CELEBRITY RECORD LABEL

EL DIABLO, AKA STU (SEND MORE PARAMEDICS)

LABEL: Seduction Records FORMED: 2005

ROSTER: Whores Whores Whores, Beasts, The Minor Fall

Why did you decide to form your own label? “I’d wanted to do a label for a while, and a tax rebate back in 2005 set my cogs whirring: ‘Booze or start your own label?’ I plumped for the latter. I basically wanted to do something other than playing drums looking like a fat wrestler and scaring kids.”

What’s the best thing about running your own label? “The fact that you’re the boss. I can put out whatever record I like, be it all acoustic folk balladry or on-the-edge mathy noisecore because… I’M THE BOSS.”

HOT AND HAPPENING

FLEEING FROM FINALES Rock Sound’s already described their debut mini album as being a “sure-fire hit”, they’ve toured with Gym Class Heroes, and now Fleeing From Finales will release their download single ‘Mighty Ducks Vs Thundercats’ at the end of May. They’ve also ranked highly on the UK Myspace ‘Top Artists’ list of late, too. Infectious emo punk rock at its finest! www.myspace.com/fleeingfromfinales

FLAGONS TO THE SKY! 3 Inches Of Blood get boozed

If you witnessed 3 Inches Of Blood’s recent UK trek and were thinking life was all ‘mighty metal warriors drinking flagons of ale’, chances are you were probably right! “During the recording process, eight million beers were drunk – it was a great source of creative juices!” growler Jamie Hooper told Rock Sound about forthcoming third album ‘Fire Up The Blades’. “In fact there’s a line, ‘Hoist your flagons to the sky’, in one of the songs! There’s no shortage of beerdrinking ‘partying’ songs – that’s mandatory.”

Aside from liquid inspiration, the Canadian crew have once again been battling orcs and sharpening up swords as they begin to promote the album, which was produced by Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison. “He’s a veritable encyclopaedia on all things metal, so when we made a reference he knew exactly what we were talking about,” said Jamie. “We had very like-minded interests so it worked out really well. Hopefully people will be pleased with the outcome – I know we are!” ‘Fire Up The Blades’ is out on June 25 on Roadrunner. www.3inchesofblood.com

What’s the worst thing about running your own label? “The fact that you have to pay for the above.”

What have been the highlights / success stories? “Up to this point, I’d have to single out the Whores Whores Whores album as being my highlight. I was immeasurably chuffed when they said they’d do the record; I was over the moon when they recorded it, and it sounded like the most terrifyingly exciting record I’d heard in a long time, if ever; and I was extremely happy for them when the rest of the world agreed with me and they got great reviews across the board.”

What’s your main goal with your record label? “Basically to keep putting out interesting records. It’s an old adage to say you do it for the love of the game, but it’s really true – I have no interest in trying to sign the ‘Next Big Thing’.”

If you could have any artist on your label who would it be and why? “Great question! So many candidates, but I’d have to say someone like Black Flag. Just the prospect of not knowing what the next record was going to sound like, but knowing it was going to push boundaries regardless.”

What do you look for in bands you sign? “I think it’s fairly safe to say that all the bands I’ve put out I’ve liked a great deal, but I think one of the major factors is just that they’re all incredibly likeable people, which helps a lot when you’re working with them.”

Do you have an address to send demos to? “Feel free to send me all manner of arty guff in the post. The address is 19 Stonegate Lane, Meanwood, Leeds, LS7 2TJ.”

What advice would you give to aspiring bands looking to get signed? “It’s all about working, showing respect, and loving what you do. We all get in a grump from time to time, but when you’re playing to four people at the Dog & Whistle in Wootton Bassett on a Tuesday with a three-hour journey home and work the next day, you’d better be enjoying yourself.”

