Yeah! What a month we had last month! Traveling to and fro, stumbling on some of the most unique musical creatures that could pull themselves from the primordial sludge of cyberspace . . . damn! I love the internet! Get yourselves seated, Waveriders . . . we’re about to do it all over again. The flight plan looks to have us cruising through France (what a surprise), Austria, Sweden, Norway, Canada, and then back to the friendly, or menacing (depends how hard you squint) faces of the folks in the good ole U.S. of A. So, we hope you have the photos in your passports updated coz’ we’re not beyond leaving you at customs. Racer! Get this sucker in the air!
You may be pretty sick and tired of hearing me go on and on about the brilliance of the music coming out of France these days, but so be it. I’m only reporting on what I think is cool! So, with that being said, experimental metalists, Hacride, have put the final touches on their new album entitled Lazarus. I’ve mentioned in the past that the tunes posted on their MySpace page are shimmering with eclectic brilliance, but going back and listening to them right now simply solidifies my feelings on that earlier sentiment. Check out the metallic Middle Eastern vibe of “Zambra” with its acoustic guitars, female vocals, and mind boggling polyrhythms. This album tops my most anticipated list and every time I hear even a mere whisper about these guys, my heart rate increases exponentially. See Racer? I can use big words, too! The track list and album art is all prepared and ready to go, and it looks like Lazarus will reach the masses on April 20th. www.myspace.com/hacride
From Poitiers to Toulouse, we’re revisiting the lads of END. a few weeks back, they signed a deal with Metal Blade, which should do nothing but make them a household name within a few years. In striking this deal, clear minds prevailed and the band changed their name to Eryn Non Dae. Sure, it’s a little more of a mouthful, but if you look at the name, it still incorporates the original name of END. Check the first letter of each word . . . sound it out, Waveriders . . . there you go. We’re still not certain on a release date for the follow up to The Never Ending Whirl of Confusion EP, but I’m sure as soon as Alex with All About the Music finds out he’ll pass the word to us. He’s on top of his shit that way. If you haven’t heard the EP, swing by their page because the whole thing is posted there for your listening pleasure. It’s good. It’s brutally dense and immaculately heavy. With the new album, does that mean there will be a world tour? How about a tour of the States? I know . . . burning questions, and questions that we’ll get answered for you as soon as we can. www.myspace.com/end1freefr 
We’re going to stay in France for a little bit longer, but we’re going to take trip to a darker place. Out of Limoges or Limousin (can’t really make out if it’s one town or two . . . Racer? Can you be a dear and play cartographer for me? Thanks,) we have a band called Execution who play this rumbling brand of death metal that should strip a few layers of flesh from the body. As seems to be the theme of the French metallers these days, the guys in Execution are taking the standard form of the music and adding their own unique spin on things. At times, the music has a great melody to it. Other times, they throw in synths and female vocals to create a wash of atmospheric energy through the music. All of this provided over the tried and true template of distorted guitars and belching vocals that blast the listener to oblivion. I hope to hear more from these guys! www.myspace.com/executionfr 
Let’s stop in The City of Lights for a few minutes and visit a band that is quickly becoming a Ripple favorite. The band is called We Insist! and play music unlike anything I’ve ever heard. Their last album Oh! Things Are So Corruptible shocked our office like none other and made us sit up and take notice. Well, check this out! The lads have a new album getting ready to come out called The Babel Inside Was Terrible and is being released by Exile on Mainstream. You guys realize that the last album came out in 2004? It’s a travesty that such brilliant, unnerving, unorthodox, uncompromising, and exquisite music isn’t coming out more frequently! Somebody needs to make it so these wonderfully creative minds can do nothing but expand on their art as a full time, all expense paying enterprise. Okay . . . which of you Waveriders is willing to step up with an open check book? www.myspace.com/weinsistband 
