With only weeks to go and tickets selling fast, do you feel the buzz yet? For those who are still confused about what is going on: RAMfest is hitting multiple cities this year, but offering only a single-days entertainment at each stop. Fear not! If you’re in Jo’burg or Cape Town, there is still the option to enjoy the camping experience. You can even camp for two nights if you’re that enthusiastic about it! Of course, the big news is more about what has got a tone of metalheads excited about a dream come true: In Flames!

To sweeten the pot, RAMfest have granted us four single tickets (2 in JHB and 2 in CT) to give away. We’re giving you only till Monday to do your part which might win you your free entry. All you have to do is comment on this post, saying just exactly HOW excited you are to be seeing In Flames in your city (please ensure that it appears in your comment which city you are seeing In Flames). Easy! Please use a legitimate email address so we can contact our winners who will be selected by our panel based on which comments make us smile the most. If you already have a ticket, you may still enter. We cannot refund you, but maybe you can win a ticket for your friend! In fact, to improve on those chances, we’d suggest you get your friends to enter as well (so feel free to share this competition on Twitter and Facebook).

If you have not been contacted by us on Monday 27 Feb, we suggest your waste not another minute and go to purchase your ticket online via http://www.ticketbreak.co.za at R350 for a festival pass (JHB & CT). If you are planning to camp, there is a separate pass for one night only (night of the festival) costing R30, or if you want to get in super early, you can buy a two night pass for R50 (night before and the night of the festival).

Cape Town’s leg of the tour will also include a Hard Rock & Metal bar in the camp area hosted by yours truly, Metal4Africa.com, running both nights and all through the day – so those of you who are most passionate about your metal wont have to endure more than a heartbeat without it. Prepare for some heavy InFlammation!

NB: Remember to put your city in your comment! You aren’t be eligible for a prize otherwise!

Charve Archer was an avid and passionate metal head. He was loyal to the scene and his band, travelling hours from some tiny dorp in the middle of no where to get to events to support his bands.. He was always a positive inspiration, encouraging his favourite bands and myself to keep pushing for SA metal to dominate the world. He will be sorely missed by the entire Emalyth Team, Theatre Runs Red and every single other metal head who was fortunate enough to have known him.

Sashquita Northey
Emalyth Founder

It is in that spirit where we now focus our attention on the promising up-and-coming Black Apple Productions.  This Johannesburg-based operation is the making of two sisters sharing a passion for all things alternative.  They advertise services such as photography for band portfolios (live pics, press pics, etc), press kits, website building and maintenance, along with every manner of other creative thing.  We’ve already had the pleasure of seeing some photographic work from owner, Samantha Williams, contributed towards articles on this website – so our expectations are high that Black Apple Productions are fully able to deliver on what they promise.

On that note, we wish Black Apple all the best of luck with their launch party near Johannesburg.  They’ve rounded up an arsenal of wicked bands well known to the Joburg scene and plan to knock-up The Black Dahlia Music Venue on 30 March.  For those of you who are local to that city, doors open at 6pm with a R50 entry fee, and R60 after 9pm.  Live entertainment includes Warthane, Of One Design, The Hammer Of Redemption, Tranquil and State Dependency.

For full event details and updates, see facebook event here: http://www.facebook.com/#!/events/158904427554645/

For full details on Black Apple Productions, see facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/#!/B.Apple.Productions

Vocalist, Molok explains, “The theme behind the album is the separation created between mankind by organizations within religion, racial groups and politics and how it affects us.”

The band promises grandiose orchestration and the addition of choirs to their already monstrous sound. The artwork is set to be handled by Mark Elliot of Mirage Custom Tattoos.

The tracklisting for The Segregation as follows:

Liars of the Cross
Centuries of Suffocation
Malevolence A.D (Rest in Pieces)
The Great Terror
Divide and Conquer
Born to Bury
10 000 Ton Death Machine
Rise of the Deicidians

SuiderbeeS have given Metal4Africa exclusive rights to all album updates, and we will be covering the process as it happens, right up to release day!

Watch SuiderbeeS performing “The Great Terror” below:

As far as death metal goes, Sacraphyx did a hell of a lot of put South Africa on the map, most notably playing the “holy grail” of metal festivals, Wacken in 2001! Through their ten year career, the band released two full lengths, a demo and an EP and were featured on the Witchdoctor Records New Breed samplers.

“A.Y.U.” is a thrashy affair that is undeniably nineties in its presentation and energy. Fancy frills and guitar wankery, this is not; but instead, it’s a beast of a song with a pummeling rhythm driving it forward. The dynamics in the song are great, it’s simple without getting boring and Adam van der Riet’s vocals have a great snarl behind them!

