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What would Reagan do?

2011-04-13T01:58:00Z

WWRD - What Would Reagan Do? Labor Unions from RightChange on Vimeo.

WWRD - What Would Reagan Do? Libya from RightChange on Vimeo.

Kiss passed up for RRHOF, again.

2010-09-28T22:29:00Z

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Will Elude Kiss for 11th Straight Year

Posted Tue Sep 28, 2010 11:28am PDT by Caryn Ganz in Stop The Presses!

Kiss loyalists, long the butt of rock-critic jokes, have a new reason to be rankled: the artists listed on the Hall of Fame's 2011 ballot, which was announced this morning, include the Beastie Boys, Neil Diamond, Alice Cooper, Bon Jovi, Donovan, Tom Waits, LL Cool J, Dr. John, the J. Geils Band, Darlene Love, Laura Nyro, Donna Summer, Joe Tex, and Chuck Willis. The Beastie Boys got a nod in 2008. Nyro, LL Cool J, and Summer were all nominated last year. Kiss is conspicuously absent, yet again.

Hard-rock icon Kiss released its self-titled debut in 1974, which means in 1999 the band became eligible for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. But Kiss wasn't listed among the nominated bands in 1999 -- or 2000, or even 2001, for that matter. In 2009, the theatrical band finally made the ballot, but it didn't rack up enough votes for induction, and fans fumed while ABBA and the Stooges received the honor instead.

Adding insult to injury, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame mentions Kiss in the press release issued today announcing the new nominees -- in its write-up touting the originality of Alice Cooper: "Before there was Ozzy Osbourne, Marilyn Manson or KISS, there was Alice Cooper, the original self-proclaimed 'rock villain.'"

Die-hard Kiss fans -- known as the Kiss Army -- immediately flooded the Internet with complaints about the perceived snub, but not all of the band's devotees believe the band's legacy depends on a Rock Hall stamp of approval.

"Kiss not getting into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is kind of like Pete Rose not getting into the Baseball Hall of Fame: It's the best possible scenario for everyone involved," Fargo Rock City: A Heavy Metal Odyssey in Rural North Dakota author and longtime Kiss fan Chuck Klosterman tells Yahoo!. "Every year they get shut out, they're back in the news for not making it -- people will actually notice far less if they ever get inducted. Plus, being denied entry into the Hall of Fame advances the idea that Kiss exists outside the canon of critically sanctioned rock, and it perpetuates the idea that Kiss fans are unjustly persecuted for loving Kiss, which is central to the Kiss-fan identity. I hope they never get in. I'm sure they'll eventually build their own Hall of Fame, anyway, just so they can not induct Vinnie Vincent."

Kiss members themselves seem to have mixed feelings about being excluded from one of rock's most elite clubs. "There are disco bands, rap bands, Yiddish folk song bands in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but not Kiss," the band's bassist and most recognizable figure Gene Simmons said in 2008, adding sarcastically, "I believe we have more gold records in America than any other group, but it's OK."

[Photos: Kiss through the years]

In a recent interview, Simmons said, "There's nobody in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame -- in fact, if you took all of them and put them together -- they couldn't match all the licensing and merchandising we've done and the legacy we've left." He echoed many outsiders' critiques of the Hall by identifying a few famous inductees that aren't as "rock"-oriented as his own band. "I mean, yes, Madonna's important. I have no [darned] idea what she's doing in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Or Grandmaster Flash or any other disco or rap artist."

This March, late-night host George Lopez took up the Kiss cause, calling them "the greatest rock & roll band of all time" when Simmons appeared on his show and posting a petition on his website (it currently has 5,265 "signature" comments). A similar effort has been posted to Facebook, where 1,044 people have "Liked" a page titled "Get Kiss Into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!" Kiss fans have also taken to the streets in support of their face-painted heroes. In 2006, approximately 200 members of the Kiss Army staged a protest outside the Rock Hall's Ohio home.

Should Kiss ever gain entry to the Hall, the band would be faced with a dilemma, though: Who would perform at the induction ceremony? While Simmons and Paul Stanley are still actively playing in the band, original members Peter Criss and Ace Frehley have split from the group several times. Original lineups traditionally reunite for the Rock Hall ceremony, but not always happily. In 2006, former members of Blondie stormed the stage and asked to perform, only to be shot down by a ticked-off Debbie Harry ("Can't you see my real band is up there?"). The following year, Van Halen joined the Hall, but only former frontman Sammy Hagar and ex-bassist Michael Anthony showed up at the ceremony.

Artists become eligible for the Rock Hall ballot 25 years after the release of their first single or album. The final list of 2011 inductees will be announced in December, and the induction ceremony -- the Hall's 26th annual event - will be held March 14 at Manhattan's Waldorf Astoria. (The museum itself is in Cleveland; it began honoring musical legends in 1986.)

Whats wrong with SiteAdvisor?

2010-01-11T03:34:00Z

What is wrong with SiteAdvisor?

For those of you that are not familiar with McAfee SiteAdvisor, they are an online service that classifies websites into green, yellow and red safety categories. The green classification indicates a site with "very low or no risk", yellow represents "minor risks" and the red flag warn users of "serious risks" associated with the site. The service can be accessed via their website (siteadvisor.com) and is widely distributed as toolbar version for Internet Explorer and Firefox, providing on-the-fly site classifications as you browse the web.

There has been widespread criticism for false positives/negatives and the limited, slow or non existing efforts of McAfee to address complaints from site owners.[read Wikipedia article]

We have been flagged "red" or "yellow" for several times in the past, but were able to get this rating corrected, although it took weeks or months to change our status back to "green".

As you may have noticed, we are back to "yellow" again and the time has come to publicly address this false and unfair classification, since it has the potential to cause some of our visitors to avoid snapfiles.com.

How does SiteAdvisor work?

As far as downloads are concerned (they also check for browser exploits, popups, spam etc.) McAfee claims to download all the files that it finds on a site and then tests them for malware. In their own words:

"We download and install each file we find – we even open zip files. We then scan our test computer to see what changes have been made. If a program is determined to be a virus, Trojan, or certain other types of malware, that program will earn a red rating."

Sounds great, in theory, and if these ratings were fair and consistent, the service could be quite useful. Unfortunately however, the McAfee SiteAdvisor ratings are far from being fair and even further from being consistent. In fact, one could argue that due to the large number of false and misleading results, the service has become a potential danger to those who rely on the results.

