Monthly Archives: February 2008

Our man Eugene Robinson-you know him as the dude who choked you out at the Oxbow show-has been threatening to write a fight book for some time now, and the good folks at HarperCollins finally told him to put his mouth where their money was.

The result is FIGHT: Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Ass-Kicking But Were Afraid You’d Get Your Ass Kicked For Asking, a black-eyed, split-lipped, bloody-knuckled journey into the black heart of the fistic arts-from Ultimate Fighting, underground fight clubs and kickboxing to soccer hooliganism, vicious “rock n’ roll” prison-cell combat, and good old-fashioned bar brawls.

The best part is that Hydra Head managed to convince him (actually, it didn’t take much convincing) to record an audio version of FIGHT for release on 2xCD.

The tapes play out like Ray Liotta’s voiceover from Goodfellas transposed across a series of merciless, technically proficient beatings-only without all the messy coke scenes and, like, antipasto.

‘UnonoU’ is to be the second full release from Danava through Kemado Records.
Portland, Oregon’s, Four-piece Danava explain that “UnonoU is a word I made up,” says lead singer Dusty Sparkles. “People should think for themselves [as to its deeper meaning]. I hate being specific. It’s boring.”
What’s not boring is much of anything about Danava’s densely-packed musical ideas and unstoppable live show, which kick down the doors of genre, clique, and scene.

Although Danava (pronounced DON-UH-VUH) play the type of ferociously intense, foundation-rattling, rock and roll that might righteously justify some good old fashioned head-banging, vocalist Dusty Sparkles wants you to know that he doesn’t consider his band a metal outfit.
Sparkles has as much use for genre tags as folks on the Titanic did for bottled water.
Danava reaches back to the whole of a musical history beyond metal, and fuses the results into a cohesive end result. “It’s hard to stand out,” Sparkles confesses. “What matters to us is that we can say we’re doing our own thing.”

UnonoU is available though Kemado Records.

‘They take Ozzy yowl and fretboard- dancing chops and infuse them with the cosmic spirit redolent of Hawkwind’ – Uncut

“Danava will be your new favorite band, get used to it.” – Rock Sound

‘Danava are both geniuses and madmen. Their retro yet spacey rock sound will confuse many but when it lands it the right hands… Well I imagine you’re going to rock like never before.’ – Powerplay

‘Danava are a retro-futuristic voyage into an apocalyptic nightmare world where light is dark and weird is normal.’ – Kerrang!

‘This will blow your mind.’ – Metal Hammer

‘Deserves it’s own award for merry insanity.’ – Plan B

Boston’s 5ive (not to be mistaken with the English boyband, oh no no no) are a psychedelic doomcore band, consisting of only two mighty members – Ben Carr and Charlie Harrold.

After seven years of relative anonymity, they are back to grace us again with both their presence and a picture perfect new record, which serves as a frame worthy summation of the band’s past impressions and conceptual progression. ‘Hesperus’ is to be their new full length release, which will be out March 24 2008 through Tortuga Records.

Produced by Grammy nominee Andrew Schneider (Cave In, Daughters, Scissorfight), these seven tracks will send you silently swaying into a somnambulant state and then abandon you still stirring and stark naked in a roomful of uncomfortable silence. 5ive, longstanding purveyor of the recently popularized metallic twosome, has, with Hesperus, generated a centripetal force to be reckoned with.

The first review to come back from this campaign was 9/10 from NME…