MySpace!

Seit kurzem sind wir auch auf MySpace zu finden

http://www.myspace.com/theblastbeathb

Endlich MySpace

http://www.myspace.com/theblastbeathb

Und da wir anscheinend Probleme beim Adden haben, bitten wir EUCH – UNS zu adden

Es geht weiter!

Liebe potentiellen Leser,

es geht nun weiter mit der Blast Beat in PRINTFORM! Die Redaktion hat sich zusammen gefunden, nun geht es an die direkte Planung.

Infos coming soon

Rock on!

Katharina

We need your feedback! Eure Meinung ist gefragt!

Many people keep asking us whether there will be another issue. Well, here’s the deal: You tell us whether there should be one! This time probably in German, or what do you think?

Comment on the blog, send an email or talk to us when we are running around somewhere

We already had a few very nice ideas for producing the next mag, also in print!

- – -

Viele Leute fragen uns, ob es eine nächste Ausgabe geben wird. Nun: Warum sagt ihr uns nicht, ob wir weiter machen sollen? Dieses mal dann wohl in deutsch, oder was denkt ihr?

Kommentiert unseren Blog, schickt uns ne Mail oder quatscht uns einfach an

Wir hatten bereits einige sehr gute Ideen bezüglich der nächsten Ausgabe, auch in Print!

The Blast Beat team

Download the PDF to enjoy full quality!

People keep telling us they thought our magazine is just a BLOG – it’s not. This is just a way to put all articles online and give the mentioned bands a chance to copy their stuff onto their MySpace sites.

We have a print-ready, fully layouted version in PDF-format (See “the magazine in all its beauty” posting) for you to download.

And if you feel like giving us feedback – please do so Leave a comment on our blog or write an email: BlastBeatHB@gmx.de

Deutsch sprechen wir natürlich auch

And who knows, if you like it, we can go on. If not – then it was a GREAT experience anyway!

Cheers!

The Blast Beat team

Small “release party”

On Wednesday, 9th July the editorial staff of The Blast Beat will share a few nice drinks to celebrate its success in the “Writing for Journalism” class at around 9 pm @ the Furchtbar.

Of course, all readers are also invited to join our cosy round

See ya!

Katharina

The magazine in all its beauty part ONE

Hey folks,

I somehow happened to stumble across our server data and, well, here it is, the PDF (smaller sized) for you to download.

Enjoy!

-> KLICK <-

Katharina

PDF files coming soon…

Thanks to the great support of Local Radio, our magazine will soon appear in PDF format so that you can enjoy the articles in their “original” layout and feel that you are truly reading a MAGAZINE.

Katharina

Local Radio reports!

All Hail to Locke and Brain who have reported about us just today! You can read all about it here.

Katharina

AS I AM – totally different (?)

Actually we don’t need to tell you anything about As I am – “everything is on MySpace”, as all members of the band repeatedly state. “Welcome to war”, one of the band’s CDs (the second? Or was it the first?) was released in 2004. Actually, it is the first album, under the new band name As I am, “but it is the re-branded CD of Irgendwas Anderes (“something different”)”.

Somehow reluctantly Mr. Ed speaks about the fiasco of re-naming the band. “Well, ‘Irgendwas Anderes’ (“something different”) was not received well by the public”, he gives in. And looking at the past songs one might even add that this name did not suit As I am’s music 100%. We’re talking about old school Heavy Metal with a slight tendency to Power Metal and a thorough pinch of the glittering 80s here. It sure might suit some fans of this genre and the passion for music, clearly expressed in the confident handling of their instruments (we shall forget about the nasty string of Mr. Ed’s guitar for now), should definitely not be neglected either, but we will see if the upcoming album’s material will truly be “something different”.

“We are working on our third album in our own studio”, André (vocals) says and proudly presents the miniature studio in one of the main departments of the Tierrechtsbund (animal rights association) which all band members support. All hail to Sylvester and Tweety!

Although they have been in the music business for a long time, “for centuries”, Mr. Ed laughs, As I am do not have a label yet and have to take care of selling their stuff on their own. “We will just put the CDs into the postboxes of people”, André says. Now, people might wonder whether this is the right way for PR. “Well, we try to sell our stuff during our concerts”, the vocalist concludes. Which links us back to MySpace.

