Notícias

Hey guys,

My name is Steve Moore and I am an Albertan musician. I play in 2 bands in the Alberta area, released 2 CD's in 2008 and will release another 2 in 2009. I will not be submitting materials for the awards.

I just want to say that I took a look at your submission information via Sonicbids and think it's a shame that this is how things are working. I understand from your perspective that there is probably little to no funding to put on an independent awards show such as yours and you need public support. Exorbant submission fees, just like compilation CD's and pay-for-review policies, do not help the indie artist.

It just doesn't sit well with me that artists pay between $30 and $70 to simply submit their material for consideration. This is something Sonicbids is currently getting a lot of bad publicity for, and rightfully so.

There are a lot of in's and out's and perspectives on this, but I have a feeling that Sonicbids will have enough expose's and scandals to put themselves in the same position as Ticketmaster in the future.

I hope you guys have a really great event and can find a way to do it without the pay-to-play aspect in the future. And I've heard the argument that it shows artists are serious when they pay/etc. Well, artists pay thousands for many other things, and pay to play is one of the things most advise to steer clear from.

All the best,

Steve

www.theunravellingmusic.com

www.postdeathsoundtrack.com

www.innersurge.com

Hello friends and comrades of Inner Surge,

It's been a busy year so far, sometimes in a good way and things are picking up. If you've opened this message - thank you! You should pat yourself on the back for accepting a communication that has nothing to do with Obama or Rihanna. You are engaged and this is independent music. No link! Outsiders in fact!

We'll cover news on all 3 projects - Inner Surge, The Unravelling and Post Death Soundtrack.

THE UNRAVELLING



So first off, there is a new website just launched for my new progressive rock/metal band THE UNRAVELLING. The site is www.theunravellingmusic.com. Become a member there (totally free) and you will be able to download ALL the music for free. 9 demo tracks as a preview for the album. We're not being stingy. We want to promote ourselves. Post the music on your blogs and on the social networks. Spread the word!

Included on this site is a track called "Fire Breather", which we're hoping will spread rather quickly. Inspired by the Tibetan monk practise of setting themselves on fire as a form of political protest, we took this idea and landed it squarely in the middle of a North American cityscape, then simulated potential reactions to such a display. To us, the song is more about awareness and compassion than violence, but we're well aware of the implications. Download it free at www.theunravellingmusic.com.

Look for the Unravelling full-length CD to be released summer 09!

INNER SURGE


Inner Surge is having a T-shirt sale at www.innersurge.com. All T-shirts, previously $25 with no shipping, are now $18 with no shipping. I realize this is a bit of a shot in my own foot for international orders, but hell, "it's not about the money. It's about sending a message." Where have I heard that before?

We've also put together a package including a T-shirt of your choice with both the An Offering CD and the Signals Screaming CD, all for $35 with no shipping. Go to the Store section at www.innersurge.com to buy. Shirt sizes are limited - they have been posted in the shirt descriptions so you can check what's available.

Inner Surge has garnered more press for "An Offering" as of late. Here is a recent review from Industrializedmetal.com:

INDUSTRIALIZEDMETAL.COM "AN OFFERING" REVIEW

Artist: INNER SURGE
Album: An Offering
Year: 2008

Hailing from Alberta, Canada, Inner Surge was formed in 2001 by Steve Moore. The influences include Refused, Tool, Killing Joke, The Doors, Deftones, among many more (see their myspace for full list). ‘An Offering’ is their latest album, released by Cyclone Records/Overthrow Promotions.

First track, “ The Monroe Doctrine”, beings with a whine sound that leads into drums in very rhythmic tempo followed by guitars , and screaming almost growling vocals . Vocals take leave of the scream to begin a lyrical tone. Next track, “The Empire”, the opening starts with a great guitar ringing in the drums and vocals into a very rock sound. Vocals are intense whether or not it is singing or screaming. Next track, “Maggots Liars”, has an almost punkish start combined with metal infusion, the lyrics are synthesized adding to the intense and almost heavy atmosphere of the song. Fourth track, “From the Depths”, starts with a very 80’s like beat mixed with an almost metallic-folk tune. Speeding up with help of the vocals, guitars and drums assist in the domination led by vocals of ever changing tempos. Fifth track, “stimulus Response”, the drums take charge in starting the song before getting help with vocals and a guitars in a hard core sound , slowing towards the end giving a break to the intensity before diving head first into the abyss once more. Next track, “Tamisra”, the eriee almost lonely start vocals backing the sadness. Seventh track, “Crossing the Line”, has an almost mystical haunting start vocals slow and accompanying with the drums and guitars. Moments of harsh vocals and speedier beat do engross the ending. Eighth track, “ Haliburton Piggies” start with pigs squealing before diving into a very punk sound and high beat tempo. Ending with a fast beat a speed freak tempo very punk. Next track, “A Great Distance”, this rock sound with a spoken type of vocal easy to be grabbed into with out release. Vocals transform into rough edged screams. Tenth track, “Tools for the Escape”, slow almost harmonizing opening with vocals adding to horror, this track refuses to release you , the vocals go in between calm and almost demonic. Next track, “Light a Fire”, very intense opening with vocals and guitar following the path of the hard drums. The beat slowing for a bit only to be thrust into a new plane of wicked sound. Next track, “Interahamwe”, a slow almost melodic beat is harshly transformed by the screams of vocals pushing the laws and music into a hard reality. The vocals clearly control where the music follows, ending with screams or moans. Last track, Limb From Limb”, guitars being this track followed by vocals the beat catches hold demanding you listen.

