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CyRock proudly presents:
THE RAINBOW NATION OF ROCK!
Lav Nandlall is one of the nicest and most talented people I've met on Twitter! This young student / journalist / blogger / band manager from South Africa is a role model for what a person at her age (and not only!) should be: energetic, full of ideas, full of plans, full of life! Through her Air Guitar website she promotes metal bands from all over the world, she writes articles about band promotion and management, and she reports on international metal events. I particularly like the global view of Lav's website. It is natural for all websites (including this one!) to focus on their corresponding local rock / metal scenes. In addition, most local bands tend to think that the only markets worth promoting themselves are the American / U.K. ones. The truth is that through Internet there are literally millions of potential listeners for every band all over the world! Only things needed to realize this potential are: a) a band to write quality music and b) people like Lav to "make the connection"! The purpose of this article is to provide you with such a "connection"! Lav has been kind enough to promote many Cypriot metal bands and festivals through her website. I asked her if she would be willing to write an introductory article for us on the South Africa rock / metal scene, for which we know practically nothing about! Not only she accepted (to my great pleasure!), but she did a great job on it as well, as you will read in a minute! I urge you to read the article and listen to the music of the South African bands. You'll be amazed at the quality of rock / metal music produced in this beautiful country! I would like to sincerely thank Lav for taking the time to write this excellent article. I wish her the best for the remaining of her studies and her future career, which I'm sure it is going to be great! Stay strong girl, horns up! Enjoy! The Editor
The South African music industry occupies a unique place in the global recording industry at this time. With all the available resources; musicians can be agile, flexible and most definitely be able to appeal to a larger audience. Currently the South African artists are responding to opportunities as they unfold and are reacting to market trends across the borders and seas. In 2004, Amy Lee made a hit single entitled 'Broken' with a fairly unknown rock band named Seether. Today, Seether is one of South Africa’s greatest music exports! Of recent, a flourishing number of Metal, Rock and Alternative bands have come to surface. Some take direct influence of the NWOBHM while others strip down to the essentials. Either way, exceptional sounds are being created and I want to share some of them with you!
I mentioned that Seether was South Africa’s greatest export and there is no doubt about that! They started off as a post-grunge band in South Africa but were originally known as Saron Gas. Under the name Saron Gas, they released an album which turned them into a South African mainstream success. While working on their forthcoming album, Saron Gas was handpicked to open for Evanescence on a worldwide tour.
Due to a budding romance between Amy Lee and Saron Gas vocalist the song 'Broken' was written, recorded and released. After that Saron Gas became Seether and the rest became history! The band signed on to Wind Up Records in 2005 and released 3 albums with the label to date. In May 2011 it was announced that Seether had reached their highest position on the US Billboard Charts where 'Holding onto Strings better left to Fray' rose to the number 2 position. Seether has made several appearances around the world and toured extensively with bands like Breaking Benjamin and Nickelback. It is no surprise that Seether keep getting better and better! For more details do visit:
A South African band that would never compromise the true spirit of Metal is Agro. Fuelled with a brutal passion for beer, parties and everything rock ‘n’ roll – Agro are considered the forefathers of the alternative scene. Their music exudes a beautiful infusion of thrash metal, alcohol and hard grinds! Agro have seen it all; various band line-ups, numerous European tours, opening for major bands and headlining the international AIDS awareness concerts in Botswana and South Africa respectively.
The band has been signed to Armageddon records in Germany and released 'Ritual 6' which was rated the album in the Top 10 and the “most pleasant surprise” for the year in Greek Metal Hammer 2006! Agro have toured and shared stages with metal giants such as Nightwish, Sentenced, Morbid Angel, Dee Shnider, Doro, Dark Funeral, Blaze Bayley, Stratovarious, Gamma Ray, Blind Guardian, Mortification, Carcass and many more. Agro are on top form and there is only one way for them to go – and that is forward! Check out their official website for more Agro true metal:
After Agro stepped up in the Metal scene, another band called The Narrow stepped in. It took a subsequent number of years for The Narrow to establish themselves as musicians but that hard work paid off when in 2005 the band was invited to play alongside Marilyn Manson and Korn in Belgium’s Pukkelpop festival. The Narrow gained a cult like following of die-hard fans and got the nod for never selling out on their artistry.