“We are planning to do a concert, live-streamed via MySpace.”, Andrè continues. So why don’t you click yourself into it and experience something totally different for yourself.

Sandra Berndt

Contact: www.myspace.com/asiamgermany

Full interview with Tom Hyde from SARPANITUM

Who are the current band members of Sarpanitum?

T: The current Sarpanitum line up is Sean Broster, Mark Broster, myself (Tom Hyde) and our new bassist Vic Lochab.

Where do you come from?

T: I’m from Birmingham, Sean and Mark have been brought up in both Scotland and Oman but now live in Birmingham and Vic is from Coventry and lives with Mark in Birmingham.

When was your band formed?

T: The band initially started with Jack Galibrath and Andy Techakosit as a studio project with a self-released demo called „Agushaya Hymn” in 2003. Since then there have been a few line-up changes up then we realased our debut album „Despoilment of Origin”, which was released in 2007 through Galactic Records. since the release of the debut there have been a couple of line-up changes: Andy Techakosit (lead vocals and bass) and Tom Innocenti (vocals and guitars) both left the band and Vic Lochab (bass and vocals) and Mark Broster (lead vocals and guitars) have now joined.

How would you describe your music?

T: I tend to struggle when describing our band but I think Blackened Death metal with big atmosphere would be the best way to describe us. I think if you’re a fan of death metal and atmospheric music you might enjoy us.

What do you sound like?

T: A lot of people have stated that we sound like Nile and behemoth and I think that may be due to the same lyrical and at times melodic themes although I still hear a lot of influence from Krisiun, Immolation, Suffocation, Hate Eternal and Morbid Angel

What do the lyrics deal with?

T: The lyrics on „Despoilment of Origin” tend to speak of Inanna’s (Sarpanitum) descent into the mythological underworld of ancient Mesopotamia to confront her sibling deity Ershkigal. Inanna is one of the most recognised gods from the Mesopotamian era and a lot of the ideas for lyrics were inspired by the „Gilgamesh“ text speaking of the stories of the gods.

By whom are inspired?

T: As a band we are inspired by all forms and genres and sub-genres of music although when it comes to metal the band tends to prefer the classic death metal bands (like Morbid Angel, Suffocation, Immolation, Gorguts). I’m generally inspired by some of the brutal death metal bands like, Krisiun, Hour of Penance, Vital Remains, Cineary, Hate Eternal and ‘The monolith deathcult’, but at the same time I get very inspired by classical music and film and computer game score composers such as James Horner, John Williams, Hans Zimmer and Basil Poledouris and some ambieant music like Vangelis and early Jean Michelle Jarre. This is because I like to have heavy music that can blend nicely and create an atmosphere with melodies without going to melodic and loosing the brutality that makes us a death metal band.

Next album / Future of the band…

T: The next album is in writing as we speak, we do not have a release date as of yet but we are still exploring and experimenting with ideas and letting riffs and taking our time. I think because the reviews and feedback of “Despoilment of Origin” have been that well received its motivated us even more to make an album that us and the fans will be happy with. What I can reveal though is that the lyrical content of the next album will be based in the Far East, around the 13th century, in the times of the Mongol Empire. Before Andy left he discussed the idea with mark and I think lryically will really suit the bands next release as it keeps the concept of anciet history and tales of epic battles and so on.

You Are any tour, festival appearances or is anything else planned?

T: Unfortunately we do not have any future gigs planned, we had a local gig coming up but unfortunately the venue had to cancel but when there is any gigs coming up they are all posted on our website at www.sarpanitum.com and on the myspace page www.myspace.com/sarpanitum

What do you know about Bremen? 

T: Well I had heard of Bremen before and my brother works and teaches out there. I would like to visit some time soon, I have seen some pictures St Peters Cathedral and the architecture is beautiful. When I have some time off from work I’ll have to go over and see it with my own eyes.

