With Ice – With Ice

With Ice – With Ice
Self released – 2007
Rock/Indie/Alternative
Waardering: **

Before changing musical course and their name; the group now called Krach was known by the name With Ice. The band mostly known due to founding member and guitar-player of Roosbeef, Reinier van den Haak, was prone to produce jumpy indie rock with a handful of alternative hooks and guitar-lines. Nowadays they’re five of them and with the tiny helping hand of Torre Florim (De Staat) and the implementation of some more electro; things will happen fast for the boys. The memory of With Ice will fade fast; though their music had a few nice moments. Give their 2007 demo a listen…

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Shellfin – Secondhand Family

Shellfin – Secondhand Family
Self released / Aztec – 2010
Stoner
Waardering: ****

Somewhere in the midst of a truckload of kangaroos, dingo’s and flying boomerangs in downtown Brisbane a couple of friends decided to form a band and called it Shellfin. Their first ep Stay for Tea was released in 2009 and ended with the song The Extent Of It. Their first complete album Secondhand Family has just come out and continues where it ended back then. Sundried stonerjams and mighty riffs served on a platter of tight drums and heavy bass. And even though some lyrics might seem trivial or maybe youthful; singer Dyob wails just as strong as John Garcia does. Maybe thanks to his time in a Kyuss tribute band? And with that we have brought it fullcircle and must be clear that we can enjoy some pure rocksongs that could just have easily have originated from the pens of Homme/Bjork. But where some seminal stonerrock bands sound like an ode to Kyuss and nothing more; Shellfin is surprisingly fresh, tasty and original. Hooray for those crazy freaks on that little island on the bottom of the globe…

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Tyrants of The Ancient Law – Demo

Tyrants of The Ancient Law – Demo
Self released – 2008
Rock/Stoner/Punk/Space
Waardering: ***

In March of this year it has come to pass that an incredible drummer named Thierry ‘Chaos’ Bellaire passed away. A monument of a skin-hitter and one who played the part of rhythm-master in many of Nijmegen's rockcity bands. We name a Sixteen Stiches Iscariot, Love Kills, Maximum Bob, Ultimate Sabotage and last but certainly not least the Tyrants of The Ancient Law. A very promising trio of which there is hardly any music to be found. The no-nonsense-let’s-Rock approach of the threesome gets help of lingering memories of Hawkwind, The Damned and Brant Bjork. But its mostly their own sound that makes one long for more; lovely empty and bold riffs and extremely tight drums. Unfortunately the loss of such a drummer will spell the end of the Tyrants…. If they wish to continue on without him is unknown… And will never be the same…

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