CROSSFIRE

Crossfire, Turkish semi prog thrash metal band, was formed by guitarist Kaya Sevinc in 1999. It took them 3 years to finally form their original line up and unique sound. Ever since they have been one of the most popular bands in the Turkish Heavy Metal scene. Crossfire honed their sound by combining power and thrash metal with the classical metal approach. Their "Decisions of Hate" (2002) demo was an underground favorite that lead them to hit the road for a massive tour including 2003 Metal Bash Festival in Hamburg, Germany... more

BRYAN BELLER (Steve Vai, Mike Keneally, Dethklok)

Bryan Beller has maintained a frenetic, multi-faceted career as a bassist, composer, writer and clinician for over fourteen years. On his own, Beller released his debut solo album, the jazz/rock-flavored VIEW, in late 2003. His second album "Thanks In Advance", a deeply personal narrative set to advanced jazz/rock compositional confidence, came out a few weeks ago. more

New Grass Revival / On The Boulevard

New Grass Revival are one of the pioneers of progressive bluegrass. Formed in 1971 by Sam Bush (mandolin/vocals), Curtis Burch (guitar), Ebo Walker (bass) and Courtney Johnson (banjo), they immediately got the attention from the industry both in a good and bad way. First of all, they were often told that their music was not bluegrass, and they knew it wasn’t “bluegrass” in its traditional sense, and it wasn’t what they were trying to achieve anyways. They were blending rock, soul and blues rhythms with the traditional bluegrass music. They were not wearing suites, but instead they had a more casual style along with long hair... more

KEVIN BARTLETT / GLOW IN THE DARK

Before you start playing this CD make sure you turn the lights off and light a few candles, get a glass of your favorite drink and either put your headphones on or crank up the sub-woofer. Do not listen to it in the car (at least for the first time) or on a portable stereo, because this only means you have not listened to it. If you have all these things ready, press play and close your eyes despite the fact that the rest of the household might think you are a freak, you are now beginning your 80 minute long space journey where you will witness the Earth‘s end times and the beginning of a new life. As Kevin paints this picture with his notes he invites the listener to take a look into themselves as well as the universe and discover the “glowing light” amidst of fear and darkness.

"Nothing Really"... Really? Contemplate the title, it almost feels like there are no signs of life and you are looking at apocalypse. With a big mechanic sound, as if a giant spaceship lands on the planet, you tremble. It is a feeling of total emptiness and nothingness for the most part but here and there you hear some sounds alike little flashing lights that invite you to further investigate, because there is actually something there. This is the atmosphere you dive right into from the beginning. The sound of the synths make you float in the space. "The Sorrow, The Fish and Glastonbury Hill" starts with Irish female vocals and the time signature keeps going back and forth between 7/8 and 4/4 flawlessly. If you are not familiar with Kevin's spacey guitar sound you might find yourself asking "Is this guitar or synths that I am hearing?" This piece feels like a flash back to where you can visualize what had happened recently and how it all came to end… almost like a requiem. Audibly zoom in as if you are in control of the angle and see a little more with "God's Little Do-Over" to better witness the situation: the passage from darkness to light with a prog rock sound highlighted with Kevin’s bass, slowly going down to an ambient atmosphere, giving way to new life... "Chauncey Saucer Survives 2012". One of the most uplifting moments on the CD with even more of a prog rock sound. You are looking at the future… 2012 and the new life begins.

Kevin prefers the ups and downs between songs as much as within songs. Just when you think the sound will go a certain direction he likes to surprise you with plentiful stops and starts, speeding up and slowing down, relaxation and anxiety. They are all intertwined throughout this album. "Moon v. Moon" is one of those moments where you think "Is this good or bad?” It is like a Carl Sagan moment on your TV screen on which you see distant planets, two moons facing each other... You see your old self and your new self and try to figure things out. And while you do that, "Stethoscope" will only confuse you more as you keep asking "Did we really make it?" It is probably the darkest piece of the album. It is so “still” that you can’t even stress out about it and say ”Come on! Bring him back to life!“ But you will take a deep breath with "Resuscitation" as it kicks off with drums and guitars. The title track "Glow In The Dark" has a tribal sound mixed with prog rock elements. Middle Eastern and Indian spices poured onto synths, vocals and drums. This is the moment of celebration. It slows down towards the middle to give you a feeling of relaxation… you need to breathe a sigh of relief before you go back up again.

But wait a minute... Was this whole thing just a dream? "Something Probably" and "Next Life... Let's Wave To Each Other" are unexpected turns for the listener but not for Bartlett as he tells you “Well we still have so much more to do“. The first one has a Beethoven type beginning that later becomes very ambient whereas the ladder has more of a sad sound with synths and piano. As you can tell from the song titles, the weight is on our shoulders to make “life”, whether on Earth or elsewhere, a better experience.

Kevin's new CD "Glow In The Dark" is like a follow up to his first solo CD "Near Life Experience" which was released in 2003. The intriguing thing about his music is that he doesn't give you a CD full of soundscapes that don't make any sense. He literally nails you down to your seat and makes your imagination run wild. You can't get enough of his unique guitar and singing bass riffs intertwined with genres like ambient, rock, classical and electronic. The way he plays with the sound samples and gives them a brand new texture will fascinate you. Listening to his music is like watching a riveting movie or watching an accomplished artist paint… and you are

Hande BURDG