Words for Bremen:

T: Guten Tag Bremen! Thanks to all out there for taking the time to read the interview and it would be awesome to check out the scene out there! I also extend many thanks to “Blast Beat” and Katharina for arranging this interview and I would be really interested to find out more about the metal scene in Bremen.

PS: Does “Sarpanitum” have a meaning?

T: Yes, Sarpanitum is another word for Sarpanit which is the wife of Marduk, the Mesopotamian god of war but Sarpanit has also been referred by the names of “Gamsu” “Inanna”, “Ishtar” and plenty more I can’t remember now.

Katharina Resmer

Sweden Rock 2008

Drive 600 kilometres in the searing sun, spend around 200 Euro for a ticket and show your boss the middle finger for a couple of days just to be locked up on a huge field of suffocating dust, live in a far too small and dirty tent among 30 000 thousand roaring people, stuff yourself with fast food and get your ears blasted for entire whole four days? Hell, yeah! If this is the SWEDEN ROCK festival you’re talking about!

Now, many German Metalheads are a special kind of Patriots when it comes to festivals, keeping it national. Wacken, Heabanger’s Open Air, With Full Force. Don’t we know them all? And not many would expect themselves to jump into the moshpits of the “outside world”. Isn’t it comfortable to have everything in German? Well, get over it! Sweden, sacred mother of Opeth, Amon Amarth, In Flames, Arch Enemy and a heavy load of others should be proclaimed the mecca of European festivals.

For the seventeenth time Sölvesborg went crazy this June, celebrating the first night sinisterly with the Black Metal gurus of Satyricon, preceded by a crazy Korpiklaani and Sabaton show. And even though Sebastian Bach was probably too drunk to get onto the plane to Scandinavia and was replaced by good old rock band Bonafide, the ladies of Sweden Rock had no time to cry, since Volbeat hit the stage in nice Thursday afternoon sun, bringing the huge crowd (on the far too small stage for this band) to a frenzy. “Sweden, are you ready to rock?!” Sweden was and Danish Rock’n’Roll seemed to be hitting the nail right on the head, or was it the beer and the sun?

A couple more of the (not really cheap) Sweden Rock beers, a couple more of the popular cider, three rounds of Mario Kart Wii at the “play centre” next to the Gibson Tent Stage and then off to US legend Disturbed. David Draiman, perfect copy of Hannibal Lecter, sure was excited to play on the stage the giants of JUDAS PRIEST were to step on this Thursday night to let midnight riffs echo for more than two hours with pure and old school Heavy Metal.

The two following, still dripping hot, sunshine and fast food filled festival days were filled with acts such as guitar hero Joe Satriani, Death Metal gods Carcass, Whitesnake, Def Leppard, surely rocking their souls out through Saturday night, German Power Metal strength Stormwarrior, decisively different Apocalyptica, the band usually referred to as HUMPA (Eläkaläiset – yes, it is easy to entertain Metal fans at festivals) and bands such as Primordial, Mustasch and finally, one of the headliners, Poison.

Some Highlights definitely were the mind-bending, Anti-Bush campaign on the stage, brought to Sweden by industrial Metal gods of Ministry. And even though no one would have expected the success of a J-Rock band on a Metal festival, MUCC proved that androgynous, exotic rockstars can be just as heavy as European Heavy Metal spinsters, gathering a rather huge rocker audience besides 14-year old fangirls in the first row.

All Hail to the majestic Sweden Rock! Next volume is planned for 4-7 June 2009, so book your ticket early at www.swedenrock.com and prepare for Scandinavian Metal power to overwhelm you! And if you got interested in festivals outside Germany, maybe you should check out legendary Roskilde (www.roskilde-festival.dk/) or Finnish RuisRock (www.ruisrock.fi/). Belgium comes into the game with the Graspop festival (http://www.graspop.be/) and if you want to try out something even more exotic, why don’t travel down to Slowenia to enjoy the MetalCamp? (http://www.metalcamp.com/)

Katharina Resmer

Tuning in with Local Radio

It’s Tuesday, 10 o’clock in the morning. In front of us the HF3 Studio of Radio.Weser.TV. Locke and Brain are already on air. Local Radio – Lecker Musik ohne Reinquatschen – (tasty music without interruptions) is broadcasting live from Bremen.

