2nd review page

Another page with more reviews, really need some feedback, specifically on what can be done to make the bottom right look better (I know there's a few spelling mistakes etc as I was more arsed about the design at this stage)

Rammstein: Feb 2nd 2010 Manchester MEN Arena

(Pic robbed off some randomer on Facebook I don't even know hehe)

The Setlist:

Rammlied

B********
Waidmanns Heil

Keine Lust
Weißes Fleisch

Feuer Frei!

Wiener Blut

Frühling In Paris

Ich Tu Dir Weh
Liebe Ist Für Alle Da

Benzin

Links 2-3-4

Du Hast

Pussy
---
Sonne

Haifisch

Ich Will
---
Engel

After a 5 year absence Rammstein returned to the UK in literally blistering form. On this, the first night of their short UK tour they certainly prove why they are one of the most entertaining bands currently active. Sporting a new stage set (costing a whopping £2million approx.) no expense has been spared.

Opening act Combichrist set the ball rolling with their brand of industrial dance metal, reminiscent of pre-Downward Spiral NiN. Energetic vocallist Andy LaPleglua, sounding vaguely similar to Static-X's own Wayne Static gets the crowd fired up through a short set including the shoutalong 'What the F*** Is Wrong With You' but it is drummer Joe Letz and percussionist Trevor Friedrich who steal the show with their entertaining albeit at times chaotic drumming which called for a shortened set as they got too carried away and constantly smashed their respected kits up and throwing drumsticks about like no tomorrow.

Known for their shock factor, Rammstein controversially stick to material from latest album 'Liebe Ist Fur Alle Da' as well as throwing some old hits in to the mix. Other bands have tried and failed this formula but not all bands are Rammstein, whose live ethic remains the same: blasting their audience's face off with as much pyro and explosions as humanly imaginable. And that is just what they do. Guitarists Kruspe and Landers use their respected guitars to smash their way through walls either side of frontman Till Lindermann, who kicks things off making his way through a doorway onstage thanks to the use of a blowtorch. They begin explosively with 'Rammlied' with Till sporting a red apron and a hairnet, singing with a glow in his mouth thanks to a white light fitted inside.

Keyboardist Flake is legendary among Rammstein fans due to the on-stage 'abuse' he receives from Till (past incidents include a staged sodomoy that resulted in both members' arrest) but this time must be the craziest. During recent single 'Ich Tu Der Weh' Flake is dumped into a bathtub after a staged bout of fisticuffs. Till then raises himself high above the platform and dumps a tirade of sparks from a milk churn onto the bathtub, which then exploded. Shortly after the skinny keyboardist reappeared wearing a sparkling full bodied suit. And it didnt just stop there. With props such as exploding dolls with lasers in their eyes and guitarists wearing fire breathing masks it would be shocking to hear anyone complain of being even slightly chilly.

Classics such as Ich Will, Keine Lust and of course Feur Frei (with full on pyrotechnics across the stage) got the crowd ever more pumped up including the Industrial legends themselves who stormed through a note perfect 'Benzin' whilst firing a petrol pump shaped flame thrower around the stage. Also during Feur Frei one 'fan' ran around the stage maniacally, only to be set on fire and kicked down by Till. Of course, breakout songs Sonne and Du Hast were played with precision and were just as captivating as the visuals that accompanied them.

One particular highlight had to be Till straddling a giant pink cannon during 'Pussy' (a song already known for its more than risque music video) travelling left to right of the front barrier firing foam towards the crowd. Flake did his routine of surfing the crowd in a giant raft and successfully avoided being capsized, flying a British flag as he went around.

Finally on their second encore they end with 'Engel', made ever more special by a metal winged Till Lindermann (guess what was fired from the wings?). After such an explosive finale when Rammstein return to these shores in August for Sonisphere it'd be interesting to see what they can do to be able to top one of their greatest live performances ever seen.

A Draft Page of Reviews!

3rd Times The Charm...

El magazine cover numero deux!

Just another random design cover.I was going to take the Metal Hammer approach and just keep the main focus on the cover star but thought it'd looks a bit too plain (took fucking forever to photoshop those pics together, even editing the band members to appear they're standing close together!) I've even changed the name of the magazine to 'Carnage' because I thought a one worded title would be better, plus more can be put on with a shorter title ;). Yet again some font issues yadda yadda yadda but its only another draft!

Mudvayne - Mudvayne (2009)

Releasing an album shortly after Christmas does seem to be an odd and extremely daft time. Even more tragic for Mudvayne, whose latest debuted at the lowly Billboard chart position of 49 in America (compared to 2005's Lost and Found which crashed into the charts at number 2). But does this poor timing account for the trigger aimed at Mudvayne? Or have they indeed shot themselves in the foot this time?

It was only the previous November that Mudvayne released The New Game, an album panned for its 'mainstream' ideas that fell short of what everyone expected from the band that dub themselves 'math metal'. Remarkably the Illinois quartet are back to represent their heaviest material in years. Sounding further away form the mainstream than ever before, Beautiful and Strange sets the ball rolling with a riff although not digestible for a radio-friendly audience but one that will be stuck in your head for sometime. Giving credit where its due New Game had its fair share of standout tracks but not a lot to call home about. A heavy dose of crunchy guitars and shredding bass drown the sorrows of Mudvayne's past mistakes, re-introducing a sound not heard as well since the LD50 era. There are no obvious stand-out tracks, which works in its favour as each track stands out in its own right, even the risky titled Heard It All Before. A thunderstorm of a song, with a gloomy intro that turns into an aggressive tirade of riffs exploding with the screams of vocalist Chad Gray sounding as angry as ever before. Even closing track Dead Inside is excusable as the aggression and the drive is there, even if it is merely an acoustic song. It ends with a similar soundbite heard in the opening, representing the full circle the band has come.

And so Mudvayne represents the bands return to their roots; the sound of a band yet again hungry. This CD could do for Mudvayne what Death Magnetic did for Metallica. It just goes to show the what great care that has been taken with this album and thats just in terms of production and musicianship so far. It has been heavily reported that the album has cleverly been released with an album sleeve with artwork only visible under black light. Expect the limited edition copies to be a must have for Mudvayne fans across the world but be quick! there's only 1000!

Personal favs: Beautiful and Strange, Heard It All Before, Scream With Me, 1000 Mile Journey, Dead Inside

Reviews TBD

Got a hold of some new albums I'm going to have a go at reviewing, some not long released, some yet to be released (not going to let on where I got them tho hehe) I'll put them up in the next few days but so far I'll be reviewing:

*Mudvayne (self titled) - Just debuted poorly on the Billboard 200 in America. Is it the staleness of the charts to blame? Or is the album in fact, crap?

*Puddle of Mudd (Vol.4: Songs in the Key of Love and Hate) - One of the bands whose career took off thanks to a number of things; their smash hit single 'Blurry' being on Limp Bizkit frontman's record label (Flawless Records) and the sceptical reason being that they took off on the the coat tails of the 'nu-grunge' trend pioneered by Stadium acts Nickelback and Staind. Last album Famous flopped, but judging by the lead single it looks like this may well be the final nail in the coffin. Only the rest of the album will tell if this will be the case

*30 Seconds to Mars (This is War) - Bravely touring UK arenas with this album next month Jared Leto and co. released their 3rd album several weeks back. So far I've only heard the first single 'Kings and Queens' and must say the optimism shows in its epic production. I look forward to hearing whether they are able to sustain interest with This is War.