Factory 81

Fiery conviction.  Justified rebellion.  Protest with soul.  These concepts amply describe the sounds of Factory 81.  Best described as a refined hybrid of Slipknot and Rage Against The Machine, Factory 81 combines violently convicted philosophies with blood curdling screams and aching melodies.  The four-piece band out of Detroit, Michigan was recently asked to contribute a track of their choice to the compilation “Take A Bite Outta Rhyme: A Rock Tribute To Rap.” The cover they chose to perform?  Cypress Hill’s “Insane In the Membrane”.  Why?  Andy Cyrulnik, drummer of Factory 81, believes Cypress Hill closely resembles the sound of his own group.  That and he’s a long time fan.

On Factory 81’s full-length debut CD entitled “Mankind”, vocalist Nate Wallace states in the insert, “Not all the lyrics are submitted.  I decided to leave it open for interpretation”.  The inside cover contains a fantastic combination of thought provoking poetry, essays and lyrics of action.  The words written under the track “Peace Officer” tell a personal story of injustice and police brutality.  The story concludes, “This song is dedicated to all police & all the power tripping pigs.  How can I be free?  Slap the cuffs on me, I’m just a freak”.  Another powerful track entitled “Rotten Strawberries” has an accompanying tale of a man that died as he rescues a girl about to be hit by a speeding car.  “Hating himself as he thought others did, he did all within his simple mind & power to earn their love or at least a smile.  He died never knowing either one.” Through passionate words such as these, Factory 81 encourages fans to question their experiences, realize their beliefs and remain aware.

Their profound words alone make Factory 81 a band deserving of high recognition and merit.  What lies behind this furious and intriguing band?  Bill Schultz, guitarist of the band, recently took some time out from the hectic touring schedule to answer a few questions about the band. 

Read More...

Fear Factory

When a friend told me last month that she heard of some band called “Fear Factory” playing the House Of Blues in Chicago, I thought to myself, “That sounds odd.  A metal band playing the House of Blues?” Then, when I heard that Fear Factory was to be one of the only non-Country bands to headline the Wisconsin Dane County Junior Fair since I was in Middle School, I became intrigued.  I called my publisher almost the same day requesting to do a piece on the popular hard core, leather-wearing band performing in such unusual venues. 

Fear Factory’s fourth LP entitled “Digimortal” is a blend of cyber-metal screams describing in detail the unification of man and machine.  Burton C. Bell sings of an apocalyptic vision in which cloning and memory implants hold the potential of sustaining human life forever, while guitarist Dino Cazares, bassist Christian Olde Wolbers and drummer Raymond Herrera fuel the raging and powerful nightmare.  This latest project exemplifies a progressive effort for the band that originated back in 1992. 

Some facts about the fearless foursome--ten years on the road, four LPs and an EP, a gold record for their third LP “Obsolete”, a black T-shirt, long-haired appearance reminiscent of early Sepultura or Slayer and live shows that are said to radiate phenomenal energy and emotion.  Success of such a band is no small feat, especially given the growing popularity of generically formatted Slipknot/Limp Bizkit imitations. 

Read More...

Five Finger Death Punch

Mike catches up with FFDP drummer Jeremy Spencer talks about meeting singer Ivan Moody and the recent pull out from a tour with Chimaira and All That Remains

Read More...

Hollywood Undead

John Schlesinger said “Hollywood is an extraordinary kind of temporary place.” Robert DeNiro says he only goes to Los Angeles “when he gets paid for it.” Jay Leno said, “If God doesn’t destroy Hollywood Boulevard, he owes Sodom and Gomorrah an apology.” Slithering out of this cauldron like the rumored first cell from primordial soup is a band called Hollywood Undead.

If you haven’t heard of them yet, prepare to be blindsided. The day they created their MySpace profile, several thousand new users signed on. In one week they crested to the top of the MySpace music chart like a wave on the Santa Monica shore. Their first official album called “Swan Songs” was released Sep. 2 by (A&M/Octone Records). They consist of six members identified only by street aliases. Their music is a collision of hip-hop, metal, and rock and sounds like the Beastie Boy’s Licensed to Ill getting pistol whipped by Eminem.

Read More...

Korn - 2006

In an era where nameless, faceless and meaningless have become standards, Korn have transcended hard rock and heavy metal banality with a sound and vision that defies categorization. They bubbled from the Bakersfield, CA, heavy metal underground more than a decade ago, emerged as a hard rock phenomenon with the breakthrough success of Follow The Leader in 1997, and have exceeded any and every conceivable expectation since then. It may seem premature to consider Korn legends in only their second decade as a band, but not when you acknowledge the facts.

Impressed by numbers? Korn have released seven albums, surpassed the 25 million mark in worldwide sales (more than 15 million of those in America alone), and have had every album since their self-titled debut enter the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart in the Top 10, with all seven of their studio albums achieving Platinum sales (their 2004 Greatest Hits release is certified Gold). The numbers don’t lie, but they don’t even begin to tell the story of Korn, who not only redefined heavy metal with the diabolic, cutting-edge histrionics of their 1994 debut, but turned the industry on end in the years that followed, having a profound influence on today’s heavy music scene and making a marked impact on the way metal has reemerged as a sonic force on the pop-driven musical mainstream.

In one fleeting decade, Korn have single-handedly changed the way America views heavy music. Now, with the release of See You On The Other Side, they’ve opened the doors to even more disarray, taking their trademarked sound to the next level. It’s what they’ve always done, but to even more astonishing depths.

Read More...