CHROMIUM

It all started out as nothing more then a studio project by Jared Gunston & Matthew Engelbrecht. They decided to get together and write some material just for the fun of it in

 Studio. Jared bringing the "Modern Metalcore" into the picture and Matt bringing the "Old School Thrash" combined their influences and abilities to create the sound of "Chromium". Adrian Basson, current Bassist, was the origianal drummer for the band, but later moved onto Bass when the band moved up to Johannesburg.  Hannes Matthysen, you could say was a "lucky find" - when the band was looking for a new drummer to take Basson's origianal place, Gunston was given a list of numbers for drummers that were on another bands audition list, lucky for Chromium they found him first!

 

November 2006, CHROMIUM relocates to Johannesburg. In this time they also received an Endorsement from Hughes & Kettner (One of the best amplification brands of all time)

 

During 2007, Chromium relocate to Johannesburg, doing over 100 shows that year alone, and also getting new sponsors/endorses on board.  Such as: "Music Connection", "Dean Guitars South Africa" and "Jagermeister"

 

They’ve been all over the country including various shows in Port Elizabeth, Grahamstown, East London, Pietermaritzburg, Durban, Cape Town & Pretoria, also including their new home town Johannesburg.

Some highlights include: “Nightfall Festival, featuring Blind Guardian”, “Devil Driver tour to South Africa, November 2008”; Ramfest (Cape Town), DoorStock, various Zeplins metal fests (Pretoria), Seasons Wither Rock Festival in Johannesburg. Performing live on GoRock (On DSTV) and releasing 2 music videos.

Facebook Fan Page : 

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Chromium/22415829432?ref=s

CONSCRIPT

 

Conscript, formally known as Chokehold, was formed by drummer Logan Kelso and guitarist Darryl Parkinson, previous members of Pretoria Doom Metal outfit Funeral, reunited and teamed up with vocalist Alex Trapani and bassist Chris Watson.

 

Their debut gig took place at The Snuggery in 2005, and they performed at various venues such as London Calling, Zeplins, Tempos and more, as well as larger events, like Motherfudd, Seasons Wither, and Grimfest.

 

A change was brewing due largely to the discovery of an international band named…Chokehold! With a great opportunity for Chris to start a career in the USA, the name Chokehold was replaced by Conscript. Hugo Pelzer, previous lead guitarist for Nelspruit Metal Band C4, joined Conscript to firm up their already powerful sound adding new dual-guitar dynamics. Conscript have been fortunate to have the services of Shane Pennicott, lead guitarist for SA Metal Gods Agro assisting on bass while a suitable replacement for Chris is hunted.

 

Conscript's unique sound, created by the musical talents of members that have long been involved in the music industry, sees a different approach to SA metal and enlarges their views on cause and effect.

 

Conscript Band

Johannesburg, South Africa

Acoustic Liquid

 

BIO:

 

Westley Engelbrecht

 (Acoustic guitar & Vocals) and Charles Dubber (Acoustic, Hand & Electric Drums) formed Acoustic Liquid as a side project to their band Torment in 2005. This was a way to show the world that they could perform softer hits as well as vibey cover songs for the masses and not only their usual metal ensemble that they succeeded with in Torment.  On many occasions, Westley has performed as a solo act when Charles is not available and covers songs from the 60’s to present, encompassing softer hits from bands such as Fleetwood Mac & U2 to contemporary hits from Nirvana, Seether & Pink Floyd all the way through to foot stomping songs such as “blister in the sun” by Violent Femmes & “kryptonite“ by 3 doors down.

 

Band member’s history

Charles started playing drums in high school, and played for a couple of garage bands in his school days. After moving to varsity he joined up with a band called "Till That Time". Front man Logan left the band, and joined up with Cutting Jade. Charles moved on, and teamed up with a very successful band called "The Case". After relocating to Johannesburg to start a new job, he finally ended up with Torment. 1 Year Later he and Westley decided to form Acoustic Liquid to showcase their other talents as musicians. Charles is currently working on his 8^th Grade in music and Drums.

Westley started playing the piano at the age of 12. He then picked up the guitar and vocals 2 years later. After years of playing and composing he moved to the UK where he started a very successful band called "Cryet". They toured SA, but it was short lived due to other responsibilities. He then returned to SA where he formed Torment. He never really gave up his passion for acoustic music (after spending many years busking in pubs around the UK) and reformed Acoustic Liquid with Charles in 2005.