This album grabs hold of you and doesn’t let go. The combination and blends of guitar to vocals and vocals to drums the melting pot of music is here. I am greatly impressed with this album and look eagerly forward to what will come in the future.

Vote: 97 / 100

And a review by Etan at Cerebralmetalhead.com:

Review of Inner Surge's "An Offering" by Etan at www.cerebralmetalhead.com

There once was a time, years before they won Grammys and inspired hordes of awful imitators and Maynard James Keenan owned a winery, that Tool were just a really good metal band from Los Angeles. Canadian band Inner Surge deserves some credit for patterning its sound after Opiate (1992) and Undertow (1993), which found Tool at their most vicious and least obnoxious. Not that Inner Surge's fourth, An Offering, is a straight rip -- chief singer/songwriter Steve Moore (not to be confused with this guy, this guy or this guy) screams way more often than Keenan, and there's a strain of Machine Head power groove that runs pretty deep. But Inner Surge's approach to songwriting is all early Tool. Check the time-signature changes in "A Great Distance," free-flowing and smooth, the tribal drums in "Tamisra," the way the band eschews big choruses in favor of guitar textures and heaving riff pileups. This is dynamic stuff.

Inner Surge are pretty forceful in their politics, as you'd expect from a band that lists the Zapatistas, Chomsky and the Black Panthers as inspirations. All too often, Moore's trenchant critiques of war profiteering ("Global fraud seperates the criminal, the dead, and the oblivious / Secure the account / There is no consequence," from "Halliburton Piggies") and economic imperialism ("Life or death dependency / Oil's bloody offering," from "Limb From Limb") sink underneath lukewarm hooks, and an hour plus of the same minor-key tonalities gets pretty tiring (another quality Inner Surge share with Tool). Still, An Offering showcases a sound that's both multi-layered and easy to follow, and engages topics intelligently that most metal bands ignore. Set alongside his recent recordings with his industrial metal act Post Death Soundtrack and prog-metal band The Unravelling, it marks Moore as one of Canadian metal's most productive auteurs.

POST DEATH SOUNDTRACK

Post Death Soundtrack recently garnered more top reviews for their CD "Music as Weaponry".

Here's one courtesy of Rockinreview.com:

Post Death Soundtrack - Music as Weaponry
Overthrow Records

* * * *
4 Stars

With today’s music industry having a, seemingly, obligatory way of sounding, there is a need for bands who bring a revolutionary sound to the table to break the mold. I believe Post Death Soundtrack is doing just that with the release of their debut album Music as Weaponry! With a mix of Industrial and Experimental music, Music as Weaponry is a 14-track masterpiece thought up by the genius minds of Kenneth Buck of Amahra and Steve Moore of Inner Surge and The Unravelling. The most interesting aspect of this album is the individual identity of each track being so different, yet they come together extremely well as if they were all one in the same. The overall album is about as Experimental as you can get with the combination of Rock, Industrial, Electronica, Trip-Hop, and more with a conceptual theme focusing on the process of belief, it’s role in the development of ideological institutions, and the band’s relation to ongoing violence. With that in mind, you might think this album would be “heavy” in the traditional sense related to the heaviness of newer Metal styles and such, but the end result has little of that at all. In fact, it provides a much deeper sense of heaviness in a more psychological way with an overall effect that comes out sounding very dark and, almost, intimidating at times. It can actually be quite creepy; and that gives the album the edge over everything else being plugged over the radio and in more popular culture.

Getting to individual tracks, it’s definitely difficult to hold any one track over the other because of the individual identities mentioned earlier, but a few I really enjoy are: “Axe of Fiction” (Track 1)”War Song” (Track 6), “We’re Going Hunting” (Track 8), and “Killing Time” (Track 10). These four songs are ones that really stand out to me and I believe they represent a lot of the true genius that is in the two members of Post Death Soundtrack.

