Media Mikes CD Review: Dyer "Rage...Fury...Alcohol” (Turkey Vulture Records)

“Rage…Fury…Alcohol” is the first release from the Southern California heavy metal band Dyer. The 4 piece band made up of Carlos Velarde- guitars, Ivan Gonzalez- vocals, Sergio Lopez- Bass and Ryan Nazarian- Drums bring a no nonsense approach to their playing of intense heavy metal. The album features 9 tracks and is being released via Turkey Vulture Records.

If you are looking for straight forward no frills heavy metal then this is the album for you. Each track contained on the album is a stripped down metal master piece. Vocalist Ivan Gonzalez does a great job pushing his performances almost to the breaking point which surely just adds to the bands performance. Tracks such as “Against The Grain” and the melodic “My Last Rights” were personal highlights. From a production stand point the album seems to have a minimalist approach which I feel contributed the albums raw feel.

“Rage…Fury…Alcohol” is exactly as the title says. If you are a fan of bands such as Machine Head or Fear Factory definitely give the new album by Dyer a listen.

Media Mikes CD Review: On-Edge "Waiting for Daylight" (Turkey Vulture Records)

Formed in Yakima, Washington in 1998 the band On Edge is a blending of many different musical styles. From straight up rock and roll to full-blown heavy metal On Edge does it all! The bands first release titled “Waiting For Daylight” features 11 original tracks by the 5 member band. The album is being released via Jason Z.’s Turkey Vulture Records which is based out of Rockford Illinois.

I found the tracks contained on “Waiting For Daylight” to be very enjoyable to listen to. Each of the 11 tracks featured on the album had some really great grooves which pulled you in and made you want more. When an album has the power to pull the listener in the artists have done their job. “Waiting For Daylight” is one of those albums and them some! Tracks like “American Idol”, “Breaking” and, “Complicated” which features a very melodic arrangement that further showcases the bands diversity.

Owner/Producer Jason Z. really found himself another great act to add to his already impressive lineup at Turkey Vulture Records. If you have the chance to pick up On Edge’s debut album “Waiting For Light” definitely do it. You won’t be disappointed

Media Mikes CD Review: NIHM "Trade of Chains" (Turkey Vulture Records)

“Trade Of Chains” from the heavy metal group NIHM. The North Carolina based band has been together since 1997 and is a the three piece metal trio that combines a variety of vocal styling’s ranging from full on screaming to scattered rants combined with ferocious instrumentation. “Trade Of Chains” features 10 new tracks that are being released via Jason Z.’s Turkey Vulture Records.

I was definitely interested in checking out the newest album by NIHM. After finding out they are originally from Buffalo, NY an area close to my home I was even a little more intrigued. What I found on this recording was an at times manic flow that really amped up the intensity of each song contained on “Trade Of Chains”. I really enjoyed the spontaneity of each track however I was more a fan on songs like “A.F.R” and “Don’t Go Outside” which featured more traditional arrangements.

“Trade Of Chains” is not a bad album as the group has a sound that is different from a lot of other bands in this genre. At times it felt as though the vocals where a bit rushed which in my opinion seemed to rush the song. This could have been done on purpose as it does give the bands an overall different feel that I am sure some listeners will enjoy.

As the Glory Fades (Turkey Vulture Records) ready to take ‘Minnesota Nice’ to the masses!!

By Amanda Lillie
Austin Daily Herald

With an album coming out in early 2012 and a tour on the horizon, Albert Lea popcore band As the Glory Fades is looking forward to spreading the Minnesota nice.

“Minnesota is known for being nice,” said Trevor Olchefske, band member and vocalist. “If nothing else, it’s the nicest state anyone has ever come to.”

That’s why Olchefske and Tim Evans, who comprise ATGF, titled their upcoming 10-song album “Minnesota Nice.” The album is being released by Turkey Vulture Records, an indie label out of Rockford, Ill., Olchefske said.

Although Turkey Vulture Records is known as a more metal label, ATGF’s style mixes pop-punk influences with heavier guitar riffs, breakdowns and screaming.