BREAKING NEWS

 

Wez and Dub have been hard at work on their original album ... taking influences from their previous projects from cryet through to orment and beyond. their originaltake on acoustic music ... fused with their passionate lyrics and vibrant backgrounds is set to shock everyone. Keep an eye and ear out for their first single!!!

Acoustic Liquid has been chosen to perform at STRAB fest in Mozambique 2008 on the sunday Acoustic Session.

Listen to our tracks on our page - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Acoustic-Liquid/18936140684?ref=ts

Influences

Deftones, Classical, Spanish music, Afrikaans, Rock, Pop and the Ice Cream Van tune.

Acoustic Liquid is:

Vocals and Guitar - Westley Engelbrecht
Drums - Charles Dubber
Manager - Bianca Le Cornu

Ancient Influence

Ancient Influence

 

Power Metal from Pretoria, Ancient Influence is set to bring the Power of Heavy Metal to this craving country with its Melodic yet Heavy Metal elements. Old school die hard Metal fans will be forced to bang their heads and rock to the pounding sounds of Ancient Influence.

 

Influenced by the very best of Metal bands from all over the world, we set out to start our own unique brand of Heavy Metal right here in South Africa. Metal fans who enjoy the music of bands like Iron Maiden, Blind Guardian, Rhapsody, Manowar, Gamma Ray, Sonata Arctica and Helloween will be relieved to find that there is now a band who answers the Metal call in the country and will do their very best to bring quality music to the Metal fans.

 

Forged in 2003 by members Rian, Henko & Izak… the current line-up was completed in January 2007. Rocking the crowd at numerous live shows in and around Pretoria, Johannesburg and Potchefstroom incl. the Aardklop Festival in 2006 and the

Nightfall Festival in 2007, official opening act for metal legends Blind Guardian from Germany…

looking forward to play for years to come!!!

 

Good ol old school Power Metal! High pitched vocals, fast track melodic guitars, duel guitar solo's, pounding drums, lots of double base, atmospheric keyboards and powerful bass lines!

Torment

Torment

Links:

http://www.new.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2393384337&ref=ts

http://www.new.facebook.com/pages/Torment/19608002016?ref=ts

www.myspace.com/wearetorment

An Interview: http://www.musicmaker.co.za/interview_Torment.php

BIO:

 

Tear your heart out and put it into the music. That’s what Torment is all about. Take bits and pieces from all the emotions of the band members and rip apart almost every form of music, put them back together, then stand back and watch this monster come alive. 

Torment was formed February 2005 by four musicians longing to create something different. Tired of the same old stereotypical music and bands that fall apart, the mission was on to create something new... uncontrollable and inspirational... creating a new path for others to follow.

Torment combines the soulful, warm, mood setting tone of the acoustic guitar with tribal rhythmic percussion, bone crunching distortion and earth shattering bass. All topped off with vocals that will leave you torn between two worlds. 

"Solid, hard-hitting rock with only one proviso: brains!" - Joday's review on "Take" in THE 'ZINE 

Get ready to be tormented. 

 

History

Charles started playing drums in high school, and played for a couple of garage bands in his school days. After moving to varsity he joined up with a band called "Till That Time". Front man Logan left the band, and joined up with Cutting Jade. Charles moved on, and teamed up with a very successful band called "The Case". After relocating to Johannesburg to start a new job, he finally ended up with Torment.

Eugene started playing guitar at the age of 15. He hooked up with a couple of friends and started a band called "Plan-B", which had some success, but different musical opinions  inevitably split the band up. He then joined a couple of other musicians, not knowing that his destiny as a bass player was only lying two houses away. 

Ruan has been playing guitar for about 7 years. He  played for a band called "Placid Rage", of which their achievements include being on a compilation disc of RP Studios, and headlining SA Music week Rock Festival. He outgrew the band eventually and teamed up with Westley to form the band Torment.

Westley started playing the piano at the age of 12. He then picked up the guitar and vocals 2 years later. After years of playing and composing he moved to the UK where he started a very successful band called "Cryet". They toured SA, but it was short lived due to other responsibilities. He the hooked up with Ruan to form the band Torment. 