Which band are you kicking yourself for not signing? “Well, I don’t ever think they were serious, but Dartz! always used to joke about doing a record on Seduction, a split with my comedy disco alter-ego, Lucy Lastic. My girlfriend always bemoans me for not having taken them up on it, but I had visions of them ‘doing an Offspring’ – as they very nearly have done, God love ‘em – and me ‘doing a Mr Brett’ and losing my nerves as the 400,000th Dartz! CD purchase came through on Paypal.”

www.seductionrecords.com www.myspace.com/seductionrecords

PANIC! AT THE DISCO EXCLUSIVE Wentz album whispers set tongues wagging! Rock Sound has a world exclusive as we have heard brand new music from Panic! At The Disco. Sort of. Maybe. Well, if we are being honest we have not. But we know a man who has. Seriously. “I got sent some of the new Panic! demos the other day,” remarked Fall Out Boy bassist and rhetorician Pete Wentz during a recent meeting with the Sound. “I think it will be all over for anyone else in 2008 if this track is picked as the first single. It has the biggest hook I have ever heard.” Rock Sound pressed for a listen but Mr Wentz would not crack and let our ears hear, but if Peter is to be believed it would appear the band are being highly productive as they rehearse away from the spotlight. “Ryan (Ross, guitar) always likes to keep me guessing or try to freak me out with stuff,” Wentz added. “So he will message me to tell me that they have just written an amazing song and I will get excited then he will message me again to tell me it sounds like Aladdin and I will feel kinda bemused. Or last week he messaged me to say they had written a song that makes him think of France. He can say some weird stuff.” www.panicatthedisco.com

[12] rock-sound.net Noises from the great big mouth Corey’s column

The beautiful thing about music is its insistence on breaking out of box after box, remaining shapeless, staying fluid and free. But there was a time in

our lives when you could pretty much call what was going to be on an album, especially in the 80s. I call it the Glam Syndrome, or better yet, The Formula. I honestly think it was lifted years later by new country, and rightly so – that sappy sentiment was like a barge full of garbage, it had to go somewhere. Anyway, peacocks… have nothing to do with this, I apologise. Too much Discovery Channel. What was I… oh, The Formula, yeah! The Formula was very simple. Every rock album had to have key ingredients, or certain types of songs. Keep in mind

shitty white trash bluesy groove that made it destined for strip clubs everywhere, you had to write shit that would make even a nun question her vows. If the music was straightforward, you had choices: The Getting In A Fight song, The Just Left The Bitch song, The Johnny Was A… song, or just another Fuck song. When Unplugged happened, it added another dimension to The Formula: The Easily Played Acoustically song. This could be either a ballad or a jaunty rock song (not as upbeat as the Big Rock Opener, but enough to keep the attention). It also caused a divide in The Ballad factor: one could still be recorded with any shitty clean tone, but the other had to be played with a real acoustic, and people preferred that the choice be the one in G. It was basically simple maths at the end of the day: this plus that equalled single. And the shit was blatantly prevalent. Don’t believe me? Look at any of those ‘Monster

“Try that shit today and a producer would need a fucking colostomy bag.”

this was back when albums only had nine to 10 songs TOPS, so you could get away with it. Try that shit today and a producer would need a fucking colostomy bag. Every album had the obligatory Big Rock Opener, which was written specifically to be the opening song in a live set. It could be in any key (we’ll get to that) and usually had connotations of being the best or being merciless, or just stating the obvious – that you were indeed at a big dumb rock show. Fast-paced, high energy, usually one of three actual good songs on the album. There were prototypical songs then there were songs in specific keys that needed to be represented. You had to have at least two or three songs in the key of E, one or two songs in A, two in G (almost always including The Ballad), then you had to have the song with the Impossibly Complicated Riff, which didn’t really have a key but sounded so good you didn’t care. Now your rockers could be in either E or A. The Ballad was almost always in G, but if you went crazy and had two of them, the other had to be in either E or A, and it had to have remarkably somber lyrics as opposed to the, ‘Where did your love go’ shit in the G ballad. You could get away with an upbeat G song, but it had to be The Party Song, just because it’s a naturally happy key. Your lyrical content was also predisposed at the time, depending on the vibe of the music. If a song had that

Ballads’ compilations – EVERY food group from the 80s rock scene is represented on them, at least the ones that mattered. So out in the open yet so overlooked… then again, was it? Maybe people knew about The Formula and just didn’t care. They accepted it because they were fans and just appreciated the product. The biggest kicks for me came when you’d have the semijunkie asshole being all sensitive and deep on one song, then just so piggish and chauvinistic on the very next – yeah, that just really says it all. You can’t complain about a broken heart in one breath then compare a groupie’s tits to over-inflated Michelin tyres in another – it’s just not cricket. There are variables to The Formula, like personal preference. Some bands chose to write their ballads in the keys of D or C. More still would use lower tunings to stand out. Nevertheless, they would use the same positions on the fretboard. Then for some reason, all the bands decided they were blues players – what a terrible decision. Nothing is further from the blues than white men washing hair spray out of their splendid silk shirts. The Formula continues to this day, out on the fringe, working its magic. Just listen to these sugar punk bands. Listen to the country stations or the R&B stations. It’s out there. And it still hungers.

