Soulbleed Stay True To Their Metal Roots

Soulbleed is a band who take their music and their influences very seriously. If you are craving some metal that manages to blend brutality and honesty with a rawness that is real, then this band will deliver what you are craving. If you want to learn more about them, then check out my interview with guitarist Steve Marshall:

http://www.rockrevoltmagazine.com/soulbleedinterview/

Sloburn: Redneck Metal At It's Finest

Today’s music industry seems to be full of "flavor of the week " bands. It’s as if they are here one day and gone the next. It needs a shot of adrenalin to gets its heart beating fiercely again. Along comes a tight five piece unit from Danville, VA that does just that and with a vengeance.

Sloburn is the band’s name and they are the heralding in a new era of redneck metal. They just released their first full length self titled CD on Dark Harvest Records. The band consists of lead vocalist Shane Milam, Sly also on vocals, Sam Smith on lead guitar, Creepy on bass and drummer Brandon King. I spoke to them before a show recently to get some insight on the band.

"This new CD really captures our sound and what we’re all about. We had recorded a demo about two years ago, but we had only been together about five to seven months," said Shane.

"I think our sound has a definite eighties influence on the guitar and bass, but at the same time it has today’s styling on the vox and drums," mentioned Sly. The bands influences range from Pantera to Slayer to Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden. Sly and her stage presence are heavily influenced by the Stones.

The band prides itself on sounding different from track to track on their debut CD. "Bands today all seem to sound the same, they all have the same vocal style. On our CD, not one song sounds like the next," said Creepy.

"I think it’s pathetic how most of these groups sound all the same. They’re all just followers. I also think that they are out there for all the wrong reasons. They’re not true musicians putting out good music. They’re doing it because they think it’s cool," said Sam.

So, does having married husband and wife vocalists in the group present any obstacles? "I think it has many advantages. We get to spend time together and do something that we both love. I don’t get jealous of the girls, he can sign whatever they ask him to because I know he’s mine," said Sly.

"I think it’s great seeing the reaction on people’s faces when they hear her on stage. She has one hell of a growl. Most people can’t believe it’s her," said Shane.

I always like to ask the band being interviewed a question to find out about their favorite CD. If you were trapped on a desert and could have only one store bought CD with you, what would you want to have?

Shane – "That’s easy, Pantera’s ‘Vulgar Display of Power."
Sly – "Definitely the Stones ‘Jumping Jack Flash."
Sam – "Dokken’s ‘Back For The Attack’, I love that CD."
Creepy – "I’d have to go with some Creem, ‘Strange Brew."

Our interview ended with the band preparing to take the stage and show the crowd how the rock. The band is definitely more substance over style onstage. They have a backdrop with their logo on it and they keep it pretty simple onstage. It’s all about the music and the intensity that they bring along with it.

One of the things that I really like about the band is their use of Sly. She is a very charismatic entity on the stage, but they tend not to overdo it with her. There are a great number of bands that use a female front person as a gimmick. Sly is not shoved down your throats to the point that she seems like a gimmick. Yes, she is without a doubt, a very beautiful woman and her style onstage is a cross between Gwen Stefani and Joan Jett/Lita Ford. She also possesses one of the most intimidating growls that I think I have ever heard from a female artist and actually some men too.

The band stays focused onstage and there is great interaction between them and the crowd. Their music does make that difficult transition to the live stage with a fury. Shane’s vocal stylings bring a complimentary mix between melodic tones and piercing screams.

Their debut CD is a great look into bigger things to come for this group. The opening track, "Dark Fortress", has that Pantera influence from the opening notes. Shane and Sly have a very interesting dual vocal prowess on tracks such as "Bloodstains and Papermache" and a personal favorite of mine "Stuck."

A live crowd favorite "Country Boy" is a hard driving song in which Sam shows off his shredding skills on one of his many intense solos. Creepy and Brandon show why they are a very tight rhythm section on "Don’t Belong". This band is a very cohesive unit with each member bringing to the table a piece of this puzzle that, once all are firmly put in place, showcases why they are one to keep your eye on.

If you are a fan of hard driving rock in the vein of Pantera or Slipknot, then you need to check Sloburn out. Their Myspace page is
www.myspace.com/sloburnband. Stop by and check them out now and say that you were there from the early stages. Line up and allow yourself to get burnt!