After the release of their album 'Travellers', The Narrow became the most requested band on radio stations across South Africa as well as the most requested at festivals! The infamous track entitled 'Lonely Sunday Morning' is still requested on radio station and is a definite must hear. The Narrow has a distinct style and tone – almost sounding like a younger version of Creed. Check out their website for more of The Narrow:
One of the most heart-warming rock bands in South Africa is Prime Circle. They are the local Nickelback band but only better! Earning the reputation of the highest selling rock band in South Africa, receiving several awards at the SAMA (South African Music Awards), and having opened for a number of international acts such as Collective Soul, Metallica and Simple Plan – Prime Circle are the beasts of entertainment!
Chad Kroeger has got nothing on Prime Circle vocalist Ross Learmoth and that is evident on their most well-known track 'Hello' taken from the album 'Crazy World'. Earlier this year a new Prime Circle album was released entitled 'Jekyll and Hyde', I highly recommend it! For all the reviews and previews on South Africa’s favourite Rock band go to: |
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A dialect of the Dutch language called Afrikaans is widely spoken in South Africa making it one of the eleven official languages in the country. The Afrikaans music industry has proven to be one of the largest growing to date churning out a number of artists in various genres. However, the most controversial and notorious Afrikaans punk – rock band is Fokofpolisiekar. Even though their lyrics might be shockingly foreign; their fast paced riffs and fist pumping licks are all one needs for a truly rebellious feel!
Fokofpolisiekar (which translates to Fuck of Police Car) initially formed to shock the conservative Afrikaans community but later found fame in the underground music scene and became the band known for their crazy antics on and off the stage. Between touring in Belgium, Netherlands and the United Kingdom – Fokofpolisiekar have also released a documentary entitled, 'Forgive Them for They Don’t Know What They Do', detailing the band’s controversial success. If you are a fan of Alkaline Trio or Queens of the Stone Age, then Fokofpolisiekar is definitely merits a listen. All the details at:
Chromium is a D.I.Y band with no limits and that is how they have earned a reputation worthy of enigmatic character, brutal Metal and diligent artistry. Originally Chromium was a "bedroom project" but they expanded to a successful release of albums, quality endorsements as well as a 2010 tour in the United Kingdom.
Wonderful harmony and smooth clean guitars make this band quite easy on the ears especially on their must-have track 'Set Me Free' from the album 'Intro Spectre'. Chromium is the real deal and you can support them by checking out their official website:
I am very proud of the next band; simply because I watched them grow from friends on stage to rock stars. Voodoo Child came out on the live music scene in 2009, performing in an Afro-eccentric style; mixing African rock with a very Joe Cocker-esque tone. Voodoo Child’s ability to wow audiences and blend styles made them a cult underground favourite.
In late 2009, Voodoo Child released their first full length album 'Attack. Don’t Panic!', of which they were able to do a South African and British tour to promote it. Since then the band has generated much interest and now Voodoo Child has the dual task of looking ahead to the next album while touring the current and spreading their sound as far as it can possibly go. Must hear tracks are 'Megalomanic Attack' and 'I Stay Up All Night'. For more details visit:
The Dead Will Tell is a very energetic, witty Metal band hailing from the capital city of South Africa. Their music is a cross between death core and hardcore mixing harmonious elements. The band has quite a stealthy reputation for their zealous live performances and crowd interaction – winning the steel hearts.
The Dead Will Tell has featured alongside many American bands such as Horse the Band, Haste the Day and Underoath. The Dead Will Tell has toured South Africa intensely as well as being seen at many festivals across the country. In 2010 The Dead Will Tell completed a full Australian tour from east coast to west coast with great feedback! A good song to describe the Band’s music approach is 'Slaughteryards', it is edgy, aggressive and on stage quite energetic. For more details on The Dead Will Tell visit: www.myspace.com/thedeadwilltellband Written By: Lav Nandlall (South Africa)
Lav is first and foremost an undergraduate student in South Africa, a proud Metal Head, a self – confessed travel junkie and a liaison of the Live Music scene in South Africa. Lav was appointed as Vice-Chairperson of the Live Music Society at Rhodes University where she worked with magnificent bands such as Seether, The Dead Will Tell, Facing the Gallows, Chromium and many more. When Lav is not slaying a Viking or icing a cupcake – she is writing for her blog Air Guitar!
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The CyRock Team (rockcyprus at gmail.com - rockcyprus at hotmail.com) |
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Lav
Nandlall was adopted into a family of Hippies and grew to love the
mighty Beatles at a very young age. Her most prized possession
being an original vinyl of 'Hey Jude'! Soon she became the doting
lover of all things Rock ‘n’ Roll and of course that progressed
to Heavy Metal! 