After the project came to a close in 2003, guitarists George and Alec went on to form The Warinsane who are still going strong today!

This post is dedicated to the late Francois Knoetze, who was Sacraphyx‘s drummer from 1997 to 2000.

4 Heavy Metal guys are needed for an advert to be made by a big brand in the automotive industry.  If you are aged between 17 and 30 years, and can make yourselves available for casting tomorrow (Thursday 16 Feb), then you might stand to earn R10,000 for the work, if selected.

The theme will be headbanging inside the car (like in Wayne’s World).  Look and dress must be like metal heads of the present.  Think away from the traditional metal ”pretty-boy” look – more about facial hair, belts & chains, earings & tatoos, etc.  Make it happen, Cape Town!

THE CASTING STUDIO

73 Loop Street, Cape Town

Casting on Thursday 16 Feb between 18h00 and 20h00

Note: This track is actually called “Macbeth” due to an error in the tracklisting.

So, as it turns out, there was metal in S.A. pre-V.O.D. (blasphemous to claim, I know!) Here is to a Song by Odyssey, who were around in the late 80s through to the Early 90s. They only recorded one album, titled Odyssey; they had a record deal, but apparently politics within the band and with the label caused the split-up). This band blended classic metal really well, some hints of power metal, and just a smidgeon of glam to spice their sound. It is a shame, would have loved to see them share the stage wth the likes of Strident and Sabretooth

Odyssey were:
Brin Addison – Lead guitar and vocals
Neil Ford – Bass guitar
Lawrence Bailey – Drums
Dean Smith – Rhythm guitar

A strange thing happened at around 20:40. Stellitius did a quick soundcheck and then… they disappeared! They didn’t actually play and were replaced last minute by the now infamous Anonymous! I can’t complain too much about the change, as they knew all of Stellitius’ material. They were joined by some of the Black Orchid Beasties on stage and delivered a great headbanging set. That’s one thing about Stellitius: I can never fault their sets. They come on and deliver balls-to-the-wall metal every time! They’re also one of the few bands that actually put on a show and not just perform. It takes balls to play an entire set with full face masks on and Ian especially, pulling off his signature vocals through the fucking mask! Once again, Stellitius did not disappoint!

Next up were Durban-based extreme metallers, . These guys (and girls) treated Cape Town to their nightmarish blackened death. It was hard, it was fast, it was, dare I say, brutal! It’s always great to see them live. Their stage presence is epic, the crowds love them and both on and off stage, I’m always surprised when I don’t see blood flowing. If you haven’t seen them live, you owe it to yourself to go to every show you can! Cape Town will always welcome Theatre Runs Red to our side of the country, horns held high.

The darkness subsided, the crowd crawled outside to get some fresh air, it was already past 10 and still hot as all hell! Next on stage were Cape Town’s own hair metal maestro’s Sabretooth. These guys are always a joy to see and although they get flak from some crowds for “not being metal” (which unfortunately showed due to the dwindling crowd throughout their set), I like them. Their style is no less-metal than the bands before them. Respect to them for keepin’ on rockin’, even in the face of a dissipating crowd. If any metal band goes really big in this country it will probably be these guys, mark my words!

It grew closer to midnight and blackness descended again upon the stage. It was the long awaited return of Cape Town’s own black metallers Rigormortem. I’m not a huge fan of black metal, but regardless of my predisposition, I have good things to say. Rigormortem are unbelievably tight and assaulted the crowd with pure black metal. You have to respect what these guys are doing and by Satan they’re good at it. They could improve their crowd interaction, but I’ll put that down to the fact that they haven’t performed live since ’08. I’d also very much like to keep tabs on them and see what this year holds.

All in all, I really enjoyed Summerfest. Great bands, great crowds. Hell – I walked away limping (I might be getting too old for moshpits)! But it was one not to be missed, and if you did, see you at Winterfest in July!

The result of which was that I was not as surprised once I finally heard the music as I might have been, after being cornered by some zombies at M4A’s SummerFest ’12 and having a disc thrust into my clammy grubbers. The production is totally top notch. I’m guessing this is the work of Burning Tone Studio? I don’t know, but I’m guessing – considering that Mr. Louis Henn himself is also in the band. For those who don’t know, Louis is responsible for the outstanding work previously celebrated on this website with the release of Recursive by The Broken Result. On this disc from Zombies Ate My Girlfriend, there were two songs not intended for release, but more of a promo of what is to come. The music is actually pretty weird! Not as in “kak” weird, but more like “very interesting” weird. The songs are performed with absolute brains-against-the-wall heaviness, and the kind of precision which requires no double-tap (Motherfucker!).