Olchefske said he and Evans consider their music “popcore,” or a mix of pop-punk and hardcore.

“It’s kind of a culmination of everything we grew up playing and listening to … but we also have the hardcore aspect with breakdowns and screaming and some really heavy stuff in there,” he said.

The culmination of the two musical styles works well for Olchefske and Evans, because they each have different writing styles. When it comes to the Blink 182-esque, vocally driven pop-punk aspects of their music, Evans excels. But when a song needs a breakdown or screaming lyrics, that’s where Olchefske comes in.

“He writes a lot more of the poppy stuff and I’ll write a lot more of the heavy stuff,” Olchefske said. “We do a lot of writing together. It’s a really back and forth give and take because we can be completely honest with each other.”

The ability to criticize each other’s work honestly has been vital to the band’s growth and success since the two men started ATGF in 2010. Olchefske and Evans played together in a band before starting ATGF, but Olchefske said their music has definitely evolved, particularly since adding heavier, hardcore elements to their music.

“A lot of our influence for the singing and the choruses and guitar riffs, we grew up with that,” Olchefske said. “As we got older, we started throwing the heavier stuff in there, and eventually I got really good at writing it.”

A specific release date has yet to be set on the band’s album, “Minnesota Nice,” but it should be coming out in early 2012. It includes 10 songs and comes in just more than a half hour long, according to Olchefske.

The band’s manager is in the process of setting up a tour starting around February, Olchefske said. ATGF plays shows around Minnesota occasionally, they’re hoping to tour as support for another band and grow their fanbase in the upcoming tour.

They’re also hoping “Minnesota Nice” will be a hit with the fans.

“Tim and I are both extremely big Minnesota boys,” Olchefske said. “We love this state.”

Media Mikes CD Review: Dreams Will Fade “Before The Dawn”

“Before The Dawn” is the debut album from the 5 member Wisconsin based band Dreams Will Fade. The album feature 10 original hard rock tracks produced by Jason Z. “Before The Dawn” is being released via Turkey Vulture records.
“Before The Dawn” was a fairly decent listen as the album had several high lights. I felt the band did a good job of blending melodic vocal lines with heavy riff driven instrumentation. Tracks such as “Before The Dawn”, “Watch You Fall” and “Whatever” were personal highlights and in my opinion and featured some great arrangements and performances. I would have liked the overall mix of the album to be a little more up front and in your face however each track still sounded good.
Dreams Will Fade’s “Before The Dawn” as a whole is a good album. I could have done with a little less screaming as I don’t think it’s the bands strong suit. If you are a fan of bands like Killswitch Engage, Breaking Benjamin and Pierce The Veil then you will definitely want to check out Dreams Will Fade’s debut album.

Media Mikes CD Review: Mobile Deathcamp “Clear and Present Anger”

“Clear and Present Anger” is the second release from the Toledo, Ohio based metal group Mobile Deathcamp. The trio consists of former Gwar/Green Jelly member Todd Evans on guitar/vocals, bassist Boe Skadeland and drummer Dave Martin. “Clear and Present Anger” features 10 all new original tracks produced by Jason Z. and is being released via Turkey Vulture Records
The album picks up right where Mobile Deathcamp’s previous release “Black Swamp Rising” left off. “Clear and Present Anger” is classic speed metal with a modern twist. Tracks such as “Emerald” and “Earth Metal” are relentless in their approach as each track contained on “Clear and Present Anger” is filled to the brim with intensity. Casual listeners might not connect right away with this album however long time metal fans and supporters of Todd Evan’s previous bands will appreciate this album.
“Clear and Present Anger” is a solid album that showcases Mobile Deathcamp’s growth as a band. Each members performance is tight and in sync with the direction of each song. Fans of the bands previous release will surely want to pick up a copy of “Clear and Present Anger”.

SILENT THEORY interview in THE DAILY EVERGREEN

Silent Theory to debut album at concert Saturday
By Greg Dunbar
Published 11/4/2011

The local band Silent Theory will be debuting their album, "Black Tie Affair," 60 days early with a show and CD release at 8 p.m. on Saturday at the BellTower Concert House in Pullman.