Once a week from 9.00 to 11.00 am, Locke sits behind his mixer and pushes the buttons. And while he is busy choosing the right CD for the next song, Brain opens the door to give us a hearty welcome. She leads us the way to the legendary broadcasting studio where all the action happens. In this tiny but cosy room – believe it or not – you can fit 33 musicians, tested on one of the regular Rocknights with the Local Radio All Star Band.

Local Radio not only broadcasts regular its two hour show on Tuesday on 92,5 MHz Antenne or 101,85 MHz of Bremen’s cable network, but also holds a four hour long Rocknight on Saturday every even month. The upcoming Rocknight on 2^nd August 2008 will be again a huge gathering of local musicians. As experienced in previous Rocknights, there will be unplugged music broadcasted live and in full length. In the special atmosphere, created by the variety of the bands, new inspirations awake and might be put into action on the spot.

Talking about music, Local Radio uses a wide ranged playlist from Rock, Hard Rock, Metal, Blues to Reggae. Something for every listener.

Ready to shoot or blast out our questions, brainy Inga stopped our enthusiasm and confronted us with the plan of a live interview to experience a feeling of stage fright ourselves. Taken by surprise (and what a surprise it turned out to be) we agreed. In the second, we outlined our project, the studio phone rang. On the other end of the line, the PR lady of another band (page 9) called for an interview for our magazine.

With the goal of being flexible on the location, helping newcomers to be known to a wider audience and giving local bands a chance to perform on stage, the idea of Local Radio’s Rocking Safari was born. Up to now the live concerts are held every third Saturday a month in Bremen’s Safari-Club and every first Thursday a month in the Bluesclub Meisenfrei. On these events three to four bands, preferably locals, get the chance to perform.

To top all the foresaid off, Local Radio has of course its own website, which works as a platform where new bands can promote themselves by using the message board to announce upcoming gigs or just say who they are and what they do.

Also, bands have the possibility to send their songs to Locke and Brain who will then spread the word and present new stuff. Bands from all over the world are invited to enrich the show of Local Radio as well.

To the end of the interview we got a taste of what a heart’s desire looks like. If you have a bunker to spare and like it to see used for supporting young and upcoming bands then hand it over to Locke and Brain. They will set up rehearsal rooms, an own stage for concerts and even going to provide a place to crash down afterwards.

Janine Brauer and Sandra Berndt

Contact: www.local-radio.de

www.myspace.com/localradiobremen

Sinister Artwork by Gregor Haefke

A spot on the floor, a shadow at the wall or fluffy clouds in the sky – we humans recognise preferably faces in such all day structures. “In the end it is all us” and that’s what interests Gregor Haefke, the blast beat’s cover artist. “That’s where it starts.”

Awaiting him at Gröpelingen’s depot, Gregor Haefke is easily to recognise. A man with a bald head, black clothes and a little goatee walks along the pavement. At first sight, an artist out of a picture book. A bit reserved at the beginning, he starts talking and his remarkable, clear, brown eyes evoke the feeling to see beyond our world’s surface and attract my attention. I’m all ears now.

All his life, from early childhood on, he started drawing animals and was fascinated by anatomy ever since. At the age of 25 he decided that this was what he wanted to do seriously. First impressions of his pictures might be dark, sinister, provocative even pornographic sometimes, but take your time and have a closer look at all the details you’ll be surprised what you might discover! Influenced by surrealism and because of his tough childhood, his pictures leave a certain atmosphere behind, which is grabbing and doesn’t let go. It’s the strong contrast of light and dark, that makes the impact. Hidden behind airbrush and easel, a picture called “Spielplatz” strikes our eyes. It shows wreckage on a chessboard. Organic, living forms and shapes turn into technical, stiff, lifeless ones. Nature, clouds, organic stuff, heaven, that’s what affects and inspires him. “There’s not only the human and the nature. We are part of the nature. You cannot say the human being is here and everything else is inferior to it. We are constructing our world with all this technology – that doesn’t fit, that’s rubbish ….” Gregor explains.

