone says, especially not if it is some "big shot" suit that thinks he knows what the music listener wants while his whole label infrastructure implodes in on him.

Q4. Your music sounds a lot like the music back in the 80s, but a little harder and more modern so to speak. Is that intentionally?
We don't intentionally try to sound like anyone at all, we are definitely not trend followers.

Q5. Which bands are your biggest influences?
My personal influences are many lots of punk rock like The ramones & GBH (Charged GBH) but also vocal influences for me are Andrew Wood (Mother Love Bone) Perry Farrell (Jane's Addiction) and Ian Astbury (The Cult).

Q6. How come you started to play together? Is there any funny story about it?
We came together and started playing because we were all friends, and we wanted the same things out of life. And instead of sit around talking about what we were gonna do, like most people in Hollywood, we go out and do it.

Q7. Can we expect you to go on a tour soon?
Yes, as soon as we find a new booking agent, we will hit the road with "Rockets to Ruin" (rockband from Atlanta, Georgia).

Q8. Have you ever played anywhere else but US?
No, we haven't. But although we haven't been overseas playing yet, we plan on going to Europe and Japan in the very near future.

Q9. What has been the most exiting moment in the band's history so far?
I can tell you the most exciting thing that has happened so far, was to have enough balls and courage to walk away from our deal. It was scary but it was the best thing we ever did, and we aren't gonna compromise ourselves as artists or as a band for some full of shit label. We took that stand not only for ourselves but for every rock band thats ever been fucked by a manager, a booking agent, label or club or whatever. We want the airwaves not bragging rights for our friends, to tell them we are signed.

Q10. Do you consider fame and fortune to be important or do you only play because it's fun?
We play music to play music period. We love it and all the money and so called fame is, of course, nice but it also brings on new problems.

Q11. Is it true that a member in the band helped to catch a criminal? What happened?
It's true that Carmine, our guitar player, caught a murderer that he had seen the night before on "Americas most wanted". After seeing it the night before he walked out his apartment door in Hollywood and there he was. Pretty scary shit.

Q12. What future plans do you have for the band?
As far as future plans we will keep going untill Hollywood rock is once again on the map.

Q13. Well, thank you for taking your time, good luck in the future and keep on rocking!
Well, I'd also like to say that Hollywood suffered another tragic loss with the passing of Traci Michaelz from the Peppermint Creeps here in LA. Although I was not a fan of his band I have much respect for them and for Traci for always sticking to his vision and NEVER straying from his beliefs of what rock n roll was! Cheers my friend see you on the other side.




Interviewed by Johanna Salo

Amy's Ashes, a 4-piece band who describe their music as a combination between rock, electronica, glam and goth, are just about to release a new 3-track demo. Glitzine had a little talk with Amy's Ashes guitarist Aliz about the new demo, the future and how hard it is to survive as a demo-band in Sweden.

Q1. Hi! How are you doing?
Hey there! I'm fine thanks, just came home after some pizza and couple of beers.

Q2. How come Amy's Ashes started to play together? Is there any funny story about it?
It's a story about damn fine timing! First time me and Eric met wasn't because of the music. At that time I was doing some modeling and Eric is a very talented photographer. So my agency hooked me up with him for a photo shoot, but instead of talking about photo ideas, we got wasted and ended up talking about music. We became close friends and we knew we had to start a band. Soon after that we met Aram. He was singing (and still is) in a band called "The Mist of Avalon". He listened to our songs and he was in! Now we needed a drummer and Aram knew a hell of a one, Matte Modin. He had just left Dark Funeral, he liked the songs and became our drummer.

Q3. Why did you choose the name? Who came up with it?
The name was my idea and the story behind it is quite tragic and personal. The guys liked it though.

Q4. How do you describe your music?
I'll rather let others categorize it, they'll do it anyway. But it has elements of rock n' roll, electronica, glam and goth. It's melodic, there is a bit of melancholy and "catchy-ness".

Q5. How come you ended up playing the kind of music you do?
We wanted to make music that touches us and that will hopefully affect the listener.



Q6. What bands had a lot of influence about how Amy's Ashes turned out to be?
We listen to tons of music so you never know which band or genre is going to influence the next song we do. Lately it has been a lot of Depeche Mode, Sisters of Mercy, Type O Negative, Editors, Joy Division, Paradise Lost, HIM, The 69 Eyes and bands in that genre. You just listen to bands you like and at some level they'll probably influence you.

Q7. You're about to release a new demo. What do you have to say about it? Did it turned out the way you wanted?
That's right. It's our first promo. We've recorded three songs and you can find two of them at our MySpace. We'll release the third track soon too. The recording process was fun and the songs turned out very well. We've received a lot of positive response, some airplay, interviews and the promo gave us a place in the "Mama Trash Family".