McAfee SiteAdvisor has (once again) decided to mark Snapfiles.com with a "yellow" flag, thereby warning users of minor risks associated with our site.
Let's take a look at the table below to see how McAfee SiteAdvisor ranks our competition:

Site	Red Flags	Yellow Flags	Number of files tested	% of files with warnings	Negative user reviews	SiteAdvisor Rating
Download.com	13	13	396	6.57%	247
PCWorld	16	5	514	4.09%	26
Brothersoft	127	289	11593	3.59%	145
Softpedia	113	127	13164	1.82%	99
BetaNews	4	19	547	3.84%	8
Tucows.com	10	29	1398	2.79%	59
Snapfiles.com	1	3	229	1.75%	7

Results based on SiteAdvisor reports as of January 1, 2010

I guess we should thank SiteAdvisor for proving the fact that we are the safest choice among these sites! According to their results, Snapfiles.com has the lowest number of risk files, the lowest percentage of risk files and the lowest number of negative reviews.

But wait..., why are we marked as "yellow" then?

Hmm, makes no sense, does it? Even the most critical observer can see that there is something seriously wrong with the way that McAfee SiteAdvisor assigns their site ratings.

How can sites with dozens or even hundreds of red/yellow files be marked "green" and a site with only 4 of these files be marked "yellow"? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that the system is, at best, "seriously flawed".

What are those 4 files that were flagged on our site?

mailpv_setup.exe (Mail PassView)
This is a popular password recovery tool from nirsoft.net. The program can be used to recover forgotten passwords that are stored in your email program.
According to SiteAdvisor, the site of the developer that publishes this software is rated green . We are linking to the same file and get a "yellow" rating?

passwordfox.zip (PasswordFox)
This is a another popular password recovery tool from nirsoft.net. The program can be used to recover forgotten passwords that are stored in the Firefox browser.
According to SiteAdvisor, the site of the developer that publishes this software is rated green . Again, we are linking to the same file and get a "yellow" rating???

Setup.exe (Windows Essentials Codec Pack)
This is a popular Open Source collection of audio and video codecs. SiteAdvisor classifies it as PUP (Potentially Unwanted Program), the only explanation given is that it installs a shortcut to Windows Media Player Classic on your desktop, which is a legitimate part of the installation package.
Windows Essentials Codec Pack does not install any promotional toolbars or the like.

freeyoutubeuploader.exe (Free YouTube Uploader)
This software is no longer listed with us. It was at some point, but we removed it due to the fact that it installed a toolbar, even though the user selected not to. SiteAdvisor could not have known this though, since they claim that the software installs the "Ask" toolbar, which it does not, it installs a "Conduit" toolbar. (The developer has since fixed the installer and it no longer installs the toolbar without authorization.)

Did somebody say "toolbar"?

McAfee SiteAdvisor appears to be sensitive to most toolbar installations. The Yahoo! toolbar seems to be the only exception, it also happens to be the toolbar that the McAfee SiteAdvisor software installs on your computer, in addition to changing your default search provider to Yahoo!.

Oddly enough, McAfee seems to have missed this fact when they scanned their own site, because the scan results for siteadvisor.com do not mention any toolbar installation at all!

In fact, the only file that they have listed for their own site is an old version of SiteAdvisor from 2007 (v.2.4.0), which does not install any toolbar, but is also no longer offered from their site.

All recent versions of McAfee SiteAdvisor install a Yahoo! toolbar AND change your browser's search settings (as you can see here), but for some reason these files, bundled with the Yahoo! toolbar, are not included in their scan results.

The only file that McAfee SiteAdvisor has found on their very own siteadvisor.com website is almost 3 years old! McAfee distributes the actual files from sadownload.mcafee.com, but here too, you will only find the old 2.x toolbar-free versions in the scan results.

Does McAfee not possess the technology to properly scan their own sites? We doubt that. They seem to have no problems with finding toolbar bundles from other brands, such as Ask or Google for example, so why are they unable to find the toolbar bundles on their own servers?

Why is it that only whites can be racists?

2010-01-07T15:44:00Z

There are African Americans, Mexican Americans,
Asian Americans, Arab Americans, etc.
And then there are just Americans.
You pass me on the street and sneer in my direction.
You Call me 'White boy,' 'Cracker,' 'Honkey,'
'Whitey,' 'Caveman' ... and that's OK.
But when I call you, Nigger, Kike, Towel head,
Sand-nigger, Camel Jockey, Beaner, Gook, or Chink ...
You call me a racist.
You say that whites commit a lot of violence against you,
so why are the ghettos the most dangerous places to live?
You have the United Negro CollegeFund.
You have Martin Luther King Day.
You have Black History Month.
You have Cesar Chavez Day.
You have Yom Hashoah.
You have Ma'uled Al-Nabi.
You have the NAACP.
You have BET.
If we had WET (White Entertainment Television) we'd be racists.
If we had a White Pride Day, you would call us racists.
If we had White History Month , we'd be racists.
If we had any organization for only whites to 'advance'
OUR lives we'd be racists.
We have a Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, a Black Chamber
of Commerce, and then we just have the plain Chamber of Commerce.
Wonder who pays for that?
A white woman could not be in the Miss Black American
pageant, but any color can be in the Miss America pageant.
If we had a college fund that only gave white students
scholarships you know we'd be racists.
There are over 60 openly proclaimed Black Colleges
in the US.Yet if there were 'White colleges' THAT
would be a racist college.
In the Million Man March, you believed that you were
marching for your race and rights. If we marched for
our race and rights, you would call us racists.

You are proud to be black, brown, yellow andorange, and
you're not afraid to announce it. But when we announce
our white pride, you call us racists.
You rob us, carjack us, and shoot at us. But, when a
white police officer shoots a black gang member or beats
up a black drug-dealer running from the law and posing a
threat to society, you call him a racist.
I am proud.
But you call me a racist.
Why is it that only whites can be racists?

File Sharer Files For New Trial

2010-01-05T13:42:00Z

The student ordered to pay US$675,000 for sharing music online has asked for a new trial and for a reduction in the amount of damages he must pay.

Joel Tenenbaum, a PhD student at Boston University, was ordered in the middle of last year to pay the damages for sharing 30 songs online. His lawyer, Harvard professor Charles Nesson, argued that the judge should reconsider her decision based on so-called fair use.

In her ruling, Judge Nancy Gertner of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts said that people who used filed sharing networks before digital music could be legally purchased but who later began paying for such music might be in the clear. She set the introduction of the iTunes music store in 2003 as the end of the period before which people couldn't legally buy music online.

But Nesson argued that since for a time only Mac users could access the iTunes store, which only contained 200,000 songs, a later date should be used. In addition, for years those songs were all encumbered by digital rights management software, he noted.

Nesson suggested that the judge set a date some time after 2007, which was when Apple CEO Steve Jobs wrote an open letter urging the music industry to offer digital music without DRM and eventually many did. Tenenbaum was caught sharing music in 2004.

If the judge refuses to reconsider that issue, Nesson is asking her to reduce the damages that Tenenbaum must pay. He is calling upon a precedent set by a Supreme Court case that ruled damages are invalid if they are oppressive and disproportionate to the offense.