A rough guide to… PARADISE LOST

Oooh, sounds a bit gothic? Damn straight! Naming themselves after a John Milton poem, Paradise Lost are indeed quite doomy and gloomy.

Haven’t they been knocking around for some time? Again you’d be right – for nigh on two decades in fact. The Yorkshiremen were teenagers when they started creating their gothic rock, and they’re still rocking with the best of them in their middle age!

Didn’t they go all pop on us at one point? Yes they did; they sold their souls in 99 when they

released ‘Host’ and tried to emulate Depeche Mode. Things went downhill after that.

So what now? Well the band’s 11th album ‘In Requiem’ is rather splendid and finds the crew back on fire. They’re going to tour with Type O Negative in June too, so that’s going to be one hell of a dreary but excellent package!

The album ‘In Requiem’ is out on May 21 on Century Media. www.paradiselost.com

For daily updates and gossip visit rock-sound.net ROUND UP

THE ICARUS LINE LA raucous rockers The Icarus Line return to action three years after their last full-length with a new download EP ‘Gets Paid’ and album ‘Black Lives At The Golden Coast’, on June 04 and 11 respectively. www.myspace.com/icarusline

RAGING SPEEDHORN Corby bruisers Raging Speedhorn have wrapped up work on their fourth album ‘Before The Sea Was Built’. Roping in Hundred Reasons axeman Larry Hibbitt for production duties, the album was recorded at Foel Studios in Wales. It’s the first to feature new vocalist Bloody Kev and new bassist Dave (brother of ‘Speedhorn guitarist Jay). Said guitarist Gareth Smith: “We’ve really been pushing ourselves musically with this album. We’re never going to be a band like The Dillinger Escape Plan because simply put we’re not that talented, but we’ve been pushing ourselves to the boundaries on this. We’re moving away a little bit from the straight-ahead hardcore that we’ve always played and playing things a bit more discordant and using a little bit of dynamic.” Expect a release in September through SPV. www.myspace.com/ragingspeedhorn

THE MONTH THAT WAS… After going all cock-rock and, in some fans’ eyes, running in search of the dollar rather than following their hearts, onetime Rock Sound faves EIGHTEEN VISIONS have split up after 11 years together. SOULFLY have posted a demo version of new song ‘After The Slaughter’ at www.myspace.com/soulfly It’s available until June 01. BLEEDING THROUGH have parted ways with guitarist Scott Danough. He’s been replaced by Jona Weinhofen, formerly of I KILLED THE PROM QUEEN, who have now called it a day. GWAR, CHIMAIRA, AMON AMARTH, EVERY TIME I DIE, JOB FOR A COWBOY and NECRO are among the names confirmed for this year’s USA Sounds Of The Underground tour, which kicks off in July. The Brighton Institute Of Modern Music is to hold two metal summer schools in August. These take place from August 13-18. Among those taking part are members of THE PRODIGY, SKUNK ANANSIE, FEEDER, A, MCQUEEN, SNUFF, THE GHOST OF A THOUSAND, HUNDRED REASONS, SIKTH, THERAPY?, PITCHSHIFTER, and THIS IS MENACE. For information about the 2007 Summer Schools, or any other courses, contact BIMM on 01273 626666. Email: info@bimm. co.uk. Website: www.bimm.co.uk As reported on Totalrock.com KORN have announced that Joey Jordison of Slipknot will be their touring drummer this summer and will play at Download. Rising metallers SANCTITY were involved in a road accident after their show supporting Trivium in Nottingham last month. The van collided with a taxi and hit a wall. Fortunately, there were no serious injuries.

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