Itai was lost in Zimbabwe when an urge sent him packing to South Africa (early 2007) to see his best friend (who happened to be our manager’s brother) … after doing some work with her he heard her play some of our music one day and begged to meet the band … and the rest as they say – is history.

Influences

Deftones, Machine head, Slipknot, Soulfly, classical, Spanish music, and the Ice Cream Van tune.

Our edge

What makes our style of music unique is the determination to be different and unexpected in everything we do. Create and destroy rules to make it our own. 

"Lead, don't follow." 

SPONSORS:

Jagermeister

Events Torment has played at:

Southern Cross Music Festival 2006 – Mooi River

MotherFudd 2007

Smashit Up Chaos Festival 2006

Namibia Amphi Desert New Years Fest - 2006

When Worlds Collide 2007

The Rock Opera 2007

Dakota Rocks Festival 2007

The Summoning 2, 2007

Lentebach – Limpopo 2007

Motherfudd 2008

Ramfest 2008

Season’s Wither 07 and 08

Winterbach – Limpopo 2008

Witchfest (with Carcass) – Natal 2008

Torment returned from a tour to Namibia as they were invited to play the National Amphi New Years gig in Swakopmund 2006 for a crowd of over 6000 people.

 

Torment has also played Southern Cross music Festival 2006 and it is ranked highly amongst their greatest achievements.

 

Torment just played at the national MotherFudd rock/metal festival in February 2007 and 2008 and it went down incredibly well.

Torment has been picked for Witchfest 2007 and 2008

Upcoming Festivals:

Wichfest 2008

We went through the first round selections for STRAB Mozambique as well as MetalCamp in Sweden.

Radio Stations:

Ujfm

Tuks Fm

Radio Today

Radio 2000

Write-Up on Rocking SA:

“Torment ended off the show with their extreme stage performance. They are a 5-piece metal/ rock band with a drummer, bassist, 2 guitarists and singer/acoustic guitarist. The name Torment it means distress or an ordeal. But when listening to their songs you understand they are not there to distress or torture you, their music is about things happing around us that makes you feel like you are being tortured. Their melodic rhythm intoxicates you and you are like a zombie following every word with your body moving to the rhythm. They are braking barriers with there music sending out a message - look around, open your eyes and be a part of the solution not the problem. They also send out a vibe of; this is music that they are not about all being a rebel. Torment sing about joy too. Their stage performance is exploding and they are a new wave of artist that is going for the big time so come and support Torment before the world scoops them up.”

Gig Review by Fractal Metal:

TORMENT at When Worlds Collide 

Crescendo’s, hooks, acoustic melodies and imaginative drumming complimented by interesting vocals… this is what caught my attention when Torment opened their set at the “When Worlds Collide” Gig at Tempo’s. 

Their hard rock is tempered by the gentle sound of the acoustic guitar in a way that brings out the best of both worlds. And as if this unusual combination is not enough, the vocals lull you into a comfort zone of melodic harmonies only to shove you off balance with an eerie growl or angry scream. 

The powerful hard rocking riffs had the audience headbanging vigorously, and a loose moshpit formed during some of the heavier songs. And as if the music alone wasn’t enough to please the fans, Torment poured shots of Jaegermeister into the eager upturned mouths of fans and tossed out Tshirts all to the sound of a pounding drum solo! 

Variety is definitely the spice of life when listening to Torment. Their music can’t be pigeonholed into a specific genre. They have created their own sound which appeals to fans of melodic rock, metal and hard rock alike. 

Keep an eye on this band. They are making waves in the alternative music scene!  

This review can also be found on www.zazone and www.tabs.co.za and http://www.myspace.com/fractalmetal  

Band Radar Focus: D-FROST

D-FROST

D-Frost are an indy/rock/punk/dance band from cape town SA. They started in 2004 and have been going ever since. Interests include the obvious: making music, playing music, listening to music. Aside from that, they enjoy long walks on the beach at night and the odd bottle of hard liquor every now and then.

Members:

Dax Frost - Guitar/Vocals
Nick Frost - Drums/Percussion/Vocals
Marc Tatham - Bass
Aldert Du Toit - Guitar

D-Frost gig all over the western cape. We will be attending the Knysna Oyster Festival in July so catch them there!