"Who could possibly think that a massive and entirely arbitrary verdict of $675,000 for sharing songs valued at (at most) $30 comports with any of our traditional notions of fairness and Due Process?" reads a post on Tenenbaum's blog. The $30 figure is based on the typical $0.99 price tag for most digital songs but does not account for the value of those songs that Tenenbaum subsequently shared with other people online.

Steelers To Lose Super Bowl Trophies

2009-12-31T14:55:00Z

Steelers To Lose Super Bowl Trophies

Pittsburgh, PA. The Super Bowl XLIII Champion Pittsburgh Steelers, the
only team to win six titles, will soon be losing half of those trophies. After
a meeting between NFL Commissioner Rodger Goodell and President Barack
Hussein Obama, decided to redistribute half of their Steeler Super
Bowl victories and trophies to less fortunate teams in the league.

“We live everyday in the country that invented the Super Bowl.” said Obama “We are not about to lose this Great American tradition in thewake of these difficult times.” Obama’s plan calls for the Steelers,who are a successful NFL team, to give half of their Super Bowl trophies to teams that are not successful or have not been as successful as the Steelers. “The Detroit Lions are just as much a part of the same fiber of the NFL as the Steelers and they should, no rather will, be entitled to a Super Bowl Trophy as well.” Obama explains in his plan that he has imposed on Goodell and the NFL.

The Pittsburgh Steelers, who by virtue of hard work, excellent teamplay, stellar draft choices, responsible investing of free agents,careful hiring of coaches and excellent community service andcommitment to their fans, has prospered greatly during the past 30years and have won six Super Bowl Trophies. But President BarackHussein Obama’s plan calls for the Pittsburgh Steelers to carry the larger burden of the NFL’s less successful teams.

Obama went on to further proclaim, “In these difficult times we are all in this to work together. We must reclaim the NFL Championship Dream for every team, for every city and for every fan.”

“My plan will not affect 31 of the 32 teams in the league.” Obama assures. That’s over 95 percent of the teams in the NFL will not have to worry about losing any Super Bowl Trophies. “The worst teams in the NFL and the teams that can’t seem to get a break and win a championship will no longer have to worry about going without a title.” Obama promises. “We are a country and league of hope. We all need to make a change. It does not matter the color of the teams uniforms, the personal decisions that the teams make or their performance but rather if they are a member of this great American league.”

The Super Bowl XLIII trophy will be redistributed to the 0-16 Detroit Lions. Through no fault of their own incompetence, the Lions could not manage a victory all season and this trophy will help ease the pain of their lack of performance and give them hope once again. The redistribution of Super Bowl XL trophy will go directly to the Steeler’s division rival the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals who also have fallen on hard times have never won a Super Bowl. This victory will bring a smile to hundreds of Bengal fans all over the world as they can now celebrate.

Finally, one of the Steeler’s two Super Bowl victories over the Dallas Cowboys will go back to the Cowboys since the league needs to provide hope in the face of difficulty and provide hope in the face of uncertainty. This is a heavy burden for the Steelers but together we can all prosper.

All hope is not lost for Pittsburgh fans, Barack Hussain Obama has another plan in place. Obama has meet with MLB and commissioner Bud Selig on a similar plan. The New York Yankees will redistribute two of their world series trophies to the Pittsburgh Pirates as a supplement to their loosing 16 straight seasons and counting. This plan will help stimulate the Pirates and enable them to regain the American Dream.

Steelers must now share their wealth and fruits of their success and hard work. Barack Hussein Obama will be meeting with the NHL and Michael Phelps in the upcoming weeks as this issue is high on his agenda for “Hope and Change.”

Rage Against The Machine Beat 'The X Factor

2009-12-22T06:26:00Z

Rage Against The Machine Beat 'The X Factor,' Simon Cowell & Miley Cyrus

Posted Sun Dec 20, 2009 12:57pm PST by Lyndsey Parker in Reality Rocks

The "Christmas number one"--the song that tops the charts at the end of the calendar year--is a big deal in Britain, and for the last few years it's been all but guaranteed that the honor will go to the most recent X Factor winner's debut single. (Last year's X Factor champ, Alexandra Burke, in fact had one of the biggest U.K. Christmas number ones of all time.) But this year, 2009 X Factor winner Joe McElderry (and X Factor honcho Simon Cowell) will have to settle for spot number two--as Joe's single, a cover of Miley Cyrus's "The Climb," has been trumped by a 17-year-old Rage Against The Machine song.

It all started with a grassroots Facebook campaign, "Rage Against The X Factor," organized by RATM fan Jon Morter in a protest effort to stop Simon Cowell's empire from dominating the music industry--since Simon is the main X Factor judge, and X Factor winner McElderry just signed to Simon's SyCo record label. Eventually some big-name rockers--including the Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl, Sir Paul McCartney, and Rage's own Tom Morello--pledged their support to the campaign, the goal of which was to make RATM's 1992 political anthem "Killing In The Name" Britain's Christmas number one, instead of the expected X Factor single.

And, incredibly, this campaign WORKED.

Yes, the official numbers are in, and "Killing In The Name" has topped the U.K. singles chart with 500,000 copies sold, compared to number two entry Joe McElderry's sales of 450,000. For the first time in five years, an X Factor champion has not snagged Britain's coveted Christmas number one spot, thanks to Morter's Facebook campaign.

Upon hearing this crazy news, Rage Against The Machine (who recently vowed that they would play a 2010 "victory party to end all victory parties" free concert in Britain if "Killing" beat "The Climb") posted a statement on the band's official Christmas campaign website, ratm4xmas.co.uk, saying: "WE DID IT! RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE IS XMAS NUMBER ONE. We've shown that we can make a difference and that you don't have a right to Number One just because Simon Cowell says so, especially with a bad cover! Finally I would like to say thank you to all of you, we've raised £64,726.00 for [homeless charity] Shelter at the time of writing this, the difference that this will make to peoples lives is truly amazing. We gotta take the power back - Rage Against The Machine - Merry Christmas."

As for Simon Cowell's reaction, he is probably taking the news in stride, judging by a recent conversation he had with campaigner Morter. Morter told the British music paper NME that Simon personally phoned him the night before the chart numbers were released, to wish him well in this bizarre sales battle. "Simon was very sweet and it was lovely to talk to him," said Morter. "We had a good chat about music in general and just wished each other good luck. I've got total respect for him. That was a really nice thing to do.

"The whole aim of the campaign was not to diss The X Factor at all," Morter added. "The X Factor fans like music as much as we do, so I've got absolutely nothing against them. We were just tired of [X Factor] getting to number one every year and we wanted to get the Christmas number one back."

As for Joe McElderry, he's probably not too pleased to lose to "Killing In The Name." Joe recently told British newspaper The Sun that he hated the RATM song, saying: "They can't be serious! I had no idea what it sounded like. It's dreadful and I hate it. How could anyone enjoy this? Can you imagine the grandmas hearing this over Christmas lunch? I wouldn't buy it. It's a nought out of 10 from me. Simon Cowell wouldn't like it. They wouldn't get through to Boot Camp on The X Factor--they're just shouting."

