Archive for W.A.S.P.

Pieni’s Highlights of 2021

Posted in Editorial/Opinionated with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on 31st December 2021 by Pieni

2021 was way less tough than 2020 but it was still tough enough. In November I’ve finally attended some gigs with no restrictions, but in December this new COVID-19 strain brought some new rules and I’m getting a little apprehensive regarding some plans I’ve made.. But I’ll talk about it in the “expectations for 2022”. I’m still including one live stream in my top-5 gigs because the “real” ones didn’t happen before June and that one in April (which included an unplugged section and stories about the songs they’ve performed) still meant a lot to me:

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  1. Infraktor at Metalpoint (Porto)
  2. Equaleft at Hard Rock Cafe (Porto)
  3. Hollywood Undead at MixOne Sound (“Undead Unhinged” live stream)
  4. GoDark at Metalpoint (Porto)
  5. Sugiru at Metalpoint (Porto)

My favorite records:

Aeromantic II
  1.  “Aeromantic II” by The Night Flight Orchestra
  2. “Worship” by Hypocrisy
  3. “Hermitage” by Moonspell
  4. “SepulQuarta” by Sepultura
  5. “Aggression Continuum” by Fear Factory

From big movie-like productions to the simplicity of the ocean, going through animation, here are the videos whose producers I tip my hat to the most:

  1. “Burn For Me” by The Night Flight Orchestra
  2. “Funeral Derangements” by Ice Nine Kills
  3. “Treading Water” by Danny Rose
  4. “Ich hasse Kinder” by Till Lindemann
  5. “Children Of The Gray” by Hypocrisy

My expectations for 2022 are, in general, all the postponed concerts and festivals that should have taken place in the last couple of years. But then there are these specific items:

HHE2021

  1. This is the 4th time I put here the 4th Hills Have Eyes album, so let’s hope that the matching number 4 is the lucky strike…
  2. The Hollywood Undead headlining gig in Hanover (June).
  3. The W.A.S.P. 40th anniversary gig in Madrid (March).
  4. Really curious about The Halo Effect album (and gig in Lisbon).
  5. A chance to see Pitch Black live, after missing their long-awaited return due to health issues.

Enjoy 2022 as much as possible, peeps. Stay safe.

Renata “Pieni” Lino

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Pieni’s highlights of 2019

Posted in Editorial/Opinionated with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on 31st December 2019 by Pieni

2019 was a bumpy ride and despite attending fewer shows and writing less for Valkyrian Music, this past year still had plenty of memorable moments. Here’s my favorite live ones:

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  1. Samael at Laurus Nobilis Music Famalicão (Louro)
  2. Infraktor at Vagos Metal Fest (Vagos)
  3. Equaleft at Hard Club (Porto)
  4. D.A.D. at Hard Club (Porto)
  5. Overkill at Hard Club (Porto)

Records:

Rust

  1. “Rust” by CrashDïet
  2. “We Defy” by Equaleft
  3. “Verkligheten” by Soilwork
  4. “West End” by The 69 Eyes
  5. “I, The Mask” by In Flames

Thank you Ozzy for filming the kind of music video I like the most – with an actual story to it. In the absence of that, something amusing and/or featuring visual impact will do:

  1. “Under The Graveyard” by Ozzy Osbourne
  2. “Idiots” by CrashDïet
  3. “Deutschland” by Rammstein
  4. “Trve As Fvck” by Hills Have Eyes
  5. “Already Dead” by Hollywood Undead

I have a handful of expectations for 2020 but, at the moment, I believe these are the ones I’m most eager about:

HHE2019

  1. The Hills Have Eyes new album and its release show (no date announced yet but hopefully it won’t be postponed much longer).
  2. The Hollywood Undead new album, “New Empire, Vol. 1”, and their gig in Madrid which I’ll be attending in a couple of months.
  3. W.A.S.P. will embark on a tour where they’ll only play songs out of their first four albums. Already got my ticket for the Barcelona show.
  4. Sister posted something on their Facebook page which included a #newalbum, so I’m looking forward to that as well.
  5. Seems like Kiss are saying goodbye to the stages. Whether this is indeed their last tour or not, I won’t miss it.

Happy New Year!

