Enemy @ SG

This should get people excited. Happy weekend, everyone ☺

Origin here

This is good news indeed- ORIGIN will play here on 4th May 2014. Venue & ticket details TBA. 

I'm a fan of Paul Ryan's playing so this is something to look forward to. Thanks Inokii for the update.

Got new CDs?

2 more acquisitions from Inokii, a little delayed update but nevertheless:

• Abiotic- Symbiosis What can I say but this is a stunning release, a proper LP from this Floridian quintet. Another proof that technicality doesn't get in the way of brutality if there's much thinking in the process. For fans of  The Faceless/ Job For a Cowboy
• Paul Gilbert- Vibrato What can I say but this is a sub-par release by the fretboard maestro. I have the following tracks left on my playlist: Rain & Thunder & Lightning/ Put It On the Car/ Blue Rondo a la Turk/ The Proghorn. The rest of the tracks had been deleted because they contain vocals, not dissing Paul Gilbert for his singing abilities but they have nothing for me, to say the least. This is perhaps the fuzziest Paul Gilbert release ever, as such, Gilbert did the wise thing by not focusing on the shred but more on the melodies. So be advised if you are looking for some inspiring guitar technicalities & come across 'Paul Gilbert' in planet Google- this album is certainly not one to look forward to guitar-wise.

Enslaved The Buried

2 more CDs from Inokii:

• Enslaved- Riitiir Enslaved is a great band. More importantly, they have grown to become better. The music is a little richer with their subsequent releases, notably the incorporation of progressive elements while retaining their roots. This is one of the those bands I listen to for that feel good factor- because these chaps stick to their genre while showing the world they profess at what they are doing. Too many outfits of this ilk get away with noise as if noise is the pre-requisite for getting you somewhere in terms of music reverance. I like the guitars in this one as well, less fuzzy.
• Between the Buried & Me: The Parallax II Before this album, I didn't bother with the band- I saw their stuff on the net; they are good but they are nothing special (these chaps performed here not too long ago). Until this one, of course. I actually took time to re-listen to selected tracks, noted some of the minor inclusions which really defined this release; it's a classic case of the insignificant inclusions defining brilliance. It's disrespectful to associate a band's capacity to another because it implies incapacity but I tell you what I hear in this release- the twisted genius of Arcturus peppered all over the songs, a very heavy Dream Theater plying the jist of it all & that Nachtmystium Assassin beeps, pops & tweets which boils down to Pink Floyd's psychedelia application- thoroughly enjoyable. Respect!

Recent acquisition (CDs)

Recent CDs purchased from INOKII:

• Kiko Loureiro: Sounds of Innocence 
• Merrimack: The Acausal Mass

Kiko's SOI is brilliant but don't expect anything too refreshing. This guy has the chops & he arpeggiated his phrases well. I'm not too inclined towards technicalities, really, it's about making an impact & SOI has it.

Well, well, well, Merrimack dropped a notch in terms of tempo here but the remain a foce to be reckoned with in the black metal circle. Yes, you'd hear some Watain in there, that's the best parallel I could refer to but the melodies could have been more focused.

DT tix @ Inokii

This is a message from Inokii- 2 discounted tickets are available for CAT 2 seats (first row) if you are interested. Please call this number: 6-836-7657

Opeth: Tix on sale now

Opeth tickets are on sale now at Inokii...

SALE @ Inokii

Yes, SALE happening everywhere at this time of the year. Inokii's clearing CDs under $20, got myself the James Murphy & Richie Kotzen releases you see above. 

I've actually owned these titles before, James Murphy's Feeding the Machine- for the love of me, I can't remember whom I had lent it to & that was more than a decade ago. Richie Kotzen's Inner-galactic Fusion Experience was formerly purchased from this CD store at Funan Center called Dada records, wonder how many of you can remember it, it's the 'former' Funan Center before it was transformed into the IT hub today. The CD itself was badly scratched so it would skip unexpectedly during play, if you've experienced this before, you'd know it's devastating to the eardrums. Where the heck's Inokii? Click HERE.

Nevermore @ SG

Catch Jeff Loomis in action (yeah!!) this June 23- that's NEVERMORE's date here. Early bird package: $55 ticket + complementary t-shirt, available at:

INOKII

Far East Plaza

#03-30

Where the heck's Inokii?

So you've canvassed the entire 3rd level of Far East Plaza but still could not locate Inokii? Well, perhaps the pic here would be of some assistance; notice the other half of Inokii which deals with band-related apparel.

If you are on the 3rd level of the above-mentioned building, look for Han's Cafe, Inokki's about 2 doors away...

Panzer Division Singapore- CONFIRMED

As promised, the confirmation of MARDUK's performance here. Get your tickets @ INOKII: 14 Scotts Rd, Far East Plaza #03-30. Tel: 68367657. Opening hrs: 2 - 8pm daily.

Cynic: Traced in Air

I've recently received my copy of CYNIC's Traced In Air; this album being a much anticipated release is really an under-statement of my wait for it... As you can see above, I got myself a limited edition digipak version which came with a complementary poster (thanks Inokii!!).

The only reason why I'm into this band is because of the accomplished players, but Traced in Air is missing original guitarist Jason Gobel (Tymon Kruidenier- a deserving replacement!). Also, for live performances, Professor Sean Malone's absence is aptly filled in by Robin Zielhorst. However, Traced in Air saw no decline in musicianship, in fact the band did much better this time round with extensive guitar dabblings (& bass, of course) & the diminution of that cyborg vocals- Cynic is still a death metal act, do keep this in mind.

Is this a deserving perpetuation of Focus? It's that and more. If you've been waiting & hoping Cynic would live up to their hype as the premiere technical death metal act to tread this planet- they didn't let anyone down.