German Hardrockers BERSERKER will donate 18.000€ to the Berlin cancer charity for children on May 25. November 2011 BERSERKER front man Schröder was diagnosed with cancer, now he is cancer-free. In 2012 the band collected money for this charity at their concerts and will also continue to do so in the future. Slayer´s Jeff Hanneman is dead: he passed away at about 11AM on May 2nd near his Southern California home because of liver failure due to an infection after a spider bite. More info: www.facebook.com/slayer
R.I.P. Jeff! Festivals cancelled: ROCK AM SEE (GER) takes a break in 2013 "lacking attractive headliners"; BURNING SEA in Croatia had to succumb to a new tax regulation; yet purchased BS-tickets can also be used to visit METALDAYS in Slowenia.
The Siberian Jay music video "I´m Holding" featuring Mikko Sirén from Apocalyptica on drums - we reported about the videoshoot in our "1h with" Special - can be watched here: http://youtu.be/C-hSNurZVcs
Female-fronted metal, when you read this on a CD cover then… well, then what? Personally, I don´t really care who sings, the important thing is that it has groove. And indeed this record has. And that´s because SHEAR frontwoman Alexa Leroux, with her soft-hoarse voice, knows very well how to prevail against a thick wall of guitars and keyboards, even if it means pain. Although the Finnish sextet don´t have any surprises in the form of totally new ideas on their debut, they do shine with a pleasant balance of solid handicraft, playful catchiness and opulent arrangements that remind a bit of earlier Nightwish- or also The Gathering compositions. What I´m missing, though, is a tune that can really knock me off my feet. “Wounded” and “In Solitude” are very close but they still lack that certain, ultimate kick. I also have the impression that they deliberately take it a bit slower, just to not being pigeonholed to a certain genre. If this is the case, dear friends, please stop it and just go with the flow inside of you. What you hear on Breaking the Stillness, is only a piece of rock but not a gem yet.
If Evanescence are too pop and Arch Enemy too brutal for you, SHEAR might just be your next favourite band because big things are about to happen.
01. The Awakening
02. In Solitude
03. Scorched
04. Someone Else`s Eyes
05. Wounded
06. Redemption Awaits
07. Stillness
08. Crowned By Fools
09. No Way Out
10. Be Here Now
SHEAR is:
Alexa Leroux - vocals
Mikael Grönroos - guitars
Lauri Koskenniemi - guitars
Eerik Purdon - bass
Lari Sorvo - keyboards
Juhana Karlsson - drums