Atomic Blonde Show The Bigboys How To Rock

The metal scene seemed to take American by storm back in the late eighties. It has mostly been a testosterone driven style of music that women have a hard time being taken seriously in. Whether it's metal or hard rock in general, women have had a negative stereotype brought against them when it comes to playing in this male dominated field.

Through the years, many female rock/metal bands have come and gone. Remember Vixen? The Donnas are still around. Lita Ford pops up from time to time as well as the never aging Joan Jett. There's a new force to be reckoned with on the scene. They are Nashville, Tennessee's own Atomic Blonde. They are a mix of pop, metal, punk, sexiness and attitude. The ladies brought their style of playing to the people in 2004. The band consists of Dacia on guitar and vocals, Kendra on drums, Fran on guitar and Danielle on bass. I spoke with Dacia recently about the band and what's going on in their career.

Being an all female rock/metal band, do you find that there is a double standard for women in this industry? "Yes, it is difficult at times, especially in rock music. You are constantly being told by the labels that there are no all girl bands doing this. You have to keep your focus and believe in yourselves. We don't want to be pop, so we are not going to change for anyone. Alot of legendary groups have similar stories. You stick to your guns and wait for that right person who believes in your vision with you," said Dacia.

The band has different influences and it can be heard in their sound. "We listen to alot of stuff. I'm influenced by everyone from Gwen Stefani to Sheryl Crowe to Nirvana and to Chris Cornell. Kendra loves Primus and Nickelback and Linkin Park. Fran tends to be into bluesy stuff like Hendrix."

The band has a six song self titled CD that is available on Amazon.com , CD Baby and i-Tunes. It can also be purchased at their official website www.atomicblonde.net. It is a great showcase for how talented these women are. there are too many stereotypes in this world, whether it's in music or not. These women give the men a run for their money. The rhythm section of Danielle's pulsating bass and Kendra bashing the drums gives them a tight sound that is way beyond their actual years of playing together. Fran is a beast on guitar and Dacia......it's hard not to be taken away by her beauty, but this woman brings it to the table each and every time she gets behind the microphone. This woman can sing and she demands your attention.

Can we expect to see these ladies burning up the road anytime soon? "I think we will more extensively in the fall. We want to play more shows so that we can win over our audiences. We have to do everything ourselves so maybe we can get them to help us carry our equipment?"

Speaking of playing live, I asked Dacia if she had any interesting road stories to share with us? "One of the worst stories would be at this venue that we played that was not set up for live music. Two songs into our set, we blew the breaker. We had no electricity. One of the better memories was when we played at a film festival and it was really late. There was a guy in the crowd moshing and he actually ran into our bassist Danielle and knocked her into our drum kit. The next thing we knew, she had taken off into the crowd and was ready to kick this guys ass!"

So, how has the band coped with this double standard that we spoke on earlier? "It seems like the whole entertainment industry, not just music, is so much about image. First impressions can be lasting ones. We always hear people scream out, 'Girl bands suck!' Then at the end of the night, they come up to us and tell us how good we were and that they didn't really expect us to play as well as we did."

With the music industry in such a transitional stage, I was curious as to what Dacia's thoughts were? "The industry has had a hard time keeping up with technology. Radio is absolutely dead! Labels seem to be unwilling to look at new things. In the eighties, labels would take a band and put money into them and develop them. That's not happening anymore. Most bands have to do all of that themselves. As an artist, doing both the management role and the creative role is very hard. This past year I have suffered from writer's block because of it."

My last question for Dacia was my stuck on a desert island with only one CD what would it be question. "Wow, that's a good question. I have to pick two if I can. One would be Linkin Park's 'Hybrid Theory' plus Justin Timberlake's 'FutureSex/Loveounds'.

Do you want a dose of sexy rock and roll with a punk edge plus catchy hooks? I dare you to check these young ladies out. Don't think about the fact that they are an all female band and the fact that all four look like models. What if you were blind and put on their CD? Forget the image aspect and just listen to them for their musicianship and amazing songwriting abilities. You will find yourself rocking out with them in no time.