The mix is immaculate, allowing the listener to hear every detail of every instrument, including the weird buzzes and blinks programmed into the tracks. The songs do maybe go on a bit long for the level of intensity that they reach within the first few seconds – although there are plenty of breaks and changes to keep it interesting. Ultimately, I can imagine these songs to be part of a high octane soundtrack to some kind of zombie apocalypse-styled arcade game, filled with carnage – like Need For Speed, but driving bullets and chainsaws instead of cars.

Personally, I’m rather looking forward to hearing whatever Zombies Ate My Girlfriend have planned for us. They seem to me to have taken a now overdone genre and given it a fresh spin with their unique interpretation and adding a fun (albeit with serious undertones) component. Lets see what the future brings… if not the demise of all!

Stream “Deathworm” by Zombies ate my Girlfriend below:

It’s now 4pm the festival gates will have opened so I get scrambling. It’s still quiet having not succumbed to the arrival of the legendary M4A Party bus which will make its infamous appearance around 5:30pm, unfortunately a half hour to late for the openers who have just sound checked and nurse their beers and nerves before their set.

The setting for M4A Summerfest has not changed much having been hosted at the very capable Klein Libertas Theatre for the last 5 years and going from strength to strength ever since. The usual stalls of band merch, local and international are set up in one corner while in the other corner a outdoor stage with DJ Andy at the decks kicks off and it’s for some metal, fucking partying.

This brings me to the start of the show. First up saw newbies Forgive Us Not hit the stage for the first time in their short careers. Not being ones to hold back on their unsuspecting audience they deliver a brutal monstrosity of sonic distortion, severing eardrums and getting bodies to sway. They first act is always one of the toughest slots of the fest but they fared well and made their mark, no matter how insignificant it may have seemed. I did notice however a lot of the old school present were hard-pressed to be drawn in, but showed support irrespective and that’s what counts. Forgive Us Not has the drive, look and stamina needed to be a great band; but for how long will this last without the much needed guidance from their peers? A decent opener to the fest and with time and experience could be groomed into a true force of metal.

After a quick intermission, Diverge stepped up to the plate. Now, don’t get me wrong; I am a little out of the loop with a lot of the burgeoning younger metal heads who bring about immense amounts of energy, brutality and love for a genre only the few can appreciate, but it lacks the ever-present groove and catchy licks that make most of our metal idols so legendary. But in saying so, Diverge saw a better complement of patrons as the crowd swelled with the arrival of the M4A party bus. Sixty or so people dove in trying to take in as much of the little they had missed but still had a long day ahead to look forward too thankfully.

A bit of a longer break ensued and the murmuring started as time started to lapse into the red, the next band up had made their followers wait long enough to see them live. This all star cast of members that make up the prehistoric fin shaped death machine was Megalodon. Featuring a repertoire of seasoned musicians from legendary bands such as Odian, The Broken Result and Marching Dead, they sure as hell had to live up to the ripping math metal inspired tunes to make, dare I say, their idols Meshuggah proud.

Megalodon drew by far the biggest crowd by this point and for good reason. They delivared a kick ass show while I struggled to squirm and fight my way through the mosh pit to view them from a decent spot, only to be confronted by the statue of a body thats was their frontman Thomas. His movements while delivering big growling vocals made heads roll, while the strings complimented each other as the drums, with technical flawlessness, kept it tight and refreshing to say the least.

To break the politics of death metal inspired bands, Wargrave fronted by Infanteria main man Chris Hall took to the stage. Wargrave brought their thrash metal goodness to a crowd who, by now, I think needed a bit more melody to headbang and throw each other against the rafters to. The news of Chris leaving this act was disappointing to hear as this band really has a presence and has worked hard to put their mark on the metal scene in the past year. They were a really enjoyable band to watch and it was a pleasure to see them do what they do best.

My last act viewed was the ever catchy and watchable industrial act that is Terminatryx. Their stage was littered with projections, smoke and lighting to enhance the visual and aural experience as the day faded into darkness. The crowd had swelled even more and the booze flowed more freely and everyone was ready to be blown away. Terminatryx‘s brand of synthesized metal fronted by the ever erotic Sonja Ruppersberg and the illustrious by Paul Blom worked seamlessly to bring their audience a quality product with as much emphasis on the performance as with their music. This show was in support of their newly launched remix album entitled Remyx 1.0 which, quite frankly, is better than the original in my opinion.

Tomorrow, the BrutalViking wraps up the review. Stay tuned!