DISTURBED TO ROCK THE TROOPS

Disturbed and Filter will perform March 10 at the Operation MySpace concert for U.S. troops serving in Kuwait. The event will stream live in high definition here starting at 2 p.m. ET. “We are proud to bring strength and support to those who support us with their strength,” says Disturbed singer David Draiman of the gig.

Saosin “It’s Far Better To Learn (live)”

Check out Alternative Press’ exclusive live version of “It’s Far Better To Learn,” from Saosin’s upcoming live CD/DVD, “Come Close” due out May 11th

The Smashing Pumpkins ‘Superchrist’ Video

The Smashing Pumpkins are out with the video to their ‘Guitar Center’ compilation CD release ‘Superchrist’.

Foo Fighters Sue Marvel

The Foo Fighters are reportedly suing American comic book giant Marvel Comics for copyright infringement. The band are alleging that Marvel uses “substantial excerpts” of two of their songs to promote a new animated series.

They say that their tracks ‘Best of You’ and ‘Free Me’ appear in the trailer for the new series ‘Wolverine and the X-Men’, reports Rolling Stone.

The Foo Fighters are seeking unspecified damages, and also name the series’ producers First Serve International, Toonz Animation India and First Serve Toonz in the lawsuit. Marvel Comics’ other character properties include Spider-Man, The Hulk and the Fantastic Four.

Skindred Stream New Single, “Trouble”

SKINDRED have made their new single, “TROUBLE”, available for streaming. Click to listen. Voted by fans in an online poll as the song that should serve as the next single from “ROOTS ROCK RIOT”, “TROUBLE” will impact radio across the US on April 22nd. “TROUBLE” serves as the second single from SKINDRED’s brilliant, sophomore album, “ROOTS ROCK RIOT”.

SKINDRED have signed on to support internationally acclaimed Gypsy-Punk band, GOGOL BORDELLO, on the “FORCES OF VICTORY TOUR 2008″. Set to kick-off this Saturday in Philadelphia, PA, “FORCES OF VICTORY” will run until the end of April while traveling through North America, Europe and the United Kingdom.

“ROOTS ROCK RIOT” is in stores now through Bieler Bros. Records.

3 Doors Down

3 Doors Down
Kickoff: March 20th, 2008
More info: www.3DoorsDown.com

TANTRIC - DON’T CALL IT A COMEBACK!

Days of the New was one of the best bands of the 90s, an era with no shortage of decent music. Maybe I’m just a sucker for the days of grunge, but I’ve got nothing but fond memories of them. When Tantric, a band that was originally formed by three former members of Days of the New, released their self-titled first album, I was thrilled.

A lot of the mainstream radio audience seemed to feel the same, as it received a great reception. Unfortunately, the group’s second album, “After We Go”, didn’t garner nearly as much attention, and not long after the group splintered, leaving frontman Hugo Ferreira bandless. Fortunately, he pulled together a new group of talented musicians and managed to release a new album four years after the release of “After We Go”.

Despite the band being almost entirely new, parts of ‘The End Begins‘ sound very similar to previous Tantric albums. For example, the opening track, “Regret”, could’ve come off either of the group’s previous discs; this is a testament to how Ferreira’s gruff vocals define Tantric as a whole, regardless of who else is in the band.

In the end, this wound up being my only disappointment with “The End Begins”. While it might sound like Tantric’s earlier work at times, it’s never quite the same; this is understandable, since their sound was built nearly from scratch after the band reformed. Tracks like “Why Don’t You” come close enough to their older sound, bringing on a little nostalgia, and I found myself wishing I was listening to the self-titled album instead.

‘The End Begins’ is stacked with highlight tracks, including “The One”, a song with a bit of pop sensibility, featuring Kevin Martin from Candlebox fame. This marks a departure from the style of Tantric’s previous albums, but it’s not necessarily an unwelcome one, as the relative disappointment of their sophomore effort shows; a little more diversity in Tantric’s comeback album certainly won’t hurt in terms of attracting new listeners.

This departure from the band’s previous work is also evident in “Love Song”, which is almost funky of all things. Ferreria’s voice serves as a strange juxtaposition here, like chocolate mixed with Tabasco. The song isn’t quite as delicious as that mixture, but it’s pretty close and shows that Tantric has the potential to branch out from active rock should they wish to do so.

An interesting facet of the album is new member Marcus Ratzenboec’s talent with the electric violin. In particular, the track “Down and Out” highlights the way that the violin, bass, and guitar play off of each other, resulting in a unique sonic dynamic and one of the album’s premier tracks.

All in all, it’s hard to discount The End Begins in its entirety, though it’s got its share of challenges. For “hard rock only” enthusiasts, it may be too heavily focused on slower tracks, and doesn’t quite capture the addictive sound that rocketed Tantric’s first album to mainstream success. However, just because it’s not perfect, doesn’t mean it’s not damn good. Despite essentially being a new band that’s still trying to find its legs, Tantric still knows how to throw together a extremely solid rock album, and that’s more than what many of today’s bands can claim.

Cory

The Exies

Tyler Read

Metal-edged indie rock quintet Tyler Read formed in Shreveport, LA, in 2003, out of the merging of two defunct local bands. Singer Josh Johnson and his brother, drummer Jordan Johnson, formed the band along with lead guitarist Chris McPeters, rhythm guitarist and keyboardist Brent Skinner, and bassist Chris Rimmer, taking cues not only from their alt-rock contemporaries but also from vintage classic rock acts like Queen and the Rolling Stones.

Heavy regional touring led to major-label interest by 2005, and the band chose to sign with the Sony BMG imprint Immortal Records (where bands like Korn and Incubus had gotten their starts) later that year. Paired with producer Michael “Elvis” Baskette (Iggy Pop, Chevelle), Tyler Read recorded their debut album in 2006, while touring as an opening act for various established bands. Immortal released Only Rock and Roll Can Save Us Now in April 2007.

Slayer’s Kerry King joins Marilyn Manson on ‘Irresponsible Hate Anthem’

Marilyn Manson performed ‘Irresponsible Hate Anthem’ at the Wiltern in Hollywood on Saturday, February 23rd, joined by Slayer’s Kerry King. Watch the fan video below. I am not the biggest Manson fan but appreciate his effort on live show production value.

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