Renata “Pieni” Lino

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Pieni’s highlights of 2017

Posted in Editorial/Opinionated with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , on 1st January 2018 by Pieni

2017 was quite the roller-coaster, hence my somewhat absence. But that doesn’t mean I’ve paid less attention. My live highlights this past year were:

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  1. W.A.S.P. at O2 Forum Kentish Town (London)
  2. Infraktor at Metalpoint (Porto)
  3. Equaleft at Hard Club (Porto)
  4. Ugly Kid Joe at AgitÁgueda (Águeda)
  5. Hills Have Eyes at River Stone (Penafiel)

In terms of records I might have been a bit careless, but these titles are awesome nevertheless:

heartlessoppressor

  1. “Heartless Oppressor” by Primal Attack
  2. “1755” by Moonspell
  3. “Infinite Shadows Of Memories” by The End Of Grace
  4. “Hegemony” by Samael
  5. “Medusa” by Paradise Lost

Top-5 videos:

  1. “In Tremor Dei” by Moonspell
  2. “Never Quit” by Hills Have Eyes
  3. “Like Orpheus” by Orphaned Land
  4. “Blood And Chaos” by Paradise Lost
  5. “Black Flag” by Iced Earth

And expectations/anticipations for 2018:

infexhaust

  1. The release of “Exhaust”, Infraktor‘s debut album!
  2. After the single “Never Quit” blowing my mind away, can’t wait to see what Hills Have Eyes will deliver next.
  3. The release of “Dropout”, Breaking Today’s debut EP, and how it will turn out live (pretty dynamic, I’m sure).
  4. Crashdïet have a new singer, Gabriel Keyes, and judging by the first single featuring him, “We Are The Legion”, I foresee a bright future for the Swedes.
  5. Just a few days ago, in what I’ve considered one of their best live shows ever, Equaleft played two new songs, two powerful new songs. Hoping to listen to the rest of this upcoming second full-length album in 2018.

Happy New Year folks!

Renata “Pieni” Lino

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W.A.S.P. – Golgotha

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , , , , , on 24th September 2015 by Pieni

W.A.S.P.
“Golgotha”
Hard Rock
Release: 2nd October 2015
Via Napalm Records

photo golgotha_zpsxk4aqnkj.jpg

Over the 33 years of W.A.S.P.’s existence, mastermind Blackie Lawless has managed to forge a very characteristic sound – although his unique voice is quite the trademark already. Sure, he often cheats, by recycling some riffs and licks (if you’re familiar with the band’s discography, you’ve surely experienced some déjà vu moments), which means that’s what’s built around those “recovered pieces” that ultimately determine how good the album is. And the general outcome of “Golgotha” is pretty satisfactory.

So when “Shotgun” and “Slaves Of The New World Order” bring back memories from past songs, there will always be a refreshing tweak reinventing them. I must highlight the guitar solo on “Slaves…”, as it’s one of the most spirited in “Golgotha”. In fact, the guitar work is still the band’s strongest asset, the sound of those strings so enthralling that you won’t even realize how long the songs are – never shorter than five minutes, and three of them pretty close to eight! One of the latter is the beautiful “Miss You”; it’s quite uncommon for a ballad to be so lengthy, but then again, Blackie came up with the idea for this one when he was composing the legendary “The Crimson Idol”, so it’s only natural that “Miss You” has some uniqueness to it…

The darker, seductive rhythm of “Eyes Of My Maker” also stands out, but still my personal favorite is “Last Runaway”, for its spunky rock vibe. It also features a top-notch guitar solo, and the bass line is pretty much alive, but it’s overall more straight-forward and catchier than the other tracks.

There have been a few low-points in W.A.S.P.’s career, no doubt about it, but right now, 33 years and 15 albums later, yeah, they still got it.

4 / 5

Renata “Pieni” Lino

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Details on W.A.S.P.’s upcoming studio album

Posted in News with tags , , , , , on 14th July 2015 by Pieni

“There are times in any band’s career that somehow all things mesh together. Their experiences, influences, and personal timing bring them into a common space. This has happened with this record.  Four years in the making has provided direction, but even greater reflection. Golgotha, where Christ was crucified – Hebrew for “the place of the skull”.”  These are the words of Blackie Lawless himself about W.A.S.P.‘s new studio album – their 15th, first under the Napalm Records label. And since its predecessor “Babylon” was released six years ago already, this statement only increases the anticipation.

“Golgotha” is scheduled to hit the stores on October 2nd, with the following artwork and tracklisting:

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1. Scream
2. Last Runaway
3. Shotgun
4. Miss You
5. Fallen Under
6. Slaves of the New World Order
7. Eyes of My Maker
8. Hero of the World
9. Golgotha

Special deluxe metal box, exclusive ltd vinyl, CD and merch available for pre-order on Napalm Records webstores (North America here and Europe here).

For more info visit:
http://www.waspnation.com
https://www.facebook.com/W.A.S.P.Nation
https://twitter.com/WASPOfficial
https://www.napalmrecords.com
https://www.facebook.com/napalmrecords

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