He works with an airbrush, which is very easy to handle: “you put colour into it and a bit of air and the picture comes out front. You only have to push the button.” Nevertheless, to complete one picture takes him 6 to 8 hours a day for two weeks, without interruption. That’s hardly compatible with a regular job or other odds and sods.

He always starts with the horizon: “That’s our eye level. You have to fix the horizon to be able to draw in a realistic way, otherwise everything gets disarranged afterwards and nothing fits together again.” After that and having fixed the direction of the light, he forms shapes and arranges segments, the rest is more or less spontaneous, where he doesn’t think about what he’s doing. Feelings and emotions combined with intellect and reason. Even if a picture is finished to ¾ he might has to rework “the whole shit, so that nothing is left from the beginning. That’s nuts, but that’s how it is.”

The album cover for Galskap’s “Manifest der Verdammnis” was his first cooperation with a Heavy Metal Band. As long as it fits together with him and with what he’s doing, he can imagine such cooperation again. His pictures are a bit of his own flesh and blood and he cannot pinch off something that he doesn’t feel comfy with or that he doesn’t like. Although Galskap gave him their new album’s title and said something about Judges and Condemned, Gregor didn’t adhere to that and tells us that it is “only 20% compromise”.

Eventually Gregor has found his way and his light, “his back light, it’s not the easiest, but has an impact.” He definitely is passionate about what he is doing and there are aspects that play a role for everybody, especially evolution: “We are not too far away from being worms, it’s all one line.” he knows that, he feels that and he uses that.

Janine Brauer

Behind the scenes of Blast Attack

We all know Bremen’s Death Metal scene is pretty lame and could even be described as non-existent. And thank God, or whoever you would prefer to put in this place, this is also what pissed Julian off – so he decided to do something against it. AND: He is not alone!

“When I changed faculties it came about that I did not really have a lot to do during the summer semester and thought that it would be a nice idea to organise something with local bands,” he remembers. This is how he got into contact with Leif “who had wanted to start something similar anyway. And this is more or less how Blast Attack was created.”

As the name of this event already suggests (or at least it should!), Blast Attack is “aiming mainly at Grindcore and Death Metal bands, bands going into this direction with all the characteristics belonging to those genres,” as Julian states.

The third man behind the blasting event is Marte, whom Julian and Leif actually met at one of their concerts in the Buchte. He was blasted away by Sufferage and decided to join them on their mission to revive Death Metal in Bremen. And they did. Last April’s Blast Attack in the Buchte, which was the fourth under this label, was a thorough success, and even though Defeated Sanity had to cancel their gig, there sure was a Death Metal commotion on stage with many going nuts in the audience.

Before meeting Julian and Marte, Leif had actually organised an event on his own, which Julian would describe as the first Blast Attack ever. And who wouldn’t remember Malignancy, Wormed and Despondency smashing the Friese in 2005?

“Honestly, Marte and I didn’t really have a clue about event-management before starting Blast Attack,” Julian admits. Leif, on the other hand, had organised many gigs before and is more or less seen as the centre considering the whole organisation. “Because Leif has his „Carnage“ metalzine, he is predestined for getting in touch with the bands. He knows the majority of them, due to all the concerts and festivals he goes to, not only nearby, but also in North Rine-Westfalia. Furthermore, he gets all of these promo-CDs that we can listen to when we are searching for bands to play at the gigs”, Julian says.

Choices have to made if you are focusing on a specific genre. “We can’t just let anyone play, this is not Blast Attack’s purpose. Nonetheless, bands interested in playing at Blast Attack can contact us, and if it fits into the whole picture, then it’s OK,” Julian adds.

Money-making is not the goal of Blast Attack and barely possible, but if a few Euros more find their way into the pocket of the three men, they definitely want to try “something bigger” and also to get “bigger” bands down to Bremen who might just be on tour when the next event is due (and also expect a higher payment). “We want local bands as support, while also focusing on bands from all over the nation or even from abroad,” Julian says.

He also confirms that there definitely will be another Blast Attack. “We are either doing it in the Buchte or the Friese, both locations are really good.” What bands will play and when exactly this event is going to be, is still a secret. But look out for it – you don’t want to miss this!