McElderry added in that Sun interview: "I think people are jumping on this to have a go at Simon and The X Factor rather than me. But Simon gives people a shot...I will be really disappointed if [my single] doesn't go to number one after all the effort I've put in to this and winning the show."

However, today McElderry graciously told press: "Fair play to the guys who have organized the Facebook campaign--it's been exciting to be part of a much-hyped battle and they definitely deserve congratulations. This time last year I never thought for one minute that I'd win The X Factor, never mind about having a debut single out, so I'm just delighted to be in the charts."

Meanwhile, "Rage Against The X Factor" spearheader Morter is still in shock over his little Facebook campaign's history-making success. He told NME: "It's crazy, I can't believe it...It's been absolutely mad, this whole thing. To be Christmas number one is insane, isn't it? It just goes to show if you use social networking in the right way, you can do it."

Reality TV

2009-11-13T18:04:00Z

Sting's Stinging Reality Remarks: "'X Factor' Is Appalling"

Posted Thu Nov 12, 2009 1:49pm PST by Lyndsey Parker in Reality Rocks

This week in an interview with the London Evening Standard, on/off Police frontman Sting had some stinging words for Simon Cowell and Simon's hit British TV show The X Factor, calling the talent competition "televised karaoke where [the contestants] conform to stereotype." Sounding quite unlike his usual zen-ified, new-agey self, an agitated Sting griped: "They are not encouraged to create any real unique signature or fingerprint. The X Factor is a preposterous show and you have judges, who have no recognizable talent apart from self-promotion, advising them what to wear and how to look. It is appalling."

While Sting is hardly the first recording artist to speak out against The X Factor and other Cowell-affiliated shows like the Idol and Got Talent franchises, I find his remarks interesting and ironic, since many of his songs have actually been performed by contestants on these programs--presumably with his consent, or at least with the consent of his publishing company. Off the top of my head, I recall that "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" was covered on American Idol by Constantine Maroulis in season 4, Chris Sligh in season 6, and Casey Carlson in season 8; Phil Stacey and Brooke White did "Every Breath You Take," respectively, in Idol seasons 6 and 7; Blake Lewis beatboxed his way through "Roxanne" in Idol season 6; and Jason Castro even covered Sting's solo hit "Fragile" in Idol season 7. And four Police performances (including two different renditions of "Roxanne") were even featured on Rock Star: Supernova back in 2006.

And that's just accounting for talent shows on this side of the pond. It will be interesting to see if Sting decides to blacklist his songs from the cleared music selections for such programs, now that he's spoken so vehemently against them, saying specifically of X Factor: "It is a soap opera which has nothing to do with music. It has put music back decades. Television is very cynical."

I understand where Sting is coming from--some of the aforementioned Police/Sting covers were appalling, to use his choice of words, and quite possibly could have put Police music back decades. But really, I am kind of tired of musicians soapboxing about how shows like X Factor and Idol are "ruining" the music industry. Newsflash: The music industry is already ruined. Artists and music biz staffers alike are getting dropped in droves daily from record labels. Superstars who used to effortlessly sell millions of units right out of the box are now struggling to even go gold. Institutions like Tower Records and the Virgin Megastore are shuttering their doors. Radio station playlists now consist of maybe seven high-rotation songs, leaving placements in car commercials and CW Network shows as the only real outlets for new music to be widely heard. And MTV pretty much hasn't played music videos on a regular basis since Martha Quinn was still a VJ. So Sting and his ilk have a lot more to worry about than just X Factor. That show isn't messing up anything that isn't already a hot industry mess.

Sting specifically addressed Britain's music industry troubles in his Evening Standard interview, admitting himself that traditional venues for talent discovery are going away. "The real shop floor for musical talent is pubs and clubs. That is where the original work is. But they are being closed down on a daily basis. It is impossible to put an act on in a pub. It has become too expensive through excessive regulations," he said, although he didn't seem to think reality TV is the solution to this dilemma. "The music industry has been hugely important to England, bringing in millions. If anyone thinks The X Factor is going to do that, they are wrong."

Then again, The X Factor did bring Leona Lewis to the limelight, and someone like Scotland's Susan Boyle would probably still be a socially awkward shut-in without Britain's Got Talent. Sure, those contestants may be the big exceptions to the rule--thousands of singers, in all countries, audition for these shows and go nowhere in their careers. But for some lucky performers, these talent shows were their only opportunity to get ahead in a shrinking, increasingly competitive industry.

Furthermore, I argue that reality programs like X Factor are actually helping music in another way: Aside from video games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band, shows like Idol and X Factor are perhaps introducing older music to young audiences more than any other pop-culture phenomenon. Whether it's Allison Iraheta belting out Janis Joplin, ZZ Top jamming with David Cook, or Idol hosting a Motown or Rat Pack or Bee Gees Night, these shows do introduce kids to music from before their time. (It's no wonder that veterans like Kiss, Cyndi Lauper, George Michael, and even Prince have scrambled to get a performance slot on an Idol finale. Sting might have even had a shot to perform on X Factor or AmIdol--after all, he does have a new solo album, If On A Winter's Night, to promote--but he's probably blown that opportunity now.) Additionally, lesser-known, newer artists like Ray Lamontagne, KT Tunstall, Mutemath, Swell Season, Gary Jules, and the late Jeff Buckley have had their profiles--and iTunes sales--boosted by popular Idol covers.

It should be noted that Sting's comments came after Simon Cowell made the controversial decision to spare tone-deaf but endlessly amusing twins John & Edward from X Factor elimination last week, subsequently stirring up accusations that the show is rigged for ratings and has nothing to do with real talent anymore. So...may I suggest that, as an act of revenge, John & Edward cover the Police's "Walking On The Moon" on a future X Factor episode, in another signature watercooler-chatter-worthy performance complete with puffy astronaut uniforms and backup-dancing aliens? Sting would probably balk...but when his song became the most-watched video on YouTube the next day, maybe he'd change his tune.

News

2009-10-18T22:02:00Z

By ANN SANNER, Associated Press Writer Ann Sanner, Associated Press Writer – Sun Oct 18, 2:34 pm ET

WASHINGTON – White House advisers pledged on Sunday to book administration officials on Fox News despite claims by the president's inner circle that the cable network is a GOP mouthpiece whose programming "is geared toward making money."

Last week, White House communications director Anita Dunn said Fox News operates "almost as either the research arm or the communications arm of the Republican Party." On Sunday, Rahm Emanuel, President Barack Obama's chief of staff, said, "It is not a news organization so much as it has a perspective."

In response to the criticism, Fox News executive Michael Clemente on Sunday accused the White House of continuing to "declare war on a news organization" rather than focusing on issues such as jobs and health care.