Overall, this album is a total masterpiece and I would recommend it to anyone who is open to music a bit outside the box. I can’t wait to see what these guys think up next!

LINKS FOR THIS MONTH:
www.myspace.com/autopsyreport (radio)
Headcaseradio.com (radio)
Playlistmix.com (podcast)
Inner Surge at CDBaby (buy Inner Surge CD's here)
Made Out of Babies (band)
The Dillinger Escape Plan (band)
Extra Life (band)
Rogue's Gallery Progressive Rock Podcast (podcast)
Metal Head Radio
Bill Hicks (best comedian ever - why don't more people listen to this man?)
Conan O'Brian meets Hunter S Thompson (great video)
The Noam Chomsky website (this guy writes articles all the time. Very current)

MAILING LIST

So I'd just like to thank you all for being a part of this rapidly growing mailing list. Reply back with a comment or a hello and I'll send some free music your way. Keep on fighting,

"Tear a hole in the collective vision"
Steve

The Unravelling's new official website is launched and they are giving away free music from their upcoming CD, a download package of 8 tracks, just for signing up to the site and logging in. 1) Simply go to www.theunravellingmusic.com 2) Click on "Not a member?" and follow the steps. 3) Download away! WWW.THEUNRAVELLINGMUSIC.COM

Anyone who purchases Inner Surge's CD "An Offering" (digital or physical) from either CDBaby.com or via this website will get free digital copies of Inner Surge's "Signals Screaming" and "Matrika", as well as a digital preview package of the new progressive metal band The Unravelling.

Anyone who signs up for the mailing list (look to your right) will also get some random mp3 goodies. This starts now!
Cheers,
www.innersurge.com

Inner Surge's CD "An Offering" has received top reviews recently from www.Canoe.ca (???½), www.Rockinreview.com (????), Noizine ( http://noiz.wordpress.com/), who likened Inner Surge to the Dillinger Escape Plan and Norma Jean, and Etan Rosenbloom of Cerebral Metalhead ( www.cerebralmetalhead.com) , who heard more of an early Tool influence. Thanks to these publications for their critiques and coverage of this album. Buy your copy of "An Offering" at CDBaby here.

I was also interviewed recently as part of Industrializedmetal.com's "Anti-Racism" special. For more information go to www.industrializedmetal.com.

On a side note, let's get into some new music here. I'm typically starving, foaming at the mouth for some music with a charge. Some passion, and untypical passions at that. I'm going as fast as I can but there are few gems. For you serious aggressive music fans out there, check out Made Out of Babies ( www.madeoutofbabies.com) and the Dillinger Escape Plan ( www.myspace.com/dillingerescapeplan) immediately. While you're at it, check out Time of Orchids ( www.myspace.com/timeoforchids) and Extra Life ( www.extralifeblood.com) for a full mind warp. Let me know what you think of these artists by going to the contact section or responding to this blog. They are all pretty challenging and not for everyone. Hell, let me know of artists YOU think everyone should check out. If I like them, I'll say something about them on the blog. They will have to rip my head off though.

Cheers,
- Steve

First of all - can you introduce yourself and your band to us?
My name is Steve Moore and I'm a Canadian writer/musician. I am involved with the projects Inner Surge, Post Death Soundtrack and the Unravelling. With Inner Surge I have released "An Offering", "Signals Screaming", "Matrika" and "Solus Verum". With Post Death Soundtrack I've released "Music as Weaponry" and am working on the followup as well as a remix album. With the Unravelling I am currently at work on the full length CD.

Could you describe your opinion and/or views on racism within 1-5 words?
It's a deformity.

What are your views on your own country when it comes to racism? Bad? Worse? Not thát bad? Please explain.
I view it as quite bad actually. One thing I would encourage people to do is never be too quick to pat yourself on the back - or pat a collective on the back, I should say. Keep in mind I have lived for some time in Alberta, which is equivalent to being the Texas of Canada in many ways. There is a lot of racism and general ignorance here that is generational - since many of these individuals grow up with this information and don't read books it's predictable. The education system does not do a whole lot to help. There's still a big influence in history class teaching the views of the Commonwealth, for example. I discovered Malcolm X out of my own interest but he certainly wasn't mentioned in the school system. I've seen racism first hand in the small towns and in the cities - it's prevalent everywhere. This includes the music scenes, especially heavy music. It seems to go against the grain trying to promote progressive (in thought, not necessarily style) heavy music. A lot of people want to hear something about white pride and so forth. Why so proud of yourself?