The album will be available worldwide on Jan 5., 2012, but, as drummer Mitch Swanger said, why not make the release into something special for the community?

“As part of the show, we’re giving a copy of the album out with every ticket purchase,” Swanger said. “We’re breaking our show into two sets. During the first, we’ll play a couple covers and songs that didn’t make the album, and the second half we’ll be playing the entirety of 'Black Tie Affair.'”

The album will feature ten original songs full of crunchy guitars, gritty rock ‘n’ roll vocals and in some instances, rhythm guitarist Robert James said, a slight country, acoustic feel. As a rule of thumb, Swanger said, Silent Theory writes music about things that have a story and reason behind them.

“People don’t want stuff just slapped on paper,” Swanger said. “They want something meaningful to the band and something they can relate to.”

While Silent Theory’s lyrical content speaks about rock ‘n’ roll themes such as drinking and having a good time, other songs focus on the tribulations the band has encountered on their road to success, James said.

“The fan favorite so far is ‘No Time To Lose,’ which has a really catchy second verse with a more funk beat on bass guitar,” James said. “Our label is pushing ‘Livin’ The Dream’ as our first single. It’s also schduled to be on the next Rock Band video game.”

The song “My Last Goodbye” is about Swanger’s experiences with bullying while teaching marketing courses in Lewiston.

“In my second year there, one of my favorite students came to school with suicidal cuts stretching from elbow to wrist, a result from bullying,” Swanger said. “Another student of mine, who had special needs, came to school badly beat up. As a teacher, if there was one thing that would make me lose it, it’d be bullying.”

Swanger said the song “My Last Goodbye” was not written to be morbid, but to rather function as a PSA or a cry for help for these victimized students.

Silent Theory is one of the rare bands from the Palouse area that have been signed to a record label, Swanger said. The band signed a contract with Illinois-based Turkey Vulture Records, a predominantly heavy metal label, on Oct. 14, 2010. Silent Theory’s sound is more commercial than 90 percent of the bands on the label, Swanger said, which is a big reason why Turkey Vulture Records picked them up. Their potential market and chance of being on the radio is huge.

“There’s not really anything out here that would draw a label’s interest,” Swanger said. “You wouldn’t think to look in a small town of Idaho. We’re the black sheep of any show we play, but sometimes it’s worked for us.”

Swanger said Silent Theory has played all sorts of shows, from gigs with death metal bands in Seattle to performances with Christian rock groups in Moscow, Idaho. In addition to the Washington and Idaho scenes, Silent Theory headlined Whiskey a Go-Go in Los Angeles in 2010, played with Metallica and The Proclaimers in the South By Southwest festival in 2009 and has made an appearance on MTV Cribs.

Despite the band’s success, Swanger said, if you can think of something bad happening to a band over the course of a few years, it happened to them.

James said when they play with metal bands, they hope the hardcore fans will just let them out alive. During other shows, though, he said they have seen people put their hands over their ears after the first few songs. However, he said, this just presents a challenge for the band to reach these audience members in a louder way.

“Sometimes there’ll be three people in the back clapping,” James said. “We were doing a sound check in Coeur d'Alene when a drunk old guy in the back screamed ‘get off the stage, there’s other bands that want to play.’ We hadn’t even started yet. We were checking the mics.”

The most trying ordeal came at a concert at the Knitting Factory in Spokane, Swanger said, where a sound technician played music over the band’s sound for more than half of their set. This event is one of the references the band makes through their lyrics in the song “Faded Memories.”

The volume of Silent Theory is about to get much louder soon, though, Swanger said.

"We sold out the BellTower two weeks early, and they’re even bringing in a second bar for the concert,” Swanger said. “Great things are destined to happen. We're happy with how the album turned out, and I think most people will be.”

Doors for the show will open at 7 p.m. on Saturday at the BellTower Concert House. The band Small Town Boys will open for Silent Theory.