"The door remains open and we welcome a discussion about the facts behind the issues," said Clemente, senior vice president of news, in a written statement.

Fox News commentators Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity have been strong Obama critics, and Bill O'Reilly has taken tough looks at the administration. Obama avoided "Fox News Sunday" when he visited five Sunday morning news shows last month; three aides carried the administration's message on Afghanistan, health care and the economy this Sunday to ABC, CBS, CNN and NBC, but not Fox; and a recent White House blog post accused Beck of lying. Beck has called Obama a racist.

Karl Rove, a Fox News contributor and former White House adviser to President George W. Bush, said the Obama administration is trying to demonize Fox News for asking questions officials do not like. He compared Obama's approach to that of President Richard Nixon, who included journalists on an "enemies list."

"This is a White House engaging in its own version of the media enemies list," Rove said on "Fox News Sunday." "And it's unhelpful for the country and undignified for the president of the United States to so do."

Appearing on ABC's "This Week," senior Obama adviser David Axelrod said Fox News shouldn't be treated as a news organization. "And the bigger thing is that other news organizations, like yours, ought not to treat them that way, and we're not going to treat them that way," he said.

Still, Axelrod said administration officials would appear on the channel. He shrugged off News Corp. chairman Rupert Murdoch's remark to shareholders last Friday that since the White House began criticizing Fox News commentators their ratings have risen.

"You know, I'm not concerned. Mr. Murdoch has a talent for making money, and I understand that their programming is geared toward making money," Axelrod said. "The only argument Anita was making is that they're not really a news station. ... It's not just their commentators, but a lot of their news programming. It's really not news. It's pushing a point of view."

Emanuel appeared on CNN's "State of the Union."

The following is a reply to this article by Brian S. Shuba

Fox News is expressing their right to freedom of speech. Just because it is dubbed a news channel does not mean they have to be the stereotypical news channel. This is what separates Fox News from the rest. At least they are willing and not afraid to take on a project that all other news channels won’t touch. When you listen to Fox, you can be sure that what they tell you is dead on. I am tired of everyone praising Obama and praising the liberal left. Everything you hear on the other networks is pro Obama. I am tired of hearing that the Democrats are so good, and that the Republicans are so bad. I am tired of hearing one side of the story. I want to hear the other side of the story and form my own opinion. It seems to me that Fox News has struck a nerve, and the White House is trying to silence them from telling the truth. What ever happened to our Constitution? This is a kick in the privates, and a clear indication of liberal media dictatorship.

Brian Shuba

Flobots

2009-10-18T07:40:00Z

Flobots are an American alternativerock and hip hop group from Denver,Colorado, formed in 2000 by lead MC Jonny 5, aka JamieLaurie. Flobots found mainstream success with its major label debut Fightwith Tools (2007), featuring the single "Handlebars", which became a popular hit on Modern Rock radio in April 2008.

Though the official name of the band is Flobots, they are often referred toas The Flobots, sometimes even by the band members themselves.

History

Early career and Onomatopoeia (2000-2004)

In 2000, the group began to form when lead MC James Laurie, (Jonny 5) teamedup with producer Farhad Ebrahimi (Yahktoe). Together they released the album Onomatopoeiain 2001, and the title track ended up in a compilation by the MIT SongwritingClub (Yahktoe's alma mater). The title track featured guitar player DavidGralow, celloplayer T'Errance Favors, and bass player Jaymz Haynes.

Flobots Present...Platypus (2005-2006)

Jonny 5 kept the Flobots name when forming a sideproject with another lead MC, Brer Rabbit. They teamed up with violist MackenzieRoberts, bassistJesse Walker, guitaristAndy Guerrero (from funkband Bop Skizzum), trumpet player Joe Ferrone (also from Bop Skizzum), and drummer KennyOrtiz. By the year's end, their unique instrumentation and politically andsocially charged musicbecame popular in their hometown of Denver,and Flobots became a full time project. The group members also identifythemselves by numbers; Jonny 5 is 05, Brer Rabbit is 0, Mackenzie is 33, Andyis 17, Jesse is 101, Joe is 79 and Kenny is 69.

In October 2005, the band released Flobots Present...Platypus, whichwent on to sell over 3000 copies over the next two years. In August 2007,Flobots opened for Coloradolocals TheFray at Red Rocks,one of their largestperformances to date.

Fight with Tools (2007-2008)

In October 2007, after a year of writing and producing, they released FightWith Tools and sold out their CD release show at the Gothic Theatre in Englewood, Colorado.

Flobots entered a contest held by Denverradio station 93.3 (KTCL),called Hometown for the Holidays, which allowed fans to vote for their favoritesongs from 35 local bands. Flobots subsequently won both the radio portion ofthe contest as well as the liveperformance award. As a result, the station put "Handlebars" intofull rotation at the end of January due to the immense popularity of the songduring the contest.

In February 2008, Flobots held a show at the Gothic Theatre in Englewoodcalled "The Heart Attack" featuring local bands The Hot IQs and PaperBird. It was after this show that the group was approached by and subsequentlysigned to Universal Republic on a two CD major label deal.On March 31,the band announced that they would be playing Tucson, Arizona's majoralternative rock festival, KFMA Day, with Metallica, Apocalyptica,Chiodos, and Scarson Broadway on May 16.Flobots were also part of the sixteenth annual KROQ WeenieRoast on May 17,along with Atreyu, BadReligion, Flogging Molly, Metallica, TheOffspring, Pennywise, TheRaconteurs, Rise Against, Scarson Broadway and Seether. On July 20, 2008, Flobots played at the Mile High Music Festival in Commerce City, Colorado with headlinersDave Matthews Band and John Mayer. On July 26, 2008, Flobots played 93.3's Big Gig at Coors Amitheater in Greenwood Village, Colorado withOffspring. On September 1, 2008they performed at Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival in Seattle, Washington.

The single "Handlebars" became popular on alternativerock radio in April 2008 and peaked at #3 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart.

They made their television debut on Carson Daly's talk show on May 20, 2008.Also on May 20th, Flobots spent two hours with Dr. Drew and Stryker answering sex questions on Loveline andre-released their album Fight With Tools to a wider audience after theirnew found success. Flobots also appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Lenoon June 5, 2008 withtheir song "Handlebars". They performed their secondsingle "Rise" on Late Night With Conan O'Brien onOctober 13, 2008.

Next album (2009-present)

On February 17, 2009,the Flobots announced in a MySpace blog entry that they were "working really hardon their next album and plan to have it completed soon."

According to a September 2009 report, the band has finished recording thenew album, with Mario Caldato (of BeastieBoys fame) producing it. A 2010 release is expected.

Revelation 9

2009-10-15T04:48:00Z

¹The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss. ²When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss. ³And out of the smoke locusts came down upon the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth. ⁴They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. ⁵They were not given power to kill them, but only to torture them for five months. And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes a man. ⁶During those days men will seek death, but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them.