Katharina Resmer

Interview with GALSKAP

Formed in 2003, GALSKAP’s demo “Erstschlag” came out one year later and devised raw Black Metal with German lyrics on tape. Four years later, after a few line-up changes and some live experience, the debut album has come out as a digipak. Fatal (guitar) and Grimmschlag (vocals) come clean about “Manifest der Verdammnis.”

Your first studio album was released two years after your promo. When exactly did you enter the studio and how long did the writing and production of “Manifest der Verdammnis” actually take?

Fatal: Pretty long. We went into the studio last year in May and recorded only the drums. We then took the drum tracks home and recorded the rest by ourselves in our small ‘home studio’. Then it all kind of went to and fro, the layouting also took some time and then our search for a label failed, which also delayed the actual release.

The album consists of nine songs. Which ones had already been on the Promo?

Grimmschlag: These were „Blinder Instinkt“ and „Vom Pestwinde verweht“. The rest was produced during the whole recording process, when we entered „Studio-E“ in May 2007. The studio had been recommended to us by friends in the industry.

Are you contented with your results, have you got any personal favourites on the album or something that you would criticise?

Fatal: I think one is never satisfied. When an artist is pleased with his work, than that is not a good piece of art. Or at least, I don’t think there would be such a piece of art.

Grimmschlag: I don’t want to talk badly about our album, but as Fatal has said, one is never satisfied.

The sound has definitely improved since your promo, which probably is due to the professional studio, but do you think that you have improved?

Grimmschlag: Yes, a lot I would say. Well, I think that we are one of the few bands that have strongly improved, this is probably because we have a musician, our guitarist Fatal, who is really pushing us forward.

What about song writing? Who composes the music, who writes the lyrics?

Fatal: Most of the work is done by myself at home, talking about the musical aspect, and then we put the music together with Grimmschlag’s lyrics. And of course, when the songs are played for the first times with the whole band together, they change. As they do when rehearsals continue. Some more, some less.

You said that you did not find a label, so you will sell the CD on your own. How does this work, how do you proceed?

Grimmschlag: You can get the CD at HotShot in Bremen, then you can reach us via our official website, as well as MySpace, and order it normally. Currently we are looking for some kind of sales department who would take care of the distribution or at least a person who could do that, maybe even Europe-wide. But the safest way right now is to contact us personally. We also sell T-Shirts, Patches and Buttons.

Does the title of the album actually have a meaning to you?

Grimmschlag: The interesting thing about the whole story is the fact that when I was writing the lyrics, a central theme incidentally appeared. “Manifest der Verdammnis” (‘manifest of perdition’) is about a protagonist who accidentally summons damnation by the decisions he makes and is forced to make. So we also wanted the title of the CD to fit. This is how “Manifest der Verdammnis” came up.

Fatal: We actually had a lot of alternative titles, but the whole band eventually voted on the current title.

You are often being compared with Endstille, what do you think about this comparison?

Fatal: We are definitely slower than Endstille but I think that people tend to make this comparison due to the basic atmosphere we create, which is similar.

Grimmschlag: I don’t think we sound like Endstille. We even have one song that aims at this comparison. It’s called “Endstörung”. I believe that we may sound like Endstille superficially but that’s it- On the other hand, if every fifth Endstille fan buys our CD that would be cool.

What have you guys planned for the future?

Grimmschlag: First we need to take of our album being sold. A release gig in Bremen is planned for the near future and furthermore we want to set up a tour.

Interview conducted by Katharina Resmer

Contact: www.galskap.de

www.myspace.com/galskap

N.U.C

The Dark Romance continued

Three letters, three years and a third album already in the making (hopefully to be found under some Christmas trees at the end of the year). We’re talking about N.U.C. here. Sipo (vocals), Sunny (bass) and Teddy (synths) are busy as ever.

Formed out of a band, whose name is already forgotten and who split up after a year, N.U.C. today, three years later, is merely unimaginable without in Bremen’s Rock Gothic scene.

