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Riddle of Steel RIYL: Queens Of The Stone Age, Shiner, Van Halen, The Police, Zeppelin, Jawbox, Shudder To Think. "Riddle of Steel (ROS) is a blend of... well , everything I love about music. They Bring power, technical musicanship and emotive melodies to the table. But, while that formula might bring one of a hundred bands to mind, ROS, honestly, has no musical peers. The music honestly defies classification, but not because of a lack of direction on the bands part. They know what they want from each song, whether it is driving power, mathy rhythms, or a nice melody line... ROS puts it to use like no one else you've heard." - indieworkshop.com (from l to r) Rob Smith - drums Jimmy Vavak - bass, vocals Andrew Elstner - guitar, vocals http://www.myspace.com/riddleofsteelband riddleofsteel1@gmail.com riddleofsteel1-subscribe@yahoogroups.com From the current press release for 'GOT THIS FEELIN' available JUNE 2005. Riddle of Steel, an indie rock, power trio from St. Louis, Missouri has given us their second full length, Got This Feelin', follow up to 2003's critically acclaimed debut, Python, and is it ever a triumph of a second release. Still sounding like a band in invigorating transition, they've taken the Yes/Burning Airlines/Police/Fugazi/Shiner leanings of the last release and transformed them into something incredibly more focused, tuneful and inspired. Ever present is Riddle of Steel's post-punk/prog wizardry: remarkable vocals, gargantuan rhythm section, and highly inventive guitar work. RIYL: Faraquet, Mars Volta, Jawbox. What's new here for Riddle of Steel is that the maniacal prog machinations have been tamed and put to good use, giving way to songwriting that tilts to the darker, spikier side of power pop/indie rock, ala Queens of the Stone Age, Gran Turismo-era-Cardigans and earlier Trans Am. And all this on a benchmark quality recording (Carl Amburn - Mousetrap Studio), album art by Jason Farrel (Bluetip, Retisonic, Swizz), and nary a teardrop of cloying, "emo" ubiquity thank you very much! Riddle of Steel clearly does not write music for the non-discerning, but there is so much fantastic stuff going on here, that it's nearly impossible to imagine this band and this release not having serious appeal across the board. Unbeatable and so very, very recommended.
Traindodge Trio from OKC with sounds via K.C./D.C. Powerful, ambient and heavy, but still melodic w/ proud 80's prog tendencies ...never has a three-piece sounded so huge. "The band have always had a love for prog-rock, but the synths on Wolves are actually an integral part of every track. I mean serious Vangelis-style '80s synths. There's also a heavy late-'70s hard rock influence here, with Rob Smith providing thumping, danceable beats on nearly every track. ...Maximum rock, minimum fuss." - Transform Online Jason Smith - Guitar, Vocals Chris Allen - Bass Rob Smith - Drums, Keyboards Jon Holt - Guitar, Keyboards http://www.traindodge.com jstdodge@aol.com Here's where you pay attention - on Wolves, the fourth full-length from Traindodge, they've given all fans of rock reason to celebrate.Wolves fucking smokes! Slimmed-down to their original three-piece size, Traindodge is somehow even more of an awe-inspiring beast. Going ten years strong, the band has again created something lasting and real, while of course maintaining their trademark Bonham/ John Paul Jones meets aggressive Midwest wall-of-sound indie rock. However, on Wolves, we find Traindodge leaning heavier on the synths than ever before, giving the mix a fresh, air-conditioned vibe.They can no longer hide their secret love of eighties prog/pop - Genesis, King Crimson, Peter Gabriel, Journey, Steely Dan, Talking Heads, Tangerine Dream - and if you love it, why fight it? Prospective record reviewers should familiarize themselves with said bands before attempting to properly review this release. Again recorded by mysterious, über-skilled underground legend Carl Amburn (Moustrap Studio),Wolves spits in the face of your kid brother's cutesy lo-fi meanderings and ever-present trend-hopping scenesters. Dig it. "Their no-frills approach has an unmistakable ferocity and their recordings are almost unbelievably tight.With drum sounds that seem like they are lifted straight from Quicksand's Manic Compression, but with a more indie rock-infused approach - think Giant's Chair or even older Jawbox." - Basement Life
