Instrumental Rock and Progressive Metal Reviews http://www.metaltheater.com http://www.metaltheater.com/mtsmall.jpg http://www.metaltheater.com http://www.metaltheater.com/code/article.asp?id=552 Hey look, according to the official North Korean news, Kim Jong Il knew how to turn on a light for chickens! Hey and for bonus news, a fire happened somewhere in Australia. Incredible news reporting. http://www.metaltheater.com/code/article.asp?id=552 http://www.metaltheater.com/code/article.asp?id=551 We have some nice reviews of the bands CD's in German over at justforkicks.de. Here's the english translation: Bird's Robe Records: Toehider are the greatest rock band ever known!
With this self-confident statement and a big wink, bandleader, singer and guitarist Mike Mills describes his progressive-rock-band from Melbourne / Australia (Australia again?). One probably has to imagine Mills as creative-insane. Who else would have the idea to record and release a full EP every month, in one year? These 12 EPs have in the meantime been distributed to the people on 2 CDs, but Mills wants more. With their debut-album, To Hide Her, (attention word-joke), Toehider publish their idea of timely progressive rock music. How it sounds? Eclectic, multi-layered, compact, different and very very happy. The boys are completely nuts, but are apparently in charge of - and furiously engaged with their instruments. Style-limits are foreign to them, the majority of the songs are distributed - to simplify it - on furious hard-rock tracks with a Umphrey's McGee style magic, and more quiet, partly acoustic titles. Apart from the instrumental cabinet-pieces, Mike Mills voice excites... ok, its high, but strong, secure and variable he sings his parts. The partly detailed vocal-arrangements (The Most Popular Girl In School - do I hear some Queen?) show class, and sing-writing talent. But fun is important to Mills - permanent-depressive spherical music is not his thing. Rock needs to be fun, and if it's done like Toehider, the listener will have a great time for sure. Currently the boys are on Australia Tour with Unitopa.
"To Hide Her" album review This Australian formation seems crazy somehow, but interesting. The first track sounds like something out of a musical or cheap teen-film, in which the narrator reveals his love to the one he adores. But she's together with another guy, who in his eyes, is a total idiot. Funny, but believable. The second song is something like a single album, and glam-rock influence are seen. This band, for sure has heard of "the darkness" or "queen", cause these compositions could without hesitation pass as a missing jewel of the brits. Even the choir-pieces can't be overheard, adding to the high pitch voice of band-leader Mike Mills. It gets a bit more melodious with Daddy Issues, the song convinces with its nice piano-arrangements in the verse. The short intermezzo In this Time is flirting with folky motives. The title-track is a driving Hard Rocker. Singer Mike Mills, proofs again what a great voice he has. There's a ghost in the lake, too carries elements of melodious Hard Rock. Giants who walk with man convinces with a great chorus. The gemutlich Fireside unites bon-fire feeling with folk-songs. And "Everybody knows Amy", manages to trump with its creative, slightly-gone-mad lyrics. Only the almost 7minute-long slightly-psychadelic noise-background at the end, leaves me questioning. Summary: without doubt, Toehider's debut-album delivered an entertaining, dynamic Indie-album. Without any cliches, this slightly warped, but memorable album is fun listening to. (D. Eggenberger) http://www.metaltheater.com/code/article.asp?id=551 http://www.metaltheater.com/code/article.asp?id=550 Adelaide guitarist extraordinare Cam Blokland is the man! In In 2010 he did a gig where he played the ENTIRETY of Surfing With the Alien... check out the highlights here: Pretty awesome huh? So guess what he's going to be doing this year?? Covering the ENTIRE ALBUM of Passion and Warfare!!! If there's one guy who will pull it off it's Cam... so stay tuned! BTW I've also added a page about instrumental rock and metal theater. http://www.metaltheater.com/code/article.asp?id=550 http://www.metaltheater.com/code/article.asp?id=549 New song! I did everything from 1:35 -> 2:20 ! Lyrics and listening right here: http://www.toehider.com/1in1/?p=113 Here's Mike recording the vocs (starts 1 min in): And me recording my part (about 5 mins in): Joe Satriani was my favourite guitarist for about 10 years. Obviously. http://www.metaltheater.com/code/article.asp?id=549 http://www.metaltheater.com/code/article.asp?id=548 I am starting to think that Stephen Merchant and I should be friends, but the problem is that we have too much in common. - We have the same birthday. This would get confusing, we'd have to share the same birthday party. We'd both be trying to take the limelight, and people wouldn't be sure who to pay the most attention to. I think of course it should be me, and Steve would think the same thing, so the night would have a continual undercurrent of uneasiness that wouldn't make anyone happy. - We are both tall skinny ectomorphs. Ok, this might actually help both of us. When standing next to each other people might start to think that being tall and skinny is the way that normal people should be. But then I'd probably get annoyed that Steve is taller than me, and he'd get annoyed that I'm shorter than him, and no-one would be happy. - We are both allergic to dust and cat hair. If you got us both into a dusty room with a few moggies we'd be effectively useless. And we'd both resent the other person for it. - We both agree that the "lord of the rings" movies make no sense. If you got us together talking about our mutual distaste for these movies then no-one else could ever fit a word in. We'd probably disagree with each other about how much the other person hates each movie. - We have both read the first 20 pages of "zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance". I read the first 10 pages at my parents one night and got bored, Steve read the first 20 pages trying to impress a lady. Our mutual distate at each other's failure to follow through on our commitment to read a philosophical book would be not a lot of fun. - We both did university radio. My love of 80's guitar metal and Steve's love of hip hop and pop would definitely clash. We wouldn't really agree on any kind of music that is "good" and it would dissolve into another argument. Oh well. http://www.metaltheater.com/code/article.asp?id=548