We have released 2 Official EP's:

Pushed Through The Fence (2006)
To All The Beautiful Girls I Ever See'd (2007)

Both available by just emailing: nickdfrost@gmail.com

Our 2 most popular songs are "If I Don't Make It (Tell Sheri)" off of the Pushed Through The Fence EP,
and "The Playboy Mansion" (now regarded as a classic) off the Beautiful Girls EP.

You can get dfrost on myspace at: www.myspace.com/dfrostband (listen to tracks and view pictures and blog entries)

D-Forst's ultmiate dream...

PLAYING @ COKEFEST OF COURSE...

Submitted by Nick Frost

Band Radar Focus: The Privates International Band

THE PRIVATES international band

The Story...

In 2006 Charles (Bass and Lead Vocals), Trevor (Lead Guitar and Backing Vocals) and Wesley (Drums and Percussion) got together and started making music that they really enjoyed. Inevetably they wanted to express themselves and share their ideas with other people through the music and decided rather than just sitting around, waiting for the right gig to come along, that they'd put out their own brand of "Drink and Dance" parties, and play shows for pals and pals of pals, staged in odd hotel bars and dodgy sports clubs.

TwoYears later they have already brought out an album, split up, got back together again and are now gapping for more fun party jive times than ever before. These dapper young carnivores of fine music eat up the stage, drawing inspiration from a wide range of diverse musical genres. Sound wise it is hard to pin these guys down, due to their bohemian repertoire of varying music styles that swings from strong Spanish rock to superhero themed disco, to a bit of ska, some honest punk, a bit of funk and good ol' cheesy lounge. For want of a simpler description they have labeled their eclectic musical style as Cocktail Punk.



One thing is for sure though, if you do get to one of their shows you'll be drunk and dancing with their sarcasm and groovability before you've even hit your 10th martini. Hear things! See things! Feel feelings! See THE PRIVATES "international band" live. You won't be disappointed.

To get taste of what they're about, download a song or 2 off their self-titled debut album (THE PRIVATES international band)

Go to: www.myspace.com/theprivatesinternationalband

You can join their Facebook group and fan page for gig updates and news updates.

Facebook Group Page:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=5113392698

Facebook Fan Page:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/THE-PRIVATES-international-band/6922934204

Information submitted by Charles Foley



Comment on The Privates International Band by clicking on 'COMMENTS'. Below.

BAND RADAR: REACH

REACH

Ex SHIFTY and F…ETC (efetcetra) band members, Dave Smith, Basil Byrne, Greg Bester and Marc Wainstein join forces once again to bring you REACH. As some of you may remember F…ETC was a well established 5 piece band out of Edenvale Jhb managing to attract a fan base across many stages in S.A, appearing on 5 Fm, Highveld Stereo and Campus radio stations nationally as well as live T.V. interviews on E-TV. Also playing with international act Lagwagon and receiving a Blunt Magazine nomination for Album of the year in 2006 for the Debut album “Plan your Escape” Just to name a few. With a Complete new musical direction and influence,Greg and Marc hacked away in the shifted Audio Studio’s to put together an explosive 11 track Debut CD, filled with everything from up tempo rock to a 7 minute acoustic track.

Album News

The great news is we have finally finished recording our Debut Album "Fire and Grace. The album definately has something for everyone, from up tempo Rock tracks to a 6 min acoustic track which we can gaurantee will knock your socks off.

Reach Gig Guide

Fri 25th April :

At Carfax Jhb CBD , Reach, aking, Van Coke Cartel
and more

Sat 26th April :

At Tempos, Reach, Running with Scissors,
Hikatori, Reach are on at 19:00.

Sat 26th April :

At Black Dahlia Boksburg, Reach, Swivel Foot,
Suicide Kings

Sunday 27th April :

Seasons Wither at the Playhouse at the
Northgate Dome.....46 bands 3 stages hell yeah,
Reach are on at 16:00 Stage 2!!!!