Dropsonic Swaggering, R & R badassness from Atlanta, GA. Blistering live shows from these sons of Zeppelin. "Dropsonic is the Arcade Fire's heavy-metal cousin, Shiner's favorite nephew, the Cream for a postpunk, post-psychedelic, post-not-giving-a-shit day and age." - The Pitch, K.C. Dan Dixon - Guitar, Vocals Dave Chase - Bass Brian Hunter - Drums http://www.dropsonic.com
Roma 79 Gorgeous, engaging, mood altering, mind bending indie rock trio from San Francisco, CA. "Rock with shoegazer tendencies." This is how beauty rocks. Aaron Bonsall - Drums Jeremy Patfield - Bass, Keyboard, Vox Andrew Skikne - Guitar http://www.roma79.com info@roma79.com
Gravity Propulsion System Damaged rock vs. sturm & drang from Oklahoma City. GPS uses drums, bass, guitar, & an insane amount of stompboxes to wage their own personal brand of audio warfare. (L-R) Bryan Baxter - Amplified Bass, Vocals, Noise Mark Owen- Drums, Vocals, Blinding White Lights Lance Pellegrini - Amplified Guitars, Drums, Gold Van http://gravitypropulsionsystem.com b@gravitypropulsionsystem.com
Retisonic Retisonic have spent 2005 writing and recording their best material to date: 18 new songs showcasing their angular take on punk, rock, melody, harmony, aggression, beauty, frustration, and love. The Levittown e.p. (Ascetic Record, release date: May 9th) will give the world its first glimpse of their efforts. With a full-length ready to go and several 16mm film projects in the works, 2006 will prove to be the defining year for Retisonic. Retisonic features ex-members of Bluetip, Swiz, Garden Variety, J-Majesty among others. Jason Farrell - guitar, vocals Joe Gorelick - drums, back-ups Jim Kimball - bass http://www.retisonic.com info@retisonic.com
Headcases Forget about how to define the Headcaes music, you would miss its essence. Power post grunge? Noisy popcore? Post this? Pre that? On the other hand, be sure that the French trio plays good amplified music, hits the road with fury for years and goes straight out of its way for the sake of RnR. Pierre-Louis Francois: Lead Vocals/Guitar Matthieu Gazeau: Drums Laurent Paradot: Bass, Vocals http://www.myspace.com/headcases headcasesmath@hotmail.com
Stella Link Moody, powerful, psychedelic spacerock from KC, MO. "Signal drenched, feedback monolith from K.C., MO." Band members' past and present projects include: Dirt Nap, The Life and Times, Olympic Size, Season to Risk, Aerialuxe, the String and Return, Lafayette. (L-R) Chris Metcalf - Drums David Gaume - Bass Wade Williamson - Guitar Justing Warring - Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards http://www.stellalink.com info@stellalink.com
The Movement Female-fronted indie band from St. Louis...artsy while retaining a pop sensibility. Betsy Maher - Vocals Paul Quiroga - Bass Matt Snell - Guitar Hieu Nguyen - Drums http://www.asceticrecords.com hieu@asceticrecords.com
Hoover McNoover Fast, loud, and catchy . . . enough said. Denny Dyer - bass, vocals Elijah Taylor - drums, vocals Chris Spina - guitar, vocals Pete Hoffman - guitar hoovermcnoover@hotmail.com More rock!
DMS This duo features ex members of American Football, Back of Dave and the Firebird Band. DMS has 3 tracks on the Socomtonor Collection Vol. 1 Think Jack Dejohnette jamming with Aphex Twin/Squarepusher. Simply stunning. Sadly, DMS is no more, but the music lives on. Steve Lamos - Drums/Programing Ben Wilson - Guitar http://www.dms-hq.com