It seems some kind of sick ´trend´ these days to bring racism into alternative music, referring to terms such as 'nazi-punk', 'NSBM' and 'right-winged electro'. What are your views on this? Do you think it will become dangerous?
I think it's a sign of desperation. It's like when John McCain tried to push his "Joe the plummer" campaign. Total desperation trying to connect with the masses in a new way with a very old idea. Racists are trying new names of organizations (The Aryan Love Cult, Rainbow genocide, White Pride and free cake, etc) and of course, they play music like everyone else these days, making music a cheaper, more horrifying endeavor. I'm sure I could start a band based on holocaust revisionalism and very quickly gain a much bigger fanbase across Europe than I do at the moment. Guaranteed, within 3 months of releasing the album. For me, I've never understood why these ideas are so interesting. To understand it, I think you have to grow up with these kinds of ideas - similar to understanding obscure religions. You have to learn it when you're very young - otherwise it's totally unplausable and offbase. You can't just teach an intelligent person these ideas. An idiot or a conspiracy theorist, though, can be taught anything.

Did you witness any racist things during local gigs, festivals, etc? Would you reject an offer to play a show together with an outspoken right-winged band?
I have rejected shows, I won't say which ones, because of racism prevalent either in the venue or other bands. I have also witnessed racism firsthand, and I have said something. This usually leads to a conflict of some sort, which I am ok with. Young people are not so progressive as you'd like to think. Some forward, some backward.

Is there much racism in the music scene in Canada?
It's very prevalent, especially since some of the metal scene models itself after the European metal scene - not just in regards to style but also ideology. That's why the originality can be severely limited at times. You hold onto an idea so tightly and it's hard to be diverse in any way, or even effective, really.

Your band is also a bit political, witnessing some of your lyrics. What point or points do you try to prove, or to spread?
I don't try to prove any points in my lyrics - just express my own truth and put words together in a way that I feel is as effective as possible. You can't prove anything to anyone unless they have room for it. If their head is too fat nothing is going to get in. Not ever. That being said, I tend to sing about situations that are not covered on the news often. I became interested in the phenominon of genocide after studying the Rwandan genocide of 1994 - and with similar violence and atrocities happening in Sudan and the Congo it's very relevant today although we still hear little about it. It definitely receives less than 1/10 the coverage as sexual scandal in the senate or Barack Obama's new puppy, for example. But this is just part of human nature that I'm amazed by. People WANT to know about the new puppy. They WANT to know what Michelle Obama is wearing and how the kids are doing. A war against women across the Congo? They don't want to hear about unpleasant things like that. It's not happening.

Got any final words?
Thanks for your positive work in the heavy music community. For music and lyrics, go to www.innersurge.com, www.postdeathsoundtrack.com and www.myspace.com/theunravellingmusic

Interview by: Gerardo
Answered by: Steve Moore (vocals)
Listen to Inner Surge at www.myspace.com/innersurge

WEBSITE CREDIT: www.industrializedmetal.com

Review of Inner Surge's "An Offering" by Etan at www.cerebralmetalhead.com

There once was a time, years before they won Grammys and inspired hordes of awful imitators and Maynard James Keenan owned a winery, that Tool were just a really good metal band from Los Angeles. Canadian band Inner Surge deserves some credit for patterning its sound after Opiate (1992) and Undertow (1993), which found Tool at their most vicious and least obnoxious. Not that Inner Surge's fourth, An Offering, is a straight rip -- chief singer/songwriter Steve Moore (not to be confused with this guy, this guy or this guy) screams way more often than Keenan, and there's a strain of Machine Head power groove that runs pretty deep. But Inner Surge's approach to songwriting is all early Tool. Check the time-signature changes in "A Great Distance," free-flowing and smooth, the tribal drums in "Tamisra," the way the band eschews big choruses in favor of guitar textures and heaving riff pileups. This is dynamic stuff.

Inner Surge - "From the Depths"
Inner Surge - "A Great Distance"

Inner Surge are pretty forceful in their politics, as you'd expect from a band that lists the Zapatistas, Chomsky and the Black Panthers as inspirations. All too often, Moore's trenchant critiques of war profiteering ("Global fraud seperates the criminal, the dead, and the oblivious / Secure the account / There is no consequence," from "Halliburton Piggies") and economic imperialism ("Life or death dependency / Oil's bloody offering," from "Limb From Limb") sink underneath lukewarm hooks, and an hour plus of the same minor-key tonalities gets pretty tiring (another quality Inner Surge share with Tool). Still, An Offering showcases a sound that's both multi-layered and easy to follow, and engages topics intelligently that most metal bands ignore. Set alongside his recent recordings with his industrial metal act Post Death Soundtrack and prog-metal band The Unravelling, it marks Moore as one of Canadian metal's most productive auteurs.