MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE CALL IT A DAY

Sorry for the downtime folks, been busy/ill/travelling, the reviews I promised are coming, along with Kvelertak's new album which I received today.

So, big, mysterious news, as emo legends (and I don't use emo in a negative light here, quite the opposite) My Chemical Romance have decided that the band will henceforth no longer exist. This comes as a shock, and seemingly out of nowhere. With no reasons given by the band, we can only speculate as to why they've gone this way. Whatever the reasons, a fond farewell to a very important band in recent years.

Official statement taken from www.mychemicalromance.com;

"Being in this band for the past 12 years has been a true blessing. We've gotten to go places we never knew we would. We've been able to see and experience things we never imagined possible. We've shared the stage with people we admire, people we look up to, and best of all, our friends. And now, like all great things, it has come time for it to end. Thanks for all of your support, and for being part of the adventure.
My Chemical Romance"

COMING SOON (MARCH 2013)

Ok, so now a few albums have landed I'm no longer in the limbo that was waiting for them to land! Therefore, coming very soon are the following reviews:

• Sempiternal by Bring Me The Horizon
• Welcome Oblivion by How To Destroy Angels
• The Next Day by David Bowie
• Cold Chillin' EP by Your Demise

Later this month there are also albums by the likes of Kvelertak and The Strokes, so keep an eye out for those too. 

The second instalment of 'Albums that made theNOISE' is also currently half-written, so expect that one soon! Lastly, if you're looking for some new tunes to get your head around, check out the first of my (hopefully) weekly playlists, with 10 of the songs, new or old, that I've been enjoying in the last week. Later y'all! 

RANDY BLYTHE NOT GUILTY

Lamb Of God singer Randy Blythe, who stood trial in the Czech Republic on a manslaughter charge, has today been found not guilty. This is such good news.

He faced up to 10 years in prison, having already spent a short time in Czech jail, following the death of a fan at a LoG show 3 years back. The accusation was that Blythe had pushed the fan off the stage, following a stage invasion by the crowd, but he was judged to have not acted out of aggression and has been cleared of all charges, and will pay no compensation to the family. 

Ahead of his final day in court today, before the verdict was delivered, he released the following statement;

"It’s a beautiful morning in Prague, & time for me to go to what is (hopefully) my final day in court here- supposedly judgement will be passed today & I will move on with my life in one direction or the other. Which direction that is, I do not know. I could walk free, or conversely go to prison for up to ten years. Such is my life right now, & I must stay in this moment until its resolution. Whatever happens to me, do not feel sorry for me, for I am at peace & refuse to feel sorry for myself. Life happens. Deal with it. Some people cannot understand why I have returned, saying I should not come back here. KNOW THIS, & mark my words well- it would be absolutely intolerable for me to hide from this situation. I am an innocent man, but a family suffers the loss of a son, a fan of my band. That is what this whole thing is truly about, not prison, not money, not politics, not ME- it is about a young man who lost his life at just 19 years of age. He will never come back, & it breaks my heart. I would not be able to sleep at night knowing that I did not behave honorably & try to give his family some answers. That would be disgraceful, and I do not wish to dishonor myself or my family by acting in such a cowardly manner. I was raised to face my problems head on. For me, this is BEING A MAN. I categorically refuse to live in a constant state of guilt & fear. I would rather die. My morality & convictions are not dependent upon unforeseeable circumstance, nor malleable when difficulty arises. So I walk this morning to court with my head held high, no matter what others opinions of me may be. I have to face myself in the mirror, & tomorrow morning, where ever I may wake up, I will be able to do that without regret. This is THE ONLY path to true freedom for me- peace within myself. This is the manner in which I choose to try my best to live my life, & I hope you all do the same- do your best to do what is right, no matter how difficult it may be. I promise you, this will bring you peace. I thank you all for your support, I wish you all a good day, & to quote one of my favorite movies: STRENGTH AND HONOR"

It's fantastic news that he has walked free, and his composure throughout the trial has been nothing short of exemplary, honourable and dignified. 
Following the acquittal, he released a second short statement with this accompanying photo;

“I have been found not guilty & acquitted of all charges against me. I am a free man. This photo was taken by my friend @aceyslade- it says it all. Please remember the family of Daniel Nosek in your thoughts & prayers in this difficult time. I only wish for them peace. Thank you for your support- Randy”

theNOISE PLAYLIST 25/2/13 - 3/3/13

So, every now and then I try and implement a weekly something-or-other, and my latest attempt starting this week is going to be my weekly playlist - namely, the songs that I have been listening to this week, in an attempt to share my music taste with you all. I'll link to the songs on Youtube in the song titles, and I hope you discover something new that you love/rediscover something you'd forgotten about!

Songs will be new or old, it entirely depends what I've been listening to. So here goes, Episode #1 of the Playlist.

1. Hearts Alive by Mastodon (from the 2004 album Leviathan)
2. Can You Feel My Heart by Bring Me The Horizon (Sempiternal out April 29)
3. Secular Haze by Ghost (Infestissumam out April 9)
4. Concealing Fate Part 2: Deception by TesseracT (from 2010 EP Concealing Fate)
5. Follow Me (Live from the O2 Arena) by Muse (from 2012's The 2nd Law - live version download link)
6. Great Expectations by The Gaslight Anthem (from 2008's The '59 Sound)
7. Boys Don't Cry by The Cure (from 1980's Boys Don't Cry)
8. Bruane Brenn by Kvelertak (Meir out March 25)
9. Where Are We Now? by David Bowie (The Next Day out March 11)
10. David De La Hoz by The Chariot (from 2010's Long Live)

But because I'm nice to you (too nice, probably. I don't know on what basis though), I made a Youtube playlist of all the above which you can find here. Enjoy!

IN SPACE, NO-ONE CAN HEAR JARED LETO

The only other band I would ever think to do this would be Muse. But, after a ludicrous amount of time spent teasing new material, 30 Seconds To Mars revealed they were releasing a new single, entitled Up In The Air. But for them to do something on a small, average scale? SO overrated. 

They're sending said song to the fucking International Space Station. In 18 days from now (2/3/13), Up In The Air will receive its debut play from space. 

I just...Jared, what?

STREAM DAVID BOWIE'S NEW ALBUM

So, it's all happening very quickly in Bowie-Land. Only just over a month ago did we hear tell of this new album, and it's now out within a few weeks. Until that time, you can listen to it for free via iTunes!

Head to http://itunes.com/davidbowie to listen to his first
new album in a decade!