We’re going to make a quick hop over the Alps and drop in on the little country of Austria. In fact, we’re going to the capital of Vienna to see a band that struck me as kinda’ fun when I was introduced to them. The band is called Rocquette and they combine the sleazy guitar tones of ‘80’s hard rock with the pseudo-punk female vocals of Blondie. I’m actually going against the title of this piece by telling you about another site filled with tons of unknown musicians. That site is called Musician Match and they do a marvelous job of pairing up musicians with other musicians in an effort to help these guys create their art. Check out Rocquette on www.MusicianMatch.com 
I advise that y’all put on your parkas and beanie caps coz we’re headed off to the lands of frost and fire. By now, you all should know about my affinity for just about any of the music coming out of the Scandinavian states, so it should come to you as no surprise that once again I’m talking a mile a minute about Trettioariga Kriget. Word came down this morning to me that my favorite Swedish prog outfit are making their way to American shores for only the second time in their illustrious career. They’ll be performing at Nearfest in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania on Sunday, June 21st. Now, if only I can find a way to get to Pennsylvania from California . . . Racer? How’s our petty cash looking right about now? www.myspace.com/trettioarigakriget www.myspace.com/nearfest 
A few weeks back, we received some disturbing news that the lead vocalist for Norwegian metallers, Susperia, suffered from a heart attack on March 9th. I immediately returned the double bacon cheeseburger I had ordered for the more health conscious chicken salad and dropped a line of support for the lads. From what we’ve heard from the Susperia camp is that Athera is having surgery on his heart to repair some valve damage, but he should be able to make a full recovery and be back on the road in no time. Ya’ gotta’ love modern medicine! Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the band. Get better, Athera! www.myspace.com/susperiafans 
Touching down in Montreal, Canada, for a short layover, we decided that this would be a good time to stop by and see an old friend. This old friend goes by the name of Jade Leary and I’d have to say that his musical styling’s are a stone’s throw from genius. He creates a song by building these incredible tones on top of each other, adding bits and pieces to build a massive wall of tension, and rather than exploding into a flurry of dissonance, drops the bottom from the whole thing so it feels like you’ve been left weightless. He went on a bit of a hiatus after his epic Black Glitter Diaries album, but he’s back friends! He recently posted some new songs, some complete, some in draft form, but all of them leave you with the sense that he’s tearing down some invisible walls that have kept him trapped in himself. This stuff is absolutely amazing! www.myspace.com/jadeleary
Creeping back into the U.S., we need to stop in the Beantown area and have a cup of tea with the dude who actually introduced us to Jade Leary. Yes, you know him, you love him . . . Jeff Sanders has been hard at work on the follow up to last year’s Dreadnaught album and he’s started a mini-diary of sorts to keep us all updated on the latest going’s on with Mountain Mirrors. Suffice it to say, this year is going to kill with all of the new music coming out and MM are one of the bands leading the pack. Each album has shown a different aspect of the man behind the music, letting us see the depth of his being, and this new EP should carry the story along just fine. www.myspace.com/mountainmirrors 
After Racer’s Red Eye journey through the cosmos, we’ve landed in Seattle to witness the birth of a new music festival. This one is called United States of Metal Festival and is kicking off its inaugural run this June. Figures . . . I’ll be in New York and Pennsylvania for this event, but I’m sure I can send a few of you Waveriders as proxy rockers. These guys have some lofty goals, and they’ll need the help of anyone and everyone strong enough to wave the banner of metal. They’re looking to have 75 unsigned bands and 25 signed bands over the course of three days. They’re seeking sponsors, they’re seeking bands, they’re seeking the best of the best. Check ‘em out and give them some support! www.myspace.com/unitedstatesofmetal 
Finally, out of the City of Angels (Los Angeles for those who don’t know,) there’s a band running around called Ellsbeth who have a pretty cool sound. A little gothy, a little metal, and very rockin’! They have a new album called Well Dressed Killing Machine and is planned for release on April 1st. “Eden” and “Say Goodbye” have a great metallic groove mixed with a striking melody . . . a little haunting. Imagine Avenged Sevenfold without all the screaming and female vocals. This is strong . . . I’m now looking forward to April 1st for something more than practical jokes to play on Racer. www.myspace.com/ellsbethmusic Until next month, Waveriders . . . er, fill in your own witting remark. - Pope JTE
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