⁷The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold, and their faces resembled human faces. ⁸Their hair was like women's hair, and their teeth were like lions' teeth. ⁹They had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle. ¹⁰They had tails and stings like scorpions, and in their tails they had power to torment people for five months. ¹¹They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon.

¹²The first woe is past; two other woes are yet to come.

Renegade Unlimited Entertainment Commercial

2009-10-11T19:35:00Z

This is just a test. I am going to make it a lot better but I wanted to have some kind of commercial. This is the result. This was made by DJ Astra, who seems to know more about making these things than I do.

Dark Moor

2009-10-07T14:24:00Z

Dark Moor is a Spanish heavy metal band from Madrid. Formed in 1993, they produced three full-length albums before undergoing a line-up change in which three members left the band to form their own project, Dreamaker. The remaining two members carried on under the same name, recruiting suitable replacements in time for their eponymous 2003 album.

Biography

Dark Moor was formed in 1994 in Madrid, Spain, and recorded their debut album ,"Shadowland", in the summer of 1999. Dark Moor played live supporting Demons & Wizards on their Spanish Tour.

Dark Moor began the recording sessions for their second album, "The Hall of the Olden Dreams", in August 2000 at New Sin Studios with producer Luigi Stefanini. During these recording sessions, the band recorded their cover of "Halloween", which was included on the CD "The Keepers of Jericho" - A Tribute to Helloween - (Arise Records). Their E.P "The Fall of Melnibone" was released in June 2001. This E.P was a limited edition; 1500 copies were released, and only for the Spanish market.

Dark Moor began the recording of their third album, "The Gates of Oblivion", in Autumn 2001 at New Sin Studios. Dark Moor signed with the major label J.V.C for the Asian release. The band played 18 gigs at festivals such as Rock Machina, Viña Rock and Nit De Reis. After the first part of the tour, keyboardist Roberto Peña left the band and the band was forced to finish the tour with a guest musician.

In August 2003 Dark Moor recorded four new exclusive acoustic tracks along with a string quartet, to be included in "Between Light and Darkness", which was released in April 2003. Due to differing points of view regarding the musical direction for the next Dark Moor album, vocalist Elisa Martin, guitarist Albert Maroto and drummer Jorge Sáez decided to leave Dark Moor to start a new band.

The two remaining members of the band decided to start a search for new members. After the auditions, they accepted vocalist Alfred Romero, guitarist Jose Garrido, and drummer Andy C.

In August 2003, the band started recording their fourth album, "Dark Moor", at New Sin Studios in Italy. Following a month of recording sessions, the album was mastered by Mika Jussila at Finnvox.

On November 23rd, 2006, the band announced the departure of their drummer on their official website, due to "incompatibility with his other musical projects." He would go on to play drums for Saratoga. His replacement, Roberto Cappa, was previously in the Spanish metal band Anima Sola.

In January 2009, their seventh album "Autumnal" was released.

Symphony X

2009-10-04T03:10:00Z

Symphony X is an American progressive metal band founded in New Jersey in 1994 by guitarist Michael Romeo. Their 1997 album The Divine Wings of Tragedy and their 2000 release V: The New Mythology Suite have given the band considerable attention within the progressive metal community. Musically, Symphony X is often compared to other progressive metal bands such as Dream Theater and Fates Warning. They play in complex timings and odd meters while incorporating elements of symphonic metal and more traditional heavy metal into their sound. Their music also contains strong neo-classical elements reminiscent of Yngwie Malmsteen, Cacophony, Randy Rhoads, and other neo-classical metal artists.

Biography

The Dark Chapter, Symphony X and The Damnation Game (1994−1995)

In early 1994 Michael Romeo (ex-Phantom's Opera, ex-Gemini) recorded a demo tape entitled The Dark Chapter, which featured himself and keyboard player Michael Pinnella. The tape attracted a fair share of attention, particularly in Japan. He then recruited bassist Thomas Miller, drummer Jason Rullo, vocalist Rod Tyler, and finally keyboard player Michael Pinnella. Their self-titled debut album was recorded in the same year, and released to a positive reception in Japan by the now-extinct record company Zero Corporation Label. The band's second studio album, The Damnation Game, followed six months later. Singer Rod Tyler had left the band by then and was replaced by current singer Russell Allen.

The Divine Wings of Tragedy and Twilight in Olympus (1996−1998)

The Divine Wings of Tragedy was the album that first gave Symphony X exposure in metal circles. It took a considerable time to record the album, with the recording sessions beginning in 1996 and concluding in 1997. The positive feedback from the specialized press served to establish Symphony X in Europe; their success in Japan only continued to grow.

At the end of 1997 and for part of the next year, Jason Rullo, their drummer, had to stay away from the band in order to solve personal issues. He was temporarily replaced by Thomas Walling. Even with a temporary drummer, the band recorded Twilight in Olympus, released in early 1998. That year also saw the first live performances from the band, which by then had already gathered many fans from around the globe. Their first official show happened in 1998, in Japan. It was soon followed by a world tour. Bassist Thomas Miller left the band and was replaced by Michael Lepond in that year.

A compilation album, Prelude to the Millennium, was released by the end of 1998. As an extra, it featured a second version of the song "Masquerade" from the first album, with Russell Allen on vocals.

V: The New Mythology Suite and The Odyssey (1999−2002)

Jason Rullo returned to the drums for the band's fifth album, V: The New Mythology Suite, released in 2000. It was the band's first release on major progressive label InsideOut Music. The album was their first concept album, dealing with the myth of Atlantis. The album features classics such as "Communion and the Oracle," "Egypt" and the mini-suite "Rediscovery," and includes pieces of classical music.

The band went on a European tour shortly after its release and recorded their first live album, Live on the Edge of Forever.

In 2002, the band released The Odyssey, an album prominently featuring a 24-minute long musical interpretation of the Homeric epic, the Odyssey.

Solo albums (2003−2006)

Keyboardist Michael Pinnella released a solo album, entitled Enter By the Twelfth Gate, on October 12, 2004. Vocalist Russell Allen's solo debut, entitled Atomic Soul, was released in the summer of 2005. With this album, Allen took a different musical direction from that seen in his work with Symphony X. It was considered by many—including Allen himself—to be a hard rock album. Also in 2005, he recorded an album called The Battle with former Masterplan vocalist Jørn Lande under the moniker "Allen/Lande." The two would later record a follow-up album entitled The Revenge, released May 11, 2007. In 2005 Symphony X was featured on Gigantour, a summer festival headlined by Megadeth with Dream Theater and Anthrax. Two Symphony X songs from the tour, "Inferno" and "Of Sins and Shadows," are featured on the Gigantour DVD and CD-set, released in September 2006.