Reach's Myspace Profile:

http://www.myspace.com/reachrock

BAND RADAR:

Failing Forward

How it all began:

Failing Forward was conceived in Cape Town, almost two and a half years ago. Local hardcore outfit Neshamah had just broken up and the guitarist, Russel Aitkenhead, decided to start his own project. He called up some mates, including singer/guitarist Anton van der Merwe and the jamming began! The idea was to create a new sound in Cape Town, a hard sound that was as melodic as it was heavy, yet infectiously catchy at the same time with a tasteful mix of singing and screaming. It needed to be music that appealed to almost everyone, music you could get into and have a great time listening to. And so with that in mind Failing Forward wrote five killer songs, recorded them on a self titled debut EP and exploded onto the Cape Town scene in April 2006. The band gigged the Cape Town circuit like machines and quickly gained a reputation for having one of the best live stage performances in the scene - a reputation that has been well maintained to date. Early 2007 saw Failing Forward leave the familiar territory of the Cape and head over to play a tour in Johannesburg alongside The Slashdogs, The Hellphones, Reason To Live and Die Straatligkinders. The music was enthusiastically received and had the Joburg crowds screaming for more!

In late 2007 Failing Forward entered the Battle For Woodstock competition and went up against five incredible acts in a band fight that will long be remembered. They arose victorious on the night and won the chance to play in the finals at Woodstock 9 in Harrismith. Playing Woodstock was a dream come true and although FF didn't win the finals they made many new fans and friends and widened their circle of influence.



The year of 2008 saw Failing Forward start off with a bang as they played main stage at Cape Town's Ramfest. However the band then suffered a massive lineup change as members quit for various personal reasons leaving Anton as the only original founding member. Determined that this would not be the end, Anton made a few phone calls and slowly rebuilt the band. The result was a new Failing Forward that remained true to its roots, built on the strengths of the past and stronger and more impressive than ever before!

The current band consists of Anton van der Merwe as guitarist/frontman, James Acker on guitars, Tyron Whittaker on bass and Nick Ornellas on drums. The boys are more amped than ever before to continue making music that will make South Africans proud. Music is undoubtedly their primary passion and if ever you meet them or watch them play this fact will hit you with the subtlety of a brick in a sock! See you at the next show!

Current News

At the time of writing Failing Forward are in the studio with Tim Rankin of Bed on Bricks fame. They are working on recording their debut full length which is scheduled for release in August 2008. The album will showcase most of the familiar Failing Forward songs including crowd favourites "Schoolyard Bullies" and "Hunting Beasties". The album will also include songs that weren't ever recorded as well as some material that has never been heard before!

Failing Forward has some incredibly exciting plans for the year.

You can stay up to date with what's happening, see the latest gig dates, listen to the songs and keep in touch with the members at the following links:

Band Members:

Anton van der Merwe - guitarist/frontman

James Acker -guitars

Tyron Whittaker - bass

Nick Ornellas - drums.



Myspace Band Profile: www.myspace.com/failingforward777


Facebook Band Profile: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Failing-Forward/19952989064


Failing Forward Fan Club and Gig Guide:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2352469267

WE'RE BUSYING PLANNING A FACE LIFT!!!

GETTING READY FOR THE SUMMER BABY!

GETTING YOUR BAND ADDED

Hello all

Its so nice to see you all getting into it on this blog. It's really inspiring for bands to see their fans go so wild about them.

It shows South Africa has talent!

But If you are a fan of and they are not on the poll and you want on them poll please please please dont just post up the

CF 09 - ... here in the blog.

Post it up in the discussion area of the Cokefest 2009 - Bring These SA BANDS facebook group as every other people that now have their bands on the poll have done. In this way bands can read what their fans have to write about them.

The link to the group is:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=11818718511

Please go there and become a member if you are not a member.

Thank you

Kind Regards,
Mr K

Welcome

Welcome to the Voting Station for SA's best Bands. We are giving you the chance to express opinion by voting for your favourite SA bands. We want Big Concerts to see who the popular bands are and who deserves to be at Coke Fest 2009!This Voting Poll is basically a guide for Big Concerts so the bands with the most votes is not promised a spot in Coke Fest 2009. What we are doing here is giving Big concerts something to think about! Its YOUR Coke Fest..you should have the right to see what you want!We support South African artists and so we give them the opportunity to see how big their fan base is!If your Sa Band is not on the Voting Poll please feel free to leave a comment on this blog or add your SA Band's name in the discussion area.Please start the title of the discussion with... CF 09 - FANS OF (NAME OF YOUR SA BANDS.Thank You for your support!Have a great day!Kind Regards,Mr K\m/