Q8. Is it hard or easy to survive as a demo band in Sweden?
It's always hard without a label, but we have no plans to stay without one for long.

Q9. You haven't been signed to any record label. How come? Have any record labels shown any interest in the band?
Two of our songs have been out there for only a couple of weeks. Actually, we haven't even had the time to print copies of the promo, but when we do we'll send it to some labels and hope for the best. So far our main focus is to get as many people as possible to listen to our music.

Q10. Where's the easiest place for Amy's Ashes to break-through? Sweden or abroad?
Sweden is a small country, so I guess it's abroad. But you never know...

Q11. New demo and all, are you going to hit the road now, or what's the plan?
The plan is to keep promoting the band and to get a proper label that will present us. We're also planning to do some shows at the end of the summer.

Q12. What are you doing the last 10 minutes before you enter the stage at a show?
Smoke a few cigarettes, drink a couple of beers and just relax. Some guitar players tend to warm up and stuff like that, but that's kind of silly if you ask me. Rock 'n Roll are not a sport dammit!

Q13. Are you one of all the wild bands, really trying to be rock stars, with a lot of groupies, destroying hotel rooms, smashing guitars, or have you a more calm lifestyle?
 We drink a lot. Shit happens then.

Q14. What has been the biggest experience for the band?
That one hasn't happened yet, but we're thrilled to have Matte as our drummer. Also the fact that Mama Trash like our music and want to work with us means a lot.

Q15. Where are Amy's Ashes in 5 years from now, hopefully?
We're out there touring and destroying ourselves.

Q16. Some quick questions...
What's your favorite food? Kebab.
What's your favorite drink? Beer.
What's your favorite curse word? Fuck.
What's your favorite place to gig? U.S. would be nice.
Last, but not least, thank you and good luck with the new demo and everything, and hope the future turns out good for the band.
Thanks a lot!





Interview by Johanna Salo

For more information, check out the band's website www.amysashes.com or their myspace www.myspace.com/amysashes

When I started to listen to this demo I didn't like it at all, the sound wasn't great and that really distracted me from the music. This was especially noticeable in second track "Little Ruin Doll".
But by third track "Tired of London" my picture of this band had started to change. This was a really cool track and the sound quality was by far better. But the best was yet to come. "Lolly" really blew me away. Even though the sound (in my mind) again wasn't the best, it still was a great song.
The wisest thing according to me would be to place "Lolly" as track 1 or 2 instead of track 4, and put the track "Little Ruin Doll" as track 4, so people would listen to the entire demo, because I think this track is a little pot of gold hidden at the end.

Rating 4/10

by Johanna Salo

This album started with the title track "Stir Up The Fire", it's a song filled with attitude and a great start of a great album. For some reason this band made me start thinking of Turbonegro, Type O Negative and Nine Inch Nails.

The transition between track 5 "Pain and pleasure" and track 6 "Endless journey" was really phenomenal, you couldn't really say where track 5 ended and track 6 began and I must say that I liked it. But the best track on this album according to me is located at the end, the song "Get it together", it really showed another side to the band. It feels like they put away some of their attitude and put a little more feeling into it, and it works, that's the amazing thing about it. This album is fantastic even if it feels a little bit monotonous once in a while.

Rating 8/10

by Johanna Salo

I can't help it, I love the calmness in this band, I love the relaxing feeling it sends out. The changing tempos, the lyrics, the melodies, the combination of everything are just perfect.
This EP starts with song "Nowhere", a pretty, calm song, perfect for those moments in the bath tub combined with a glass of cheap wine, at least that's the feeling I get.
But the entire EP makes me miss summer, because the music is perfect for a hot summer's night, to lay on a blanket with some close friends, talking and listening to this EP by "The Thin Men". This may not be anything for the party, but it's for sure worth listening to.
The most fantastic song is "Dream of You", listen to it, and you will be spellbound.

Rating: 9/10

by Johanna Salo

Ever seen the movie "Moulin Rouge" with Nicole Kidman and Evan McGregor? I have, and I liked it. But this is something, sadly enough, that I don't. This sounds like a bad rip-off of the music from Moulin Rouge, but a little bit harder, and also a lot more pathetic. Sure, the growl sounds okay, but it doesn't fit.
The only thing really good on this EP is the intro on fourth song "Cinderella Murder Classic". Too bad the singer opens his mouth after 42 seconds and ruins everything. If it was instrumental it could have been a great song. Well, what can I say? This ain't good.

Rating: 2/10

by Johanna Salo

I considered 'Para Siempre' to be way too much latino and to little rock n' roll, but I sure liked the idea. The whole Spanish/English thing sure as hell was different, but it confused me because I couldn't really understand the meanings of the songs. I could only understand the English parts and that kind of distracted me way too much to be able to appreciate the music in the way it deserves. BUT! The album has its highlights, trust me on that one.

Rating 6/10

By Johanna Salo