Paradise Lost (2007−present)

Lead vocalist Russell Allen performing at a concert in San Juan, Puerto Rico on May 27, 2007.

The band's album Paradise Lost, a concept album loosely inspired by John Milton's epic poem of the same name, was recorded in Romeo's studio and released worldwide on June 26, 2007. The band claimed this work had darker themes musically. The album included a special DVD of footage shot by the band throughout their history, available in FYE stores. The release coincided with a 14-month world tour, including a tour through all of Europe with Dream Theater in the fall of 2007. The band also revealed plans to perform in Japan and other Asian countries, as well as appear for the first time ever in Russia, India, and the Middle East.

Paradise Lost debuted at number 123 on the Billboard 200 album chart in the United States, selling 6,300 copies in its first week. The record also debuted at number 1 on the Top Heatseekers Chart.

Symphony X released their first music video for the song "Serpent's Kiss" on July 28, 2007. It was followed by a video for "Set the World on Fire," released on January 11, 2008. The band toured North and South America from October to November 2008, and are touring Asia in February 2009. The band are also currently in the process of gathering material for a Live DVD.

Recording Studio : The Dungeon

The Dungeon is the studio located at the home of Symphony X's guitarist and composer Michael Romeo. The albums The Divine Wings of Tragedy and V: The New Mythology Suite were partly recorded in The Dungeon, while The Odyssey and Paradise Lost were fully recorded there and produced by Romeo himself. Symphony X spent a sum of money upgrading The Dungeon and buying state of the art orchestration software and tools for the rich symphonic arrangements in their songs.

HolyHell

2009-10-02T23:34:00Z

HolyHell is a power metal band, formed in 2005, who are being produced by Joey DeMaio of Manowar. The band has delayed the release of their debut album, choosing instead to tour with Manowar and Rhapsody of Fire. In concert, they play a cover of "The Phantom of the Opera" with Eric Adams (Manowar) and Maria Breon on vocals.

The band have since performed at Magic Circle Festival 2007, toured in Bulgaria and most recently appeared at Magic Circle festival 2008 performing their usual set as well as 2 songs from their as of yet unreleased debut album and a cover of Dio's classic song "Holy Diver".

Their first single Apocalypse was released on March 23, 2007.

Their first full-length album, Holyhell, was released on June 26, 2009.

Kamelot

2009-10-02T22:52:00Z

Kamelot is an American metal band from Tampa, Florida. The band was formed by Thomas Youngblood and Richard Warner in 1991. Norwegian vocalist Roy Khan joined for the album Siége Perilous, and has shared song-writing duties with Thomas Youngblood since.

As of 2009, Kamelot has released eight studio albums, three live albums, one live DVD, six music videos and a reissue of their latest record Ghost Opera.

Biography

Kamelot was founded in Florida by Thomas Youngblood and Richard Warner in 1991. In 1994, the band signed a deal with Noise Records; the release of their debut album Eternity followed in 1995. The next album, Dominion, was released in 1997. Later that year, drummer and founder Richard Warner and lead vocalist Mark Vanderbilt were replaced by drummer Casey Grillo and vocalist Roy Khan (formerly of Conception) respectively. With the two new members, Kamelot released their third studio album, Siege Perilous, in 1998. The new line-up undertook an extensive tour through Europe during the fall of the same year; twelve months later, they returned to the Gate Studio in Wolfsburg to produce the fourth studio effort, The Fourth Legacy.

The summer of 2000 brought the "New Allegiance Tour" through Germany, Austria, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Greece and Spain during which the recordings for Kamelot's first live album The Expedition were made. A few months later, the band presented their fifth album Karma. Their sixth album, Epica, was released in 2003. To support the Epica album, the band went on tour through Europe (with At Vance as a supporting band) and Japan. Both "Epica" and the band's seventh effort, The Black Halo, which was released in 2005, are based on Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's version of the legend of Faust, a man who sells his soul to the devil. To support the new album, the band went on tour through Europe and Japan. During the first leg of the "Black Halo World Tour 2005", they played a headliner show with Epica and Kotipelto. In Japan the support was Silent Force. They also played on the Bang Your Head!!! Festival in Germany and the Graspop Metal Meeting in Belgium.

In 2005, they shot their first music videos for the songs "The Haunting (Somewhere in Time)" and "March of Mephisto" from the album The Black Halo. Both videos were shot by the prolific director Patric Ullaeus. On October 5, 2005, Kamelot added Oliver Palotai as the fifth official band member; Oliver handles both keyboards and (additional) guitars.

On the second leg of the "Black Halo World Tour", they visited North and South America (USA, Canada, Brazil) as well as Europe (The Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden and Norway). On February 11, 2006, the band's live DVD, One Cold Winter's Night was shot by Patric Ullaeus at Rockefeller Music Hall in Oslo, Norway. It was released on November 17, 2006 in Germany, November 20 in other parts of Europe and November 21 in US/Canada via SPV Records.

In fall 2006, the band returned to Gate Studios in Wolfsburg, Germany to record their latest album, Ghost Opera. Drummer Casey Grillo flew in to record in Wolfsburg for the first time since the Karma album.

Ghost Opera was released on June 1, 2007 in Germany, June 4 in Europe and June 5 in the US. The album was recorded and mixed at Gate Studios and Pathway Studios in Wolfsburg with producers Sascha Paeth and Miro. Music videos have been made for the songs "Ghost Opera", "The Human Stain", "Rule the World" and "Love You to Death". A re-issue of Ghost Opera labeled, "Ghost Opera: the Second Coming" was released shortly after its predecessor. It contains the entire original Ghost Opera album and a second CD with 10 live songs recorded during concert in Belgrade, Serbia, with additional bonus tracks, "Season's End", "The Pendulous Fall", "Epilogue" and "Rule the World (Remixed)".

In January, 2009, Kamelot started working on their ninth studio album in a cabin in Norway. They frequently update their official video blog with clips.

In May 2009, Kamelot released their fourth video for "Love You To Death" at Midnight on their official website.

They are currently recording their next studio album, and it's said to be heavier than the former material.

Epica

2009-10-02T16:16:00Z

Epica is a Dutch symphonic metal band founded by guitarist and vocalist Mark Jansen subsequent to his departure from After Forever.

History

Cry for the Moon (2002–2003)

In early 2002, Mark Jansen was fired from After Forever due to creative differences. He then began looking for musicians who would work towards a more classical/symphonic type of music project; this was initially named "Sahara Dust". In late 2002, the band courted Helena Michaelsen (from Trail of Tears) as its frontwoman, but shortly after she was replaced by the then unknown mezzo-soprano Simone Simons, who was Jansen's girlfriend at the time. The band's line-up was completed by guitarist Ad Sluijter, drummer Jeroen Simons, bassist Yves Huts, and keyboard player Coen Janssen. The name was later changed to Epica, inspired by Kamelot's eponymous album.