Over and over again questioned about their music style, they came up with a category for the magazines: synthgothrock, which stands for synthesised Gothic Rock. That’s what they are doing and where there music leads them to! Their fans love them for their innovative and creative style and reacted with “surprisingly very positive” Feedback on their second album Metamorph, as the band’s singer Sipo says. Many songs that hadn’t had a chance to go onto the first album Schattentanz, now found their way onto its successor. Experimenting not only with electronic and gothic elements, they also employed some Hip Hop elements on one song on Metamorph. The unexpected very positive Feedback especially on that song shows that the band can’t be pressed into a pigeonhole. They even come up with new meanings of their band’s name every time they are asked about it. While N.U.C. stood for “Naked Under Concrete” in march, the three letters now are explained with “Natrium (sodium) Und Carbon”.

No devilish advertisements or cooperation with magazines took place to promote the songs on the album Metamorph, because they can be downloaded on the band’s webpage. The more surprising is the encouraging Feedback, which wasn’t expected in that way.

In times of free or even illegal downloads, the profits for Independent Labels are decreasing more and more, giving them a hard time. Also for N.U.C. it is not easy to find the right one. Although the band isn’t precisely searching for a label, “it wouldn’t be bad to have one in the future” admits Sipo.

Already having enough material for three new CD’s the band is filled with confidence. They hope to release a new album at the end of the year and also having already one to two gigs on festivals in prospective for next year. So don’t hesitate, if you can’t wait to the next year: check them out on their only concert in Bremen in November this year or visit their website for more information.

Janine Brauer

Contact: www.nuc-music.de

Khopesh – A new Beginning

What once was labelled New Metal, has now become impressive Death and Thrash. And instead of celebrating Christmas, the band members will probably from now on celebrate the birth of KHOPESH, ironically formed at Christmas-eve 2007. A new singer and bass-player complete the picture of the band. “Because of this change of musicians, the whole concept rose to a new level”, Dennis (guitar) says. Before Khopesh, three of the bands members were part of the Hardcore band Sue a Side formed 2004. “But it just didn’t work anymore”, Phil (drums) concludes. “As time passed, we grew more mature, in terms of playing our instruments, as well as our style”, Dennis says.

Samy (bass) and Chris (vocals) push the band forward with their new energy, which is clearly audible in the new sound, also feeding the rest of the band. Before joining Khopesh, Samy made some experiences with bands such as Remain Nameless and 259 at Home.

“Right now we are aiming to produce a debut album, or demo, somehow during the next few months”, Thorsten (guitar) states. Nine songs have already been completed and others have been started. “Now, with Khopesh, we can identify ourselves more with the music that we create”, Dennis says.

The debut concert of the band was given in January 2008 in Mansfeld and after this success, realizing that the band is going really well, the five musicians convinced a huge audience with their brutal sound and live performance in the Tower at the K-OS-DAY 2008. Even though locations are hard to find for a new band, Khopesh’s diary is filled pretty well. Coming up next are the Beckum Rockt Open Air (19^th July) and the gig at Scheunengedräsche (6^th September).

Once a week the band members try to get into the rehearsal room to continue their Death Metal mission which hopefully be soon heard from CD. If you like Death Metal with Hardcore elements, with truly aggressive vocals, then Khopesh are just the band you should check out.

Khopesh are: Dennis (guitar), Thorsten (guitar), Samy (bass), Phil (drums) and Chris (vocals).

Lea Brockmann, Katharina Resmer

Contact: www.myspace.com/khopeshmetal

Our cover

This is our cover!

The Blast Beat goes online!

What is the Blast Beat?

Well, the Blast Beat is a German magazine based in Bremen on Hard Rock and Metal. It has been designed as a project for the university of Bremen and should also be regarded as a project ONLY.

We are not selling our magazine, so we’re not serious competition

However, we have found out many interesting things about the Metal scene in Bremen, so you just might want to have a look at our articles.

If you want to obtain a PDF copy of our zine, just email us:

BlastBeatHB@gmx.de

We will be happy to help you.

This blog has been designed to publish our articles in full length.

Stay heavy and enjoy!

Katharina for BlastBeat