Epica then assembled a choir (made up of two men and four women) and a string orchestra (three violins, two violas, two cellos and an upright bass) to play along with them. Still under the name Sahara Dust, they produced a two-song demo entitled Cry for the Moon in 2003. As a result, they were signed to Transmission Records.

The Phantom Agony (2003–2004)

Their debut album, The Phantom Agony, was produced by Sascha Paeth (known for having produced bands such as Angra, Rhapsody of Fire and Kamelot) and released in late 2003. The song "Façade of Reality" on the album was written about the September 11, 2001 attacks and includes fragments from speeches by Tony Blair.

The album was followed by three singles: "The Phantom Agony", "Feint" and "Cry for the Moon".

Consign to Oblivion / The Score (2005–2007)

Their second release, entitled Consign to Oblivion, was influenced by the culture of the Mayan Civilization, which can be noticed on songs in the "A New Age Dawns" series. "A New Age Dawns" refers to the time system of the Mayan people, which extends up to the year of 2012, and makes no reference of what may happen past said year. Consign to Oblivion was composed with film scores as a basis, with Hans Zimmer and Danny Elfman cited as major inspirations. The album features guest singing by Roy Khan(from Kamelot) on the song "Trois Vierges". Epica also joined Kamelot as a support band on parts of their tour for promotion of the The Black Halo album, to which Simons had contributed her vocals on the track "The Haunting (Somewhere In Time)".

Two singles were released from the album, "Solitary Ground" and "Quietus (Silent Reverie)".

Epica's non-metal album The Score - An Epic Journey was released in September 2005 and is the soundtrack for a Dutch movie called Joyride, though it could also be considered to be their third album. Mark Jansen describes the album as typical Epica, "only without the singing, without the guitars, no bass and no drums".

In 2005 and 2006 Epica went on their first tour throughout North America with Kamelot. After the tour, drummer Jeroen Simons left the band because of his wish to pursue other musical interests. In Fall 2006, Simone once again contributed vocals to album of Kamelot, this time on the tracks "Blücher" and "Season's End" on the album Ghost Opera. In December Ariën Van Weesenbeek from God Dethroned was announced on Epica's official website as the guest drummer for their new album, but not a permanent band member.

The Divine Conspiracy (2007–2009)

In September 2007, Epica headlined their first tour through North America and released their fourth album, The Divine Conspiracy, this time on a new label, Nuclear Blast. That December, Ariën Van Weesenbeek was announced to be Epica's permanent new drummer. The band toured North America again in April 2008 with Into Eternity and Symphony X, this time with Amanda Somerville because Simone had contracted a staph infection (MRSA).

The first single of the album was released on August 10, 2007 entitled "Never Enough".

The second single, "Chasing the Dragon," was released in 2008 without an accompanying video.

On 16 December 2008, Ad Sluijter left the band. He left a message on his Myspace page with his reasoning for leaving the band, which included frustration over being unable to enjoy composing music because of deadlines. Ad's successor on guitar was announced in January of 2009 to be Isaac Delahaye, who is formerly of God Dethroned fame.

In May of that year, Epica recorded The Classical Conspiracy, their first live album. The live show included a 40-piece orchestra and a 30-piece choir. It was released on May 8, 2009 through Nuclear Blast Records.

Design Your Universe (2009–Present)

On March 4, 2009, Epica announced their return to the studio where they would begin the recording process for a new album. In April 2009, it was revealed that the new album's title would be "Design Your Universe". The album will be released on 16th October. To promote this release, they will be performing in Amsterdam at Paradiso on the 10th of the same month. This album will be new guitarist Isaac Delahaye's first.

Style

The contrast between Simone Simons' operatic vocals and Mark Jansen's death grunts is a feature of Epica's music.

Epica's performs a blend of progressive metal, gothic metal and symphonic metal.^[17][18] Another component of Epica's style is power metal with their guitarist Ad Sluijter describing the band as "a bridge between power metal and gothic metal." Vocalist Simone Simons has expressed a preference for the group to be described as symphonic metal though the founder of the group Mark Jansen notes that they do not mind being called gothic metal.

The music of Epica is aggressive, bombastic and excessive with some songs being "epic, grand and majestic" and others "more subdued and introspective." The band is also known to have progressive tendencies while a gothic atmosphere and sentimentality is also present in their music.

Epica uses a "trademark of many symphonic and gothic metal bands" in contrasting "two extremes, death grunts and brutality on one side, airy female melodiousness on the other." Eduardo Rivadavia of Allmusic notes that the band's "attraction ultimately hinges on exploring the sonic contrasts of light and dark; the punishing intensity of those elephantine guitar riffs and hyperactive drumming cast against the soaring, layered sweetness of the orchestrated strings and keyboards." Simone Simons delivers operatic vocals in a mezzo-soprano range though she has also been known to sometimes sing "with a clear alto voice that has a flawless tone and a lot of emotion." Mark Jansen delivers death grunts "that are secondary to Simons' singing, but very important in terms of balance and variety." The group is also known to employ human choirs and orchestras with additional embellishments such as spoken word recitals and lyrics in Latin and Arabic.

Avantasia

2009-10-02T05:36:00Z

Avantasia is a symphonic metal/power metal project created by Tobias Sammet, vocalist and frontman of the power metal group Edguy. The project's title is a portmanteau of the words "avalon" and "fantasia" ("fantasy") and describes "a world beyond human imagination" (a quotation from the booklet). The project consists of a self-titled single, two full-length albums with the subtitle The Metal Opera, two EPs called Lost in Space, and the recently released album The Scarecrow.

Development

In Spring 1999, during Edguy's Theater of Salvation tour, Tobias Sammet began to write down his ideas for a metal opera, a concept album with many guest musicians. When the tour was finished, he carried this plan out, recruiting well-known metal players like Kai Hansen and the ex-Helloween singer Michael Kiske. The project was recorded with a core band of four members - Sammet playing keyboards and arranging orchestration, Henjo Richter playing guitar, Markus Grosskopf playing bass, and Alex Holzwarth on drums. In 2001, the self-titled single and the first full-length album, The Metal Opera, were released. The project was completed in September 2002 with the release of The Metal Opera Part II. At the end of 2006, Sammet confirmed the rumors of a third Avantasia album, due for release in 2008. On March 24, 2007, the name was confirmed to be "The Scarecrow". The album was released on January 25, 2008, and includes special guests Rudolf Schenker, Sascha Paeth, drummer Eric Singer, and singers Bob Catley, Jørn Lande, Michael Kiske, Alice Cooper, Roy Khan, Amanda Somerville and Oliver Hartmann. Tobias Sammet announced that a new album will be released by the end of 2009. Some of the special guests have been announced: drummers Eric Singer, Alex Holzwarth, and Felix Bohnke, as well as vocalists Michael Kiske, Bob Catley, Jørn Lande, Tim "Ripper